Patchworked Hearts {SAMPLE}

Chapter 22

"Oh, nothing, nothin—"

"Helena?"

Only one (living) person called her that, and Helen whipped back to the door, her eyes widening when she saw Patterson hovering in the doorway with his hands in his pockets and his brow wrinkled with confusion.

"Pat?" What on earth was he doing here? Not that it wasn't nice to see him, of course; she hadn't seen him since the previous day, and she'd missed his presence. Still, she hadn't expected to see him until at least the next day.

Addy took that moment to peek out from behind Pat's hulking frame. "Went ahead and called your boyfriend," she teased, the stupid smirk on her face widening when she saw Helen's shock. "He was all too willing to lend a hand."

A small grin tilted at Pat's lips beneath his beard, and he quirked his head sideways as he eyed Helen. "You didn't tell me you were becoming a detective, sweetheart."

"It's more of a hobby," she answered distractedly. "It's good to see you," and then she bit her lip, because she hadn't meant to say that out loud. She was a grown woman, for heaven's sake; she should be able to handle not seeing her boyfriend for a single day.

Oh, who are you kidding? You love this man.

And yeah, that was true. She was allowed to miss the man she loved, right?

So, ignoring Addy and Isaiah for the moment, she reached up a hand and smiled when Pat stepped forward, removing his hands from his pockets and intertwining her digits with his own. "You alright?" He asked, his voice soft enough that the others probably couldn't hear him.

"Just worried for Dahlia," she told him honestly, and she saw his eyes swirl with sadness for her.

"I know you are." He bent to press his lips against her forehead, and then straightened and turned to Addy, his hand never leaving Helen's. "What kind of file are we looking for, exactly?"

Addy, who had been watching the exchange between the duo with a look similar to that of a proud mother, snapped out of her trance and replied, "Anything that's not coding or boring paperwork."

Pat nodded, and Helen removed her hand from his to clear a space beside her as best she could. He shot her a grateful smile and then dropped down, stretching out his bad leg with a slight wince as he got settled. "So," he started once he was comfortable, already peeking at some of the many folders, "Addy gave me the basic details when she called me earlier, but I'm still a bit lost. Do we know what Dahlia had in the file?"

The fact that Patterson didn't jump down Helen's throat for not keeping him updated about the developments in the 'Dahlia situation' said a lot about his graciousness; still, Helen couldn't help but feel a guilty for not at least sending him a text to tell him that she'd gained new information.

She peeked up at Isaiah to gain his permission, but the other man was nose deep in a folder and muttering something about "Linux deserves to die," so she turned to Addy instead. Her friend was gazing at Helen with an unusually soft expression, and she, upon noticing Helen's inquisitive gaze, passed the woman a nod and a gentle smile before busying herself with the search once more.

Shifting her attention to Patterson, Helen stuck her thumb at Isaiah. "Did Addy tell you about Isaiah's current mission and situation?"

Pat cracked a grin. "Only after threatening my life if I told another soul."

"I gotta protect my man," Addy defended, not even looking up from the papers in her lap.

"Fair enough," Pat conceded with a quiet chuckle. "I think I've got everything." He paused, those stunning blue eyes of his tracing a slow path over Helen's features, his lips tugged into a worried frown. "I hate to be that guy, but is this really safe? Shouldn't you go to the police?"