Page 51 of Starting Anew

One of the moves she’d learned in Nathan’s class came to mind. She might not be proficient enough to hold Jeb, but she could at least knock him off balance. Anything she could do to buy time.

At that moment, her phone pinged, momentarily distracting Jeb. Without warning, she allowed herself to drop to the ground. Then she threaded her legs through his, causing Jeb to slam into the pavement with a grunt. He lost his grip on her arm, and Lynn pulled it free. “Someone! Help me! Please!”

Jeb swore as he tried to roll away from her. When her attempts to pin him down angered him further, he tried to backhand her. His position was just awkward enough that Lynn was able to avoid contact.

He wrestled with her, and with each movement, she could feel her control slip. Time was running out. Jeb seethed with anger as he pulled free and turned on her.

Dear God, save me.

~*~

Nathan punched the elevator button multiple times. The sense of urgency he’d felt in the hospital only intensified here in the parking garage, and he decided to take the stairs. He took his cell phone out and sent Lynn a quick text. “You okay? I’m in the parking garage on my way to the sixth floor. Let me know.” Then he set about taking the stairs two at a time.

He was halfway up when Lynn’s voice carried to him, her tone high with terror.

“Someone! Help me! Please!”

Nathan wasn’t sure how he got to the top of the stairs, but as soon as he did, he saw two people wrestling on the ground maybe fifteen cars away. He ran, the sounds of his shoes echoing off the concrete all around them.

He got close enough to see that Jeb had Lynn by her hair and was using it to make her stand again, both of them with their backs to Nathan. “Hey, Jeb!” The moment the creep turned around, Nathan landed a punch on the man’s jaw, his own hand aching at the contact. It accomplished exactly what Nathan needed it to: Jeb let go of Lynn’s hair.

Nathan looked to her just long enough to see the blood on the corner of her mouth and the bruise forming on her cheek. That was all it took for renewed energy to flow through his body.

Jeb swung at him with a punch that was easy for Nathan to dodge. Even with the guy standing several inches taller than Nathan, and weighing a good thirty pounds more, Nathan could tell this wouldn’t even be a challenge.

He just had to get control of Jeb long enough for the police to get here.

As if she were reading his mind, Lynn pulled her phone out, dialed something, and within seconds he heard her say, “Yes, a man tried to abduct me and is attempting to hurt someone else.”

That was all Nathan heard. It was enough that she was getting help. His job was to make sure Jeb was still here when that help arrived.

Jeb tried to punch Nathan again. It was easily deflected, but it was just enough to take Nathan’s anger to the next level.

“Enough!” With a calculated dive, Nathan went for both of Jeb’s legs, using the man’s own weight and momentum to flip him through the air and onto his back. Jeb struggled, grabbing Nathan’s shirt, his fists flailing.

Now that Nathan had Jeb on the ground, years of jiu-jitsu training kicked in as naturally as breathing. It took no time for Nathan to pin him down by placing his right leg across Jeb’s face, the other leg across his chest, and then pull and twist Jeb’s arm back in an armbar that had the man howling in pain. Every time Jeb tried to move or fight back, Nathan pulled just a little harder, and his captive could only whimper.

Nathan might have smiled at the man’s discomfort if he weren’t so angry. “You have no idea how easily I could send you to the hospital instead of jail.”

The words were just loud enough for Jeb to hear, and the man’s eyes widened.

Nathan turned his head. “Lynn. Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine. They are sending police now, and are contacting security here at the hospital. Someone should be here soon.”

“Good.” Nathan pulled on Jeb’s arm again, and the sound of the man screaming did make Nathan feel a little bit better. “Although I could do this all night.” When Jeb twisted his neck to look at him, Nathan gave him a smile.

Jeb howled in rage before turning his attention to Lynn. “I love you, Bethany. Why can’t you see that? I love you.”

The sound of multiple sets of shoes on the pavement pulled Nathan’s attention to the three security guards approaching. One of them pulled a gun and leveled it at Jeb. Another officer withdrew a set of handcuffs and quickly took over control of Jeb, giving Nathan the room to stand again.

The moment he did, he strode to where Lynn leaned against a support beam. The fear in her eyes faded to relief as she pushed away from it, her hands trembling. “Nathan…”

He reached for her then and wrapped his arms around her. “Shhhh…it’s over.”

“Oh, this isn’t over!” Jeb yelled from his position on the ground. Even with his hands in cuffs and three officers surrounding him, his smile spoke of confidence. “This is all a big mistake. I did nothing, and I’ll be back out again in forty-eight hours. Mark my words.”

Nathan nodded toward the video camera near the ceiling maybe fifteen feet from their location. “Something tells me we’ll have plenty of evidence to prove otherwise.”

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