Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

smile. “I don’t bounce so good. It’s a bruise, nothing more.”
    Blythe handed Stefan a package. “Hannah, Jonas’s wife called me and told me what happened. She suggested I bring you clothes. They took Jonas’s uniform and everything else from him and he’s at the hospital. They always take blood in an officer involved homicide . . .”
    “ Homicide? ” Inez protested. “Jonas had no choice. That man was trying to kill Mr. Vincent. He would have killed all of us. Jonas wasn’t given a choice.”
    Blythe hugged her. “Jonas will be fine. Any time someone is killed like that, whether by an officer or someone else, it’s considered a homicide. They’ll investigate, they have your statements and Jonas will be fine. Don’t worry about him, Inez. Hannah’s worried enough for all of us. You might want to drop by and see her later, just to check on her.”
    “Yes. Yes, that’s a good idea,” Inez agreed. Her shoulders sagged and she sank into a chair. “This has been such a terrible day. First someone vandalized the gallery and then that horrible man tried to kill us.” She looked around the room, a look of worry on her face. “If he had Bill’s sleeping place and his things, where’s Bill?”
    There was a small silence. Blythe sighed. “I’m so sorry, Inez. I know you went to high school with Bill.”
    “He really was a good man. He lost his way in the war, that’s all,” Inez said. “He belonged to the village. We all took care of him. I don’t understand any of them. Why would that man want to hurt Bill and then take his place?”
    “We may never know the answer,” Blythe said.
    Stefan took the clothes Blythe brought him into the back and changed. He would never consider himself modest, but a paper jumpsuit didn’t give him a lot of confidence in its ability to stay together. His only consolation was the thought that Jonas Harrington had to suffer the indignity of wearing one as well.
    Judith had stayed across the room from him most of the time, but he could see her need to be held and comforted even if she didn’t know it. He couldn’t go to her with another man’s blood all over him and he was very grateful for the small shower stall someone had installed some years earlier. It didn’t work the best, with low water pressure and the water scalding hot one moment and then icy cold the next, but with a little time he learned the trick of it.
    He looked in the mirror. Damn. He was tired and it showed in his face. For the first time he allowed elation to sweep through him. Petr Ivanov was dead. He could never be a threat to Lev again. Or to Stefan and his relationship with Judith. He only had one more complication to get rid of and his life was his own. He had to find the microchip and get it home to Russia where it belonged.
    But first, before anything else, he had to hold his woman close and see for himself that she was all right. Barefoot, he walked out of the back room and right up to her, uncaring what any of them thought. He pulled her close to him, fitting her snugly against his body, his fingers gripping her hips to guide her into him. His arms slid around her back, his body protective, hard and very much in control.
    Judith melted into him, sagging against him as if in relief. She turned her face up to his, dark gaze moving over him. He bent his head and took her mouth, his lips moving over hers, shaping hers, teeth tugging at her lower lip. His tongue swept inside, and he kissed her as if his very survival depended on her—and for him, it did.
    He pulled back enough to rest his forehead against hers, his hand bunched at the nape of her hair. “I might have to wrap you in cotton and put you in a safe,” he whispered.
    “I was thinking the same thing about you,” she said, her hands sliding to the back of his neck while she lifted her face for another kiss.
    Stefan took his time, before he turned to the others, sliding his arm around Judith to keep her close. “Frank, I’m definitely interested in purchasing the gallery. Give me a little time to look at the books to make you a decent offer.”
    Inez beamed at him. She shot a quick, pleased look at Frank. “Judith knows the inventory better than anyone else and what the real value is, but we’re both happy to help you in any way possible.”
    “You’re planning on settling here permanently then,” Blythe said.
    Stefan couldn’t tell whether she was pleased or not. Blythe was very reserved around him. “Very