I blink in surprise. I must have heard her wrong. “Excuse me?”

“My dad. I think....” She shakes her head and looks away. “Yesterday, he asked if I could help him and my mom with their electric bill. I told him no.”

“You think your father broke into your house in the middle of the night to steal from you, even after what happened to you days ago?” My words are spoken through clenched teeth and anger starts to fill every cell in my body. What kind of man would do that to his child, especially after what she just went through?

“I….” she starts, but stops when there is a knock on the door.

“Get dressed,” I order softly, turning away from her. I don’t want to make her feel any worse than she already does. I don’t want her to see how pissed off I am.

“Cobi.”

When my gaze meets hers, the anger I’m feeling is amplified. Her eyes glistening is my undoing, and I swear to God I’m going to kill her dad if I find out it was him who broke in. I move toward her, calling, “Hold on,” to the officers outside. Once I’m close, I wrap my hand around the side of her neck and gentle my voice. “Get dressed and come right back out to me. It’s going to be all okay, sweetheart.”

“Cobi.”

“I promise you, baby, it’s going to be okay.” I bend my head down and kiss her wobbling bottom lip then pull back to look into her eyes once more. “Do what I asked and come back to me.”

“Okay,” she whispers, and I let her go, watching her as she disappears into the bedroom.

I pull in a few breaths before going to the door and opening it. I let Haws and Tracy, two officers I know, into the house, shaking their hands. I’ve worked with each of them a few times in the past, and both are good people and officers, having been with the local PD for years. While Hadley is getting dressed, I relay the story of what happened to them, tell them how I woke up and heard a sound, then went in search of it and saw someone run from the house. I tell them I didn’t get a glimpse of him or her, but in my estimation, the person was a man, the height alone leading me to believe that fact. They must have been at least six foot, and not many women are that tall. I tell them about Hadley mentioning that it might have been her father who broke in, and when Hadley comes out of the bedroom dressed, they ask her what her father’s name is. I’m stunned that I know of him. I’ve personally never dealt with Derrick Emmerson, but his name and his wife’s have come up in meetings more than once since I started with the department.

“I don’t know for sure if it was him,” Hadley says, and I pull her against me, rubbing her arm when her voice cracks. “But he asked me just yesterday to borrow money, and he knows I always keep at least a hundred dollars cash in my wallet.” She shakes her head. “He’s the only person I can think of who’d break in.”

Not liking the idea of her believing her father would do this to her, I ask, “Do you guys know if any other break-ins have happened in the area?” Looking between both officers, I watch as they share a look then shake their heads.

“None in this neighborhood, but the days are getting shorter and the holidays are coming up. People always start getting desperate around this time of year,” Tracy says, and I nod. Hadley’s neighborhood is one of the safer ones within the city limits, but Tracy is right. With the holidays fast approaching, break-ins are occurring more and more. Most people will get a second job to provide for their family, but there are some who will just go out and take from others in order to give their loved ones what they think they need. I can’t even tell you the number of times I’ve been called to a home in the month of December with the owners telling me that someone stole all the gifts from under their tree or packages off their doorstep. Christmas makes people crazy, and the crime rate during the holidays is proof of that.

“Do you know how they got in?” Haws questions.

“I haven’t done a sweep yet. Didn’t want to go out without my weapon, which is locked up in my truck.”

“I’m going to check around the house to see if I can find an entry point,” he mumbles before giving out chin lifts and heading outside.

“Did you notice anything telling about the perpetrator before they took off?” Tracy asks.

“Nothing more than what I already told you. I’m not sure if they wore a mask, but I didn’t see their face. I couldn’t even tell if they were Caucasian.”

“What direction did they head in?”

“Toward 5th Street. I lost sight of them when they got to the end of the block.” My hand clenches in frustration. “I didn’t pursue them after they took off. I didn’t want to leave Hadley alone, and like I said before, I had no gun.”

“Probably smart you let them go,” Tracy says, while Hadley nuzzles my chest with the side of her face. I kiss the top of her head and try to force myself to relax when I feel how tense she is. I don’t want her to feel my anger and feed off it, especially not in the middle of the night. She still has a few hours to sleep, and I want her to do that without having another nightmare.

“Do you need anything else from Hadley?” I ask, and Tracy’s eyes go to her and soften.

“Just one more thing,” Tracy says, and I brace, seeing the look in her eyes. “Under normal circumstances, I would not ask, but if we find out it was your dad who broke in, how do you want us to proceed?”

Fuck.

Hadley’s entire body gets tight, and I feel every muscle in contact with me bunch as her breath hitches.

“Tracy,” I warn, and her eyes meet mine.

“I think I need to ask, Mayson, due to the circumstances.”

“If my dad did this, I want you to move forward however you normally would,” Hadley says in a quiet voice, ending my stare down with Tracy.

“Are you sure about that, baby?” I question, capturing her chin between my fingers to force her to look me in the eyes. I know from our previous conversations that her parents are a sore subject, but I have no idea of their current relationship.

“I’m sure,” she whispers.

When I catch a glimpse of the tears in her eyes, I turn her into me and hold the back of her head, placing her face against my neck. “Are we finished?” I ask Tracy.

“Yeah, if we need anything else, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” I follow her to the door with Hadley still tucked against my front, and Tracy gives me an apologetic look before she leaves. Once she’s gone, I lock the door and lead Hadley to the bedroom. I get into bed with her and bite back a curse when her tears soak through my tee.

“Talk to me, Hadley. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“It was him. I know it was him,” she whimpers, burrowing into my side.

“Baby.” I roll into her and tighten my arms around her small frame.

Her body goes solid immediately and she tries to pull away. “This can’t happen.”

“What?”

“Let me go.” She struggles without answering.

I don’t let go. I hold her tighter and place my mouth to her ear. “I’m not letting you go, Hadley.”

“You have to.” She tries to get free, but she’s no match for me. I’m stronger and more determined than she is. “You have to let me go. Please, just let me go,” she whimpers as the fight leaves her body.

“Never,” I state, holding my lips to the top of her head. “I’m never letting you go.” It’s a vow. I couldn’t let her go even if I wanted to. With every second I spend with her, I understand more and more that she was made for me. When her body stills and her breath evens out, I look down at her face. Her eyes are closed, but I know she’s not asleep. “You’re mine, Hadley, mine until I take my last breath.”

Her muscles bunch in response to my confession, proving she’s awake, but she doesn’t open her mouth to reply.

One thing I know for certain—this will be the last night she stays here. Even if I have to tie her to my bed, she will be staying at my place with me protecting her until I know without a doubt she’s safe.