“He had a fucking gun. How could I have let down my guard like that?”
“You couldn’t have known, man. We all thought the threat was gone. Sounds like this guy went rogue.”
“And that bitch from the library? How did I not know she was a threat? She nearly killed Juliet. The sheriff messed that investigation up.” Truthfully, he was more angry at him himself than the sheriff.
“Ed will be beating himself up,” Xavier told him.
“I want one of us close to her at all times,” Brick stated. “If I can’t be with her, then you have to be.”
“Guess that’s the beauty of a relationship like ours, huh?” Xavier mused.
Brick stilled, then turned to face him. “Yeah, it is. I’m glad you’re in this with me, man. There’s no one I trust more to take care of her than you.”
Xavier nodded. “Same.” He straightened. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. We both feel guilty, but we thought she was safe.”
He’d try, but his gut still felt sick. When a woman had raced up to the sheriff to tell him she’d seen a large, shady-looking man enter the woman’s bathrooms, he’d just known she was in trouble. He’d nearly lost his mind.
But they’d gotten there in time. She was fine. She was safe.
“She’s the very best part of me. She saved me from a life of bitterness and misery. I can’t lose her.”
“I get it. I feel—”
A chilling scream interrupted Xavier. They both rushed into the bedroom. Brick’s heart pounded with terror.
Juliet was sitting up in bed, her eyes wide and unseeing. She appeared terrified.
“Juliet! Baby!”
She didn’t reply. Instead, she climbed off the bed, her movements surprisingly forceful.
“Fuck! Night terror,” Xavier said.
“Where is she going?”
“Don’t know, but don’t grab her. She might become aggressive.”
Her body shook with trembles, her breathing was labored.
“Sweetheart, Juliet, why don’t you get back into bed,” Xavier said in a soothing voice as she stood there. She reached up to tug painfully at her hair.
“Xavier,” Brick said in a low voice. He couldn’t take this. It was killing him.
“I know, man. We’ll help her. She’ll probably come out of it soon, we just have to keep her safe.”
She headed towards the door, but Brick blocked the way. She came to a stop in front of him.
Fuck. Fuck. He really needed to touch her.
“Juliet, come back to bed,” Xavier said in a low voice.
Another pain-filled cry left her. Brick’s heart broke. Then she blinked and looked up at him. “Daddy?”
“Baby girl.” He reached out and touched her arms. She let out a sob, and he drew her close, holding her against his chest. Xavier moved up behind her, sandwiching her between them.
“Papa,” she cried. “Daddy.”
“We’re here, sweetheart,” Xavier soothed. “You’re safe. Nothing is going to happen to you. We’ll keep you safe.”