head down as she moved, watching for a shooter hiding on a roof. Or behind another vehicle. There was help everywhere, so if he did take a shot at her and she did get hurt, then she would have aid quickly.
Fear can’t stop me.
It wasn’t gone, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t able to work through it. Acknowledge it and set it aside.
The way she’d done with every resurgence of her panic over the years since her life had irrevocably changed.
“Everything okay?”
She nodded to Dean, sliding the backpack on both arms so she’d have her hands free. “How can I help?”
His eyebrows lifted. “You shouldn’t be out here. I asked you to wait in the car because it’s not safe.”
She explained about the phone call, which he didn’t like. Ellie wanted to see a different emotion on his face. Not just obligation or disappointment. She wanted the warmth she’d seen from him. Some indication he was as affected by her as she was by him.
But, then again, maybe he wasn’t attracted to her. Could be he was only doing this because he helped people and that was the man he was.
“You should go and get back in—”
“I’m not going to hide.” She lifted her chin, determined to make him see she was strong. “I let Jess know about the call, and now I’m going to be smart. But I’m not backing down.”
The gloves on his hands were stained with blood. He nodded, looking like he was impressed with her. “Okay, let’s get to work.”
Twelve
Dean shoved the ambulance door shut and rapped his palm twice on the back door. As it pulled away, he turned to Ellie. “Okay, now spill.”
She’d been on edge since she got out of the car. Where he’d told her to stay put so she would be safe. Now she was sticking to him like glue.
“What happened?”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything yet. Dean had time. The cops and now the paramedics were gone. People had disbursed. She was looking at her shoes, the line of her shoulders extremely tense.
With no apparent explanation.
He wondered if this was more than just fear over the couple of near misses she’d suffered so far. Already he’d seen indication she had suffered some kind of trauma. He had no idea what it was. But with Dean’s primary function being helping people—whether that was physically or mentally—he didn’t think it was too much to ask what someone he wanted to start a relationship with might need emotionally from him.
Dean wanted a place to go—someone to be with—where he didn’t have to work with them. To not feel like he had to “fix” them, as well as everyone else.
He liked Ellie. Dean had a vested interest in keeping her safe because it was the right thing to do. But if he was going to start a relationship with her, it would be because it was a sanctuary for him, a peace he found with her. Not more work he felt like he had to do.
“Ellie.” He touched her elbow gently. “I need you to tell me if I’m going to keep you safe.”
Before she could answer, a black and white police car pulled up and Jessica hopped out dressed in her police uniform but with a jacket over the shirt and a hat over her blond hair.
Ellie groaned. Dean figured out why when he saw the thunderous look on her sister’s face. He turned to the officer and nodded a greeting. “Officer Ridgeman.”
Ellie shifted behind him. Using him as cover?
He folded his arms across his chest, enjoying the stretch to counter the fatigue he felt from the work he’d just done at the accident scene. “How can we help you?”
“You can’t.” She pointed at Ellie, who now clutched the back of his shirt. “She can.”
He looked over his shoulder and kept his voice low. “Ellie.”
She lifted her gaze, her face close to hers. Fear stark in her eyes. “I told Jess about the phone call right before I got out of the car. So she could do some technical stuff that police do and figure out who he is.”
“I’m guessing you left your phone in the car,” her sister said. “After you sent me a text.”
“Did you get anything from it?”
Jess said, “Ted is looking into it, but he needs the phone you got the call on.”
Dean turned to Ellie. “What did he tell you?”
“Leave it alone, or else. That kind of thing.”
His gaze tracked the movement of her lips as