Simon pried her fingers off his arm. “And I want to go inside and check on Ben.” He gave a little salute to Eric. “Let me know when you’re ready to head down to the station.” Then he motioned toward a guy in a suit who waited just a few feet away. The guy had been trying—unsuccessfully—to blend into the white, hospital wall. “Maurice will keep an eye on Ben. He’ll make sure no unwanted visitors get anywhere near your brother.”

Piper was pretty sure she fell into the unwanted visitor category. Ben had almost looked at her as if he hated her. He’d never stared at her with so much fury before.

Simon hurried to the hospital room. He shoved the door open. “Ben, you look like shit.”

The door closed.

Piper rocked onto the balls of her feet as Eric closed the distance between them. Her mouth seemed to go dry, and she didn’t know what to say.

“I’m going to the station.”

Okay. He knew what to say. Immediately, she nodded. “I’m coming with you.”

“Piper—”

“Seriously? Do not argue with me. I’m coming with you. Ben doesn’t want me here with him. That much is obvious.” Obvious to everyone.

The faint lines near his mouth deepened. “Ben is floating on pain meds. He doesn’t know what the hell he was saying.”

Ben knew exactly what he’d said. “I know him, and I know when he needs space to cool down.” She also didn’t want to get flayed by his blue stare right then. “I have to do something. Simon was just telling me that you are going to get access to my computer.”

He pulled out his phone. Scanned the texts there. “Yours and Grady’s. Lopez worked some magic with her chief and I’m being pulled in as a consult. I’m supposed to assist the PD’s tech team…” A pause. “While she’s working interrogations.”

“Yeah.” She licked her lower lip. “Simon told me about those, too. All the more reason for me to be at the station.”

He didn’t look convinced. “If one of those guys is the perp, all the more reason for you to be far away from the station.”

She closed the last bit of distance between them. Her hands rose to press to his chest. “I feel safer when I’m with you.” That was the truth. She actually did. But she was also playing him, just a wee bit, because she was scared out of her mind. She wanted to stay close to him because she thought he was in danger. He’d waved a red flag at the freaking insane bull. He’d told the psycho out there that he was her lover.