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"I thought so."

I shove myself upright on the couch, ignoring the twinge of muscle soreness that lingers from being grabbed and roughed around by the robbers.

"I won't apologize for wanting to keep you safe, Violet."

I shake my head, resigned to another battle that will undoubtedly end with the same result of a standoff. "Firefighting isn't safe."

He blinks at me in silent surprise for a moment before inhaling.

"Vi, be reasonable here."

A laugh bubbles out of me, and I shake my head at him. "You run into burning buildings, Sully. You pull people from wrecked vehicles about to explode. How is that not dangerous? More dangerous than me going to work?"

"It's different."

"Because it's you?"

"Yes."

I huff and swing my feet to the floor and shove off the couch, mourning the loss of his warmth when the cold morning air replaces the cuddled heat of his body. "I won't go into how sexist that statement is. Instead, I'll focus on the fact that I know you're saying what you're saying because…you care about me."

Sully stands. I'm forced to look up at him as he towers over me in his impressive height. I'm not intimidated, though.

Because it's Sully.

Oh, I'm in way over my head here. I know it. I'm just not sure what to do about it except stand my ground.

A part of me smiles at the healing awareness of feeling safe in his masculine presence, but the other part of me? The mad part?

She's still pissed off.

"You know I do. And it's different for me because I've trained for exactly those kinds of situations. I know what to do. I'm in the best gear to protect me. Violet, I⁠—"

The doorbell rings, and Sully and I both turn toward the sound before Sully shoots me a frustrated glare and stalks toward the door.

I watch as he uses the side window to see who's outside before Sully unlocks and opens the panel. I catch a glimpse of Chase in uniform, the sun bright and blinding behind him.

It's late morning, and I have definitely slept in due to my sleepless night.

"You have news?" Sully asks without greeting the man.

I meet Chase's gaze as Sully steps back to allow him entry, then brace myself for whatever discovery has a glower marring the officer's expression. He looks angry, which leaves me struggling to breathe. "What's happened?"

Chase inhales and tucks a thumb into his utility belt, looking far too weary for his age.

"We received tips about potential suspects in the robbery and followed up on them. Those tips led to another, and we've arrested two of the three men."

I wrap my arms more tightly around my waist and stomp down the surge of happiness I want to feel but can't due to his expression. "Okay. And the third?"

Chase pauses before answering, sliding Sully a glance before refocusing on me.

"They said they don't know who he is."

"How's that possible?" Sully demands.

"We were able to track the two down when one of them tried to sell Ty's watch to a pawn shop late yesterday. The owner's a friend and Saint and managed to keep the guy hanging around long enough for us to get there."

Sully whistled. "Lucky break."