Page 32 of Laying it Bare on the Run

Rushing down the hall to Sarge’s office, I cursed when his chair sat empty. Then I continued toward the front of the station. A few more people had congregated in the lobby since Harper and I had been out there just a few minutes ago. Mike stood off to the side staring at a tall guy in handcuffs who was sitting on the bench.

“Hey, do you know where Greg is?” I walked over to my buddy.

“He stepped out for a minute to catch someone at their car.”

In the next instant, the guy on the bench started cursing and flinging his body across the wooden seat. Before Mike and I could get to him, he had managed to wiggle out of his cuffs and charged us. But we were ready. I took him to the ground; my arms around his, pinning them to his sides, and my knee pressed sharply in the middle of his back.

Shouts from other officers and staff and a few residents flooded the area but we had this under control and they weren’t my concern.

“Whose suspect is this?” I growled.

“He’s Kurt’s.” Mike ripped his cuffs from his duty belt.

“Where the fuck is he then?”

Mike shrugged his shoulders as he knelt down beside me and the flailing suspect.

Oh fuck. “Get him cuffed. I need to get back to my office now!” I yelled.

As soon as the cuffs clicked, I shoved the asshole at Mike and sprinted down the hall.

Chapter Six

~Harper~

Not three minutes after Cannon left me sitting in his chair to go find his sergeant, shouting and commotion erupted out front. The disturbance sent my already frayed nerves into overdrive. I had been uneasy off and on throughout the day but couldn’t quite put my finger on the why. I managed to keep myself busy with all of the cleaning so I didn’t dwell too much on it. And when Cannon came home I was so ready to just curl up with him and pretend I didn’t have a maniac out looking for me. Although the surprise rose he had brought home for me definitely lifted my spirits. But one of the last things I wanted to be doing right now was talking with his sergeant about my situation. But Cannon was right; I needed all of the help I could get to see justice for my family and to finally be free of my nightmare.

So when curiosity got the better of me and because it gave me something else to focus on, I eased out of his chair so I could sneak a peek down the hallway. However, I hadn’t even made it to the doorway, when a bulky dark haired guy in uniform stepped inside, blocking my exit. He stood only a few inches taller than me but looked like he could bench press a bus. My alarm bells screeched as cold fingers of dread crawled up my spine. I got the eerie feeling he wasn’t one of the good ones. “Excuse me. Cannon is out front. I need to go see him.”

The guy didn’t budge. Instead, his dark eyes grew colder and a sinister smirk crept across his lips as he studied me like I was a science specimen. The scrutiny causing my skin to crawl.

“I know where Cannon is.”

When I got a good look at him, the dread froze into an ice chunk of terror, crushing my chest and impeding my breathing. “Oh shit.” I slinked backward.

His cruel smile grew wider and his eyes lit up in beastly delight. “Hey, Harper. Boy is Waik going to be happy to see you.” He advanced on me. “I’ll be sure to be moved into his number one spot when I’m the one who delivers you to him.”

I opened my mouth to scream but barely got out a sound before he was on me, his hand clamped tightly over my mouth. “We don’t want anyone else in on this party. It’s invite only and you are Waik’s special guest.” His other arm banded around my waist, pulling my back to his chest and pinning my arms to my sides, as he moved to pull me from the office space.

Refusing to give in to complete panic, I quickly calculated my options. I was in a police station with a number of officers, so even if I didn’t survive this, he wasn’t getting away either.

Besides, if he managed to get me out of there without anyone witnessing, I was worse than dead. So I decided I’d rather he shot and killed me right in the station than to give him that chance. I reared my head up, smashing nicely into the underside of his chin. Pain radiated through the top of my head but I didn’t give a shit. Then with all of my weight, I slammed my foot down onto his instep. When he howled in pain, I ran for the doorway, only to be grabbed around the waist again and flung into Cannon’s desk, my hip connecting painfully with the wooden edge. However, I didn’t even pause to flinch but instead grabbed Cannon’s lap top and swung at the guy’s head with all of the strength I possessed. As soon as it made contact with the side of his head and he stumbled briefly, I tore out of Cannon’s space, screaming with as much vigor as I could muster.

A split second later, I collided with a huge solid body and the two of us ended up in a heap on the floor. For a brief moment, I panicked but when I recognized Cannon through my tears, I burst into sobs. “He tried to take me. He tried to take me.” My words rushed out in quavering spurts. “I broke your computer. I’m so sorry.” I burrowed into his arms.

“It’s okay. I got you, Harper. Somebody find Kurt now!” Cannon bellowed.

Two blurs flashed by us but I barely paid them much attention. More shouting ensued along with the pounding of additional feet; it seemed chaos had erupted in the building. More so than the earlier commotion. All of my senses were on high alert yet I couldn’t completely focus on one particular thing. Instead, my heart sped up to mach speed and I was having a hard time catching my breath.

“What the fuck is going on in my station?” Another voice growled, low and demanding.

But Cannon ignored it, his sole focus on me. Shuffling into a seated position, he curled me into his lap in the middle of the floor and put his hands on the sides of my face. “Are you okay, other than shook up? Do you need medical attention? Did that bastard hurt you?”

My head jerked to the side erratically. “I don’t think so. Please just hold me.” I just needed to focus on his arms around me to stave off the panic attack barreling down on me.

In the next instant, a shrill alarm pierced the air around us.

“Make it stop.” I clapped my hands to my ears as the sharp squeal made my head throb and jacked up the rattled nerves I had been trying to get under control.

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