Page 39 of Midnight Lessons

My mouth drops open. “Knight Rider? My favorite TV show is your username?”

Matthew ignores me, his mouth tightening as the sheriff steps forward.

“Sounded pretty solid to me when Mark brought this to me half an hour ago, Crane. If you’d like, I’m sure Mark can show you the full report, but I’m guessing you’ve seen enough.” He nods to his deputies. “Cuff him.”

Before the deputies can move, I step forward and punch Matthew in the nose. Ignoring the pain in my knuckles, I hiss, “That’s for disrespecting The Hoff!” My knee finds his nuts. “And that’s foreverything else!”

Matthew hunches forward with a groan, cupping his junk. “She assaulted me!” he wheezes, his eyes watering as he glares at the sheriff. “Arrest her!”

Sheriff Midnight looks at his deputies. “I didn’t see anything untoward. Did you, deputies?”

They both shake their heads.

“Nothing at all.”

“Not a thing.”

I wince as I flex my hand, pleased to see a trickle of blood oozing from Matthew’s nose. I’ve never hit anyone in my life, but he deserved it for all the harm he’s caused.

The two deputies move in quickly, and Matthew stumbles back, fear flashing across his face. “You can’t do this! You can’t prove anything! I haven’t even touched her!” he shouts, his voice rising to a frantic pitch.

“Maybe not physically,” I say, my voice surprisingly steady despite the tremor running through me. “But you manipulated, stalked, and threatened me. And then you dragged half the town into your sickgames, trying to humiliate me.” My voice hardens, the words tumbling out with a strength I didn’t know I had. “You’re not going to get away with it.”

Matthew glares at me, venom in his eyes. “You think you can walk away from me, Willow? You think this is over?”

The deputies roughly pull his arms behind his back, snapping the cuffs into place with a decisive click. But Matthew’s gaze never leaves mine, burning with rage and something darker.

“Itisover,” Owen says, his voice low but carrying enough weight to silence Matthew’s tirade. “You’ve been using your power and money to torment Willow long enough. And now? You’ll finally face the consequences.”

Sheriff Midnight steps closer, his expression stern. “You’re looking at multiple charges, Crane—stalking, harassment, invasion of privacy, and probably a few others once we dig through your mess. And with your reputation?” He shakes his head slowly. “This isn’t going to go away quietly.”

Matthew’s bravado crumbles as the reality of his situation sets in. He thrashes against the deputies’hold, his eyes wide and wild. “No! You can’t—this will ruin me! I’ll lose everything!” he shouts desperately.

“That’s not our problem,” Sheriff Midnight replies calmly, nodding to his men. “Take him in.”

The deputies haul Matthew toward the waiting squad car, his struggles growing weaker as the fight drains out of him. The sight of him, defeated and humiliated, should give me a sense of satisfaction, but I’m strangely empty. It’s finally over. The nightmare is ending, but the scars he’s left—those will take time to heal.

Owen’s hand finds mine, his fingers strong and warm around mine, grounding me. He raises my hand to his mouth, kissing my swollen knuckles. You okay, slugger?”

I turn to look at him, his expression a mix of relief and fierce protectiveness. “Yeah, I am now.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t worth it?” he teases.

I shrug. “Probably not, but damn, it felt good.”

Mark steps up beside us, his grin a little sheepish. “Sorry I didn’t get here sooner. Tracingeverything took longer than I thought. But we got him.”

“You did great, Mark,” I say, reaching out to hug him. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

He stiffens for a moment, clearly not used to this kind of gratitude, but then he pats my back awkwardly. “Just helping friends in need,” he mutters, stepping back quickly. “That’s one mean right hook you’ve got there, Willow,” he says with a grin. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

“Not sure what came over me.” I laugh.

Owen grins at me, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “My woman is a fighter.”

“Glad you two finally worked things out.” Mark smiles as he looks at us. “Guess those books I sent you did the trick.”

I give Owen a questioning look. “Books? You mean…”

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