19. James
JAMES
W hen I walked into Blake’s bar, the Moon Lake Bar and Grill, and found it brimming with almost everyone, and in addition the guys from Raptor Security over at Whitebrook, I stopped, and adrenaline mixed with gratitude was tingling through my body.
I was blown away—didn’t expect that many prospects for our joint emergency response team.
Especially since this was just a preliminary brainstorming session.
The bar's Christmas decorations cast a warm glow over the crowd, pine garlands and twinkling lights creating a festive atmosphere despite the serious nature of our meeting. The large windows were frosted at the edges, and someone had painted winter scenes on them. The warmth inside was a welcome contrast to the biting cold outside. The snow had finally led up, but quite an impressive amount had accumulated over the past week, guaranteeing a white Christmas.
“Hey, guys.” I shook Blake’s and Peter’s hands because they were closest to me.
Next up came Richard.
“Hey, James, you good?”
I nodded, then shook Carter’s hand, who came up next to me.
Carter was a real estate guy just like me who’d outbid me on a property in Three Oaks a while ago. He’d had a bad-boy billionaire reputation and was frequently featured in magazines when he first came to our neck of the woods, which had been a while ago.
His company, Security Operation Bravo Team—SOG for short, had been focusing on fighting human trafficking and rescue missions.
But the latest news I heard was that Carter had joined forces with Hawk, another newcomer, and they now operated under the name Raptor Security, which was originally Hawk’s company name.
Carter was a fellow marine like Richard and Hawk I’d only met once or twice but never really had an in-depth conversation with.
“Since we decided to keep the company headquarters in the area, we’d like to volunteer as well,” Hawk said.
“So you’ll stay in Three Oaks?”
Carter nodded, then shook his head. “Not yet determined. But since Max here”—he pointed at Max who immediately joined our little circle—“decided to stay in that cabin of his, at least he’s officially a Mooney.”
“A Mooney?” I asked.
“Well”—Carter rubbed his neck—“or however you people in Moon Lake call yourselves.”
Richard chuckled, and I did, too. We didn’t have a name, but if we had one, it sure as shit wouldn’t be Mooneys.
“Max”—I shook his hand—“glad you could make it.”
I looked around as more and more gathered around. All the guys looked incredibly fit, and trained. It was actually quite impressive how many of us who settled around here had a military background.
“Hey.” Bailey, Jackson and Peter joined us—three Navy Seals who’d never met each other while in the teams. Jackson was our newest addition in town, and for the longest time, nobody even knew he’d been in the teams. Not until Lucas, a former teammate of Blake and Peter, positively ID’d him.
More and more of Carter and Hawk’s guys joined our circle.
I shook hands with Goofy and Peaches, and then turned around when Jake and Ryan stepped up.
They were twins, and both worked as EMTs in Whitebrook but were also members of the local SAR team. I’d invited them and hoped we would get some good information about the merit of our central-emergency-response-team idea.
The two females who joined us today were Tara Patterson, a kickass woman who owned a construction business in Stone Valley, which was just a town over, and one of her friends, whom I’d seen around but didn’t know by name.
I welcomed everyone, and we settled around the two pool tables Blake had in the back. Soon, there was a lively discussion going on about whether this was a viable idea and how everyone could contribute. Maybe it was the holiday season but everyone was more than eager to help our community.
As it turned out, Max was en route to become a certified EMT instructor, and Bailey had been a member of a volunteer SAR team before joining the Navy.
I was deep in conversation with Blake when Sharon, Blake’s waitress, hovered next to us.
Sharon was a lovely young woman. She was wearing a festive sweater with snowflakes, which made her look even younger, almost too young to be a single mom. She had the kind of natural beauty that paired with an endearing shyness, made your protective instincts soar.
Most of all, Lucas’s protective instincts.
Just one look across the room confirmed it. Lucas was acutely aware of her presence—not unlike I was every time I was around Erin.
“Sorry for the interruption, but Blake, could I talk to you for a sec?”
The Christmas music playing softly in the background almost made me miss her worried tone. Almost. I zeroed back on her, studied the worried expression on her face.
Blake nodded. “Sure thing.” He looked at me and back at her. “Alone?”
Sharon shook her head. “No, it’s just…there was some guy who asked about Erin earlier.” She shuffled her feet.
My stomach clenched as soon as she said Erin’s name, and I had to use all the self-control I could muster not to interrupt her.
“The oldies told him he could find her at Alan’s. I just…” She sighed.
“What is it?”
“Something was off, and the more I think about it, the more nervous I get. Something in the way he looked…”
I’d heard enough and was on the move. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together. She’d told me there was nobody in her life. No lover, no family. But there was an ex. And someone had tinkered with her car, and I wouldn’t sit here and wait to see if that someone was a threat to her or not.
I was out of the bar and hightailing it out of the parking lot in under ten seconds.
At least the girls were with my mother and father.
The snow-covered roads made the drive even more treacherous, but I pressed on, knowing every second counted.
The Christmas lights strung along Main Street blurred past as I accelerated.
My phone rang, and I pushed the button to connect with the caller.
“Yo, what the hell happened?” It was Richard. But I was on speaker.
“Bailey, you there?” I asked.
“Yes, we all are.”
“Remember the brakes on Erin’s car?”
“Tampered with. Of course, I remember.”
“There shouldn’t be a man asking about Erin.”
“Got you. We’re right behind you,” Bailey said, and they ended the call.
I sped down the road towards Stone Valley, way over the limit, and took the turn toward Alan’s in a haphazardous way.
Every fiber in my body told me to hurry.
At least Erin wasn’t alone.
“Call Alan,” I voice-dialed.
“Hey, James.” Alan picked up at the first ring.
“Where’s Erin?”
“Erin? Why?”
“Where is she?”
“She was just here. Let me go get her.”
I could hear him walk and open a door. “Wha?—”
“Not a step closer.” I could hear the male voice reverberating through my car.
My heart sped up and I held my breath at the same time.
“Alan, it’s okay, just go.” Erin’s voice was tinny, scared, and cracked at the end.
Fuck. I sped up, cursing the gravel under my tires.
Then there was a door opening and closing again.
“Alan, what’s happening?”
“There’s a guy with a knife. He’s got Erin. They just went out the door. Jessie and the kids are on the other side of the hallway.”
I could hear the tenseness in his voice, but also the steely undertone of a man who would do anything to protect his family.
“I’m two seconds from your house. Can you create a diversion?”
“A diversion?”
“Something that makes him look in your direction.”
My mind was racing. I couldn’t let them go, couldn’t let him take Erin, but I couldn’t run him over, as well.
Think. Think. Think.
That’s when I came up to the parking area in front of the house. They were still at the door, not yet at his car.
The snow crunched under our feet as we fell, the cold seeping through my clothes, but I barely noticed it in the heat of the moment.
I screeched to a halt but the car took awhile until it slithered to a stop on the snowy surface. Luckily it stopped positioned perfectly between them and the stranger’s car.
I got out, hopped over the hood, and sprinted toward them.
The guy stopped, wrapped his arm around Erin, and put his knife to her throat. “Stop.”
I slowed down searched for Erin’s eyes.
Her eyes were wide with fear, but there was also determination in them. She wasn't going to make this easy for him, or maybe she was ready to sacrifice herself, in order to keep everyone else safe.
The guy looked rough - unshaven, dirty clothes, bloodshot eyes. His hand that held the knife was shaking. Not good. An unstable person with a weapon was the last thing we needed.
"Bob," Erin said quietly. "Please don't do this."
So this was him? The ex she'd been running from? The one who'd likely tampered with her brakes. My jaw clenched as I assessed the situation.
"Shut up!" he snarled, pressing the knife closer. A small red line appeared on Erin's neck.
My blood boiled at the sight of her blood, but I forced myself to stay calm. One wrong move, and this could end badly.
"Let her go," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Whatever this is about, we can talk it through."
"Talk?" The guy laughed manically. "There's nothing to talk about. She's mine. She's always been mine. And always will be."
I saw her hands clench into fists, saw her repulsion in the way she remained completely still.
"You need to think this through," I said, taking a careful step forward. "Law enforcement is on the way."
As if on cue, I heard vehicles approaching behind me. Bob's eyes darted toward the sound, his grip on Erin loosening slightly.
That's when the glass of one of the windows at the house splintered into a thousand pieces.
The guy turned his head and, with it, his knife, toward the noise, and in that split second of distraction, Erin drove her elbow hard into his ribs.
And I lunged forward into a tackle and grabbed his knife arm with both my hands.
His stance faltered.
The snow crunched under our feet as we fell. But the impact pulled Erin with us as we hit the ground hard.
I held on to his arm and hit it against the ground as hard as I could, until the knife went flying into the snow.
Then I started hitting him until he lost consciousness.
The cold seeped through my clothes, but I barely noticed it in the heat of the moment.
Until I heard Erin's groan, which pulled me out of my rage. “Erin. You okay?”
I got up, and turned to the squealing noise of trucks and cars arriving.
Richard and Peter were immediately there, took over the guy, and I turned to Erin, who was still lying motionless in the snow.
She groaned again, and my chest squeezed tight.
I kneeled beside her just as she rolled around.
“Careful,” I said and stabilized her neck with my right hand.
Her clear, brown eyes focused on me immediately. “What? How?”
I squeezed her neck, the reality crashing into me. I’d acted recklessly and perfectly irrationally.
“Sorry,” I said.
“For what?”
“For putting you in danger.”
She chuckled. “You didn’t put me in danger.” She turned her head and my grip tightened when she looked at the guy.
I still didn’t know his name, but he was at least conscious again, and upright.
“He did,” Erin said, her voice sad. “I think he might’ve caused the fire, as well.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Just something he said. That if he can’t have me, nobody can.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure. Help me up? It's cold and wet down here.”
“You sure you’re not hurt?”
She grinned. “I’m not.”
So I helped her up, but I didn’t let go.