Page 52 of Talon

I scramble to my feet. As the two men exchange blows, my heart feels as if it’s trying to escape my chest. Talon swings at the man’s face, but the guy ducks and kicks Talon’s legs out from under him. After a swift blow to Talon’s head, the stalker sprints away, disappearing into the shadows of the garage.

“Oh my God. Are you okay?” I drop to my knees beside him.

“I’m fine.” He groans, clutching his head.“What about you? Did he hurt you?”

“A few scrapes, but nothing too bad. Thank God you came.”

“I was right behind you, and then a bunch of people walking across the street stopped me. By the time they got to the other side, I’d lost you. I figured maybe you came in here to look for a spot.”

“I did.” I hold out my hand to help him up.“He hit you really hard. Maybe we should call an ambulance.”

“No. I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” He pulls me into a tight embrace. I hold him back just as hard, trembling in the aftermath of the attack.

“I’m okay,” I whisper shakily into his strong chest. The warmth of his body envelops me like a protective shield, calming my frantic thoughts. I know I’m safe in his arms.

“Let me check on Loki,” Talon says gently, releasing me from his comforting hold.

He moves quickly to the car, pulling open the door to free my trapped puppy. Loki’s barks are filled with relief as he leaps out, bounding over to Talon, wagging his tail furiously. Loki licks Talon’s hands before running over to do the same to mine. I give my baby a big hug.

“Hey, buddy,” Talon murmurs, kneeling to examine Loki for any injuries. It’s as if he can sense how important my puppy is to me. To my immense relief, it seems like Loki escaped any serious harm. In a way, it’s probably good he got trapped in the car.

Loki’s eyes lock onto Talon’s. Something seems to pass between them because suddenly Loki licks Talon’s face affectionately. I smile through my lingering fear. They really seem to love each other.

“Stay with her,” Talon instructs Loki, his voice firm yet tender.“I’m going to get some evidence before we leave.”

I nod, understanding the importance of gathering information to help identify my stalker. The fact that we’ve got his truck now is huge. This could be the break we needed to blow the case wide open.

Talon walks over to inspect the large, black truck. He takes out his phone and snaps several pictures, capturing every angle he can. He taps away at his screen, sending the images to Matrix, who I know will work tirelessly to trace the vehicle’s owner.

“Matrix will update us as soon as possible,” Talon informs me, slipping his phone back into his cut.“This is a huge lead. If we can find out who owns this, we might finally figure out who’s stalking you.”

“Talon,” I say, my voice thick with emotion.“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. He almost got me to his truck. If he’d taken me someplace else …”

“Hey, baby …” Talon cups my face in his hands.“We’re a team, remember? You don’t have to face this alone.”

“I know that now.”

“You’re only now realizing this?” He smiles before his expression becomes serious once more.“What I don’t get is how he found you. No one followed us. I made sure of it. We need to check your car again. The stalker might’ve put a tracker on it.”

“But Matrix has been checking my car every day before I leave for work and then again when I get home.”

“He could have missed it.”

When we get back to my car, Talon crouches to examine the undercarriage. A moment later, he pulls out a small, black device. His jaw clenches as he shakes his head.

“Damn it!” He holds up the tracker.“How the hell did the stalker get close enough to put it on?”

My stomach churns, and my hands won’t stop shaking. Talon notices and gives me a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before pulling out his phone to text Matrix.

“We need to leave your car here. Matrix will take it back to the clubhouse. We’ll leave the tracker on, so the stalker thinks you’re back there.”

“If I won’t be at the clubhouse, where will I be?” I fold my arms across my belly, trying to calm the uneasy fluttering within it.

“We need to go somewhere safe. Somewhere he can’t get to you.”

“Okay.” I agree, my voice barely above a whisper.“Let me just text Sienna to cancel our coffee meeting.”

I send the message. Sienna immediately responds with a bunch of exclamation points. She asks me if I want her to get my dad involved, but I tell her no. Talon’s going to handle it. She tells me to call her if I need anything.

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