Page 33 of Laying it Bare on the Run

“It’s the emergency alarm, Harper; it will stop in a moment.” Cannon shouted above the noise. Then he hugged me even tighter to his body, peppering the top of my head with kisses.

Thankfully, a moment later, the piercing blare silenced.

But I couldn’t catch my breath, my heart was about to burst through my chest, and my body shook with leftover sobs and panic. “They found me here. I don’t know how but they did.” Lifting my head, my eyes searched Cannon’s. Mine were full of terror; his were full of rage and determination.

“They won’t get their hands on you again. I won’t be letting you out of my sight. I’ve got vacation time coming. I’m taking it starting now.” He gave me a quick kiss. “Are you okay to stand up?” He slid out from under me, stood up, and pulled me to him, wrapping his arm around my waist and curling me to his side.

He bore most of my weight which was a good thing considering my legs felt like jelly and I was barely aware of my feet touching the floor.

Since my concentration had been solely on Cannon from the moment I had crashed into him after my narrow escape, I hadn’t realized at first that the immediate chaos had finally ended. But even though I was now more aware of my surroundings, I was operating on autopilot as Cannon walked me back down to his office.

One of his buddies stood in the doorway shaking his head. He turned at our approach. “We didn’t catch Kurt. He slipped out the emergency door in the back. I’m sorry, Rush. But holy shit, your office, Man.”

Glancing inside, I gasped. In the heat of the moment, as I fought violently against my attacker, I had no idea what exactly transpired. My main focus was breaking free from his unrelenting grip so that he couldn’t drag me out of the station. “I’m so sorry, Cannon.”

“Don’t you dare apologize for this mess. I’m so damn proud of you for fighting back when I wasn’t there for you.” He kissed my forehead.

His chair had been upturned and the one arm busted, his lap top lay on the floor in pieces, papers that must have been on his desk were scattered about the floor, and drops of blood were splattered across his desk. “Somehow I’ll pay for your computer.” The words croaked out of my dry throat.

“The hell you will. That’s coming out of Kurt’s ass.” He gazed down at me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I’m not mad at you at all. I’m so fucking relieved you are okay. But I’m so fucking pissed at this situation.”

“Fucking pissed doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

The three of us turned at the comment.

A bald guy with shrewd blue eyes studied me intently. “Is this the girl I need to speak with?”

I stiffened at the inquiry.

“Yes, Sarge, but not today. I think she’s been through enough for the day. Can we stop in tomorrow? Oh, and I’d like to take some time or work something out. Leave without pay would be fine. Use the money to pay someone overtime for my shifts. I can’t leave her alone now. I knew that fucker was trouble. He knows she’s here so it’s only a matter of time now.”

A shudder ran through my body. My nightmare had found me.

Cannon hugged me tighter. “It’s okay. I’m not letting you out of my sight and we’re going to get this bastard and he’s going to help us take down Waik.”

His sergeant rubbed his forehead and grumbled. “I’m glad we don’t get much excitement around here. Otherwise we wouldn’t have time for this shit.”

“I’m sorry I brought this to your city. I was really only passing through.”

“Well, I’m not sorry. I’m glad I found you. We’re going to end this and it’s not your fault one bit that we have to deal with this. It’s our job. It’s a fucking shame no one else took care of it earlier. But we won’t let it go.” Cannon ran his nose along my hairline.

His boss waved a dismissive hand. “No. You aren’t to blame. We’ll take care of this.” He glanced at Cannon. “I just don’t like to see one of my good guys not available for duty. But I’ll call in some temps. We’ll get this shit figured out. You two stop by sometime tomorrow afternoon and we’ll talk.” With that he turned and headed down the hall before ducking into an office and closing the door.

Slipping past his buddy, Cannon ushered me into his office, picked up his chair, sat down, and tugged me into his lap. Then he wrapped his arms around me.

I snuggled into his chest, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding on tightly. Cannon’s breathing and heartbeat had slowed since I first found myself in his arms. I concentrated on matching my own breathing to his in the hopes I could catch my breath and get my pulse near normal. Otherwise I was sure it was going to explode out of my chest. “How did you get yourself to calm down so easily? I’m still trying to gain control.” I panted.

He rubbed his lips along my temple. “It’s important for a cop to be able to keep his head. My adrenaline spiked while all the shit was going down but concentrating on taking care of you gave me something else to focus on so I could calm down and think clearly.”

“Rain check on meeting for drinks? Unless she needs a strong one after this shit.”

“Thanks, Joe. I just want to get her home. I’ll text you guys when we are up for anything.” Cannon placed a kiss on my forehead. “Are you ready to get out of here?”

I nodded.

“Joe, can you see if the outside is secure? I know they didn’t find the fucker but I want to make sure the area has been cleared. I doubt he’s hiding near the station. He’s a dumb fuck but I doubt he’s that dumb. But I’m not taking any chances.”

“Sure, Man.” Joe stepped out of the doorway and disappeared.

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