Page 32 of Stolen

“Yeah, yeah, I know he’s a good man,” Blossom said, looking at SynTanner. He had to be a good man to take on all this baggage and ditch her the moment he realized that this fight was against a powerful figure.

Silence filled the space between all of them as they went back to watching and waiting for signs of Valerie waking up. A small groan broke the silence of the room. Blossom jerked her head up.

“Val,” Blossom rushed out. Valerie was already looking at Blossom. A weak smile touched her lips. Her eyes were glassy as she blinked frequently.

“I’m gonna get the bastard for doing this,” Blossom promised. Valerie smiled wider and nodded. Her eyes moved to SynTanner who was sitting next to Blossom. Valerie winked at him. Even in her weakened state, with her nose strapped with tubes to allow her to breathe, the woman was still being herself. A wink was her way of flirting. Blossom always teased her endlessly about it.

“Hey! Back off, he’s mine,” Blossom warned her. Valerie looked at her and rolled her eyes. In the end, she still smiled at the both of them. She stretched her hand out as if she was trying to reach for something.

“What is it? Do I need to get the doctor?!” Blossom asked. Valerie shook her head, but continued to reach. SynTanner realized she was reaching for him. He stretched his hand out, allowing her to grab hold of it. She guided his hand to where Blossom’s hand was resting against the bed. Placing his hand directly over Blossom’s hand, she pressed their hands together as if she wanted them to hold hands.

“Go—home. Together,” she whispered. Three words and she was completely drained. Her hand went lax as her head tilted to the side. She tumbled back into deep sleep.

“Sounds like she’s kicking us out?” SynTanner asked with a light smile across his lips. Blossom blushed.

“Before it all happened, she was ranting and raving about how sexy you looked. And then when you were gone, I was kind of telling her about…us,” Blossom said.

“She must want you two to spend time together and not be stuck at her bedside. You know Valerie wouldn’t want you doting on her all night,” Mrs. Henry said.

“But we can’t just leave you,” Blossom said.

“Oh please, I will be fine. I’m her mother, this is where I need to be. The doctor told me that the police will be coming in the morning to try and get her statement so I don’t mind staying. And I can call my sister. She’ll come keep me company.” Blossom was ready to ask the woman if she was sure, but was given another hot glare from those steely chocolate eyes.

“Alright, I’m leaving,” Blossom submitted.

“Good,” Mrs. Henry nodded. “And thank you for staying all the time that you have Deputy. I know you didn’t have to.”

“Valerie is important to Blossom. And Blossom is important to me, so naturally I care,” he replied. Mrs. Henry smiled at him before turning to look back at her daughter.

“We should leave,” Blossom whispered. SynTanner stood first, taking Blossom’s hand. Before leaving, she gave Mrs. Henry a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Silently, SynTanner and Blossom left the hospital together. Even though they were side by side, Blossom had the incredible urge to hold his hand, thinking that would make her feel closer to him. She looked down at his hand and as if he was reading her mind, he took her hand within his and held tightly. Blossom could only gasp and look up at him. He was looking straight ahead with confidence. It didn’t even make sense to ask him how he knew what she wanted. He just did. And maybe that meant the connection was more than just circumstance.

“Where do you want to go, baby?” SynTanner asked her as they approached his bike. They had already checked out of the hotel before they left to go to the precinct that morning. On the way, SynTanner rode by her home so she could drop her bag off. Oddly enough, the last place she wanted to go at the moment was her home. SynTanner watched her quiet contemplation. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt as if he was so in tune with her body that he didn’t have to wait for her answers to his questions. Reading her facial expression, and her body language was second nature.

“Hop on,” he said. Her eyes lit up brightly. Without even knowing what he was planning, willingly ready to go where he would take her was the ultimate sign of trust. That mattered greatly to SynTanner.

With her arms wrapped around his waist, and motoring through the streets of Greyson, SynTanner was eager, yet confident to bring her to his home. The sky was slowly beginning to darken, the skies changing from the evening sunset, to night time darkness.

SynTanner lived amongst the middle class, his two-story residence painted gray, surrounded by blossoming trees and a wide span backyard that was the home of a fresh vegetable garden and carefully planted flowers. SynTanner rolled his bike into his garage before cutting the engine. Having already built a routine since she’s rode on his bike more times than any woman, Blossom waited until he dismounted the bike, knowing he would help her get down. He unclipped her helmet and took it off, placing it on the seat of the bike.

“This is your home,” she said. SynTanner nodded at her. He flipped a switch and the garage doors rumbled to life and eased down, closing them inside. Taking her hand, he guided her to a white door with a glass window sectioned off into four sections. Through the window she could already see that the door led into his kitchen.

The kitchen was an open concept, leading directly to his dining room. The walls were painted white and there still seemed to be a minimum of decorations but still, the place felt homey.

“I know you don’t have any clothes but we’ll deal with that tomorrow morning. I have plenty you can wear for the night. I’ll show you around and then you can take a shower while I get dinner started.” Blossom nodded at his plan.

His home was beautiful and what decoration he lacked in the kitchen seemed to be made up for in his living room, and his man cave. His place was surprisingly neat.

“That’s your mom?” Blossom asked, pointing to the framed picture hanging over his fireplace.

“Yes. I had just graduated the academy in that picture. She’s the one that blew it up, got it framed, and hung it up there. I figure if I take it down, she’ll sense it in her sleep or wherever she’s at and come whoop my behind,” SynTanner smiled. Blossom giggled. He didn’t share any features of his mother, but she could see the pride and joy in her eyes just from the photo. She was looking at him like he was the only man in the world she cared about.

Upstairs, he had two guest rooms, an office, and then his bedroom. One of the guestrooms carried an adjoining bathroom, while the other bathroom was in the hall. While he was showing her the second guest bedroom and chatting, Blossom found herself moving towards the large bedroom at the end of the hall. She could tell it was the master bedroom before inside she caught sight of the four poster bed.

“Blossom?” SynTanner realized he was only talking to himself. Blossom had left him in the guest bedroom and was walking down to his bedroom. He followed after her, curious as to what she was thinking.

“I hope you’re not assuming I’m going to sleep in one of the guest bedrooms,” she said, turning to look at him when he entered behind her.