Chapter 57 #2
“I’m assuming you’re here, right, Harlow?
You have to be, of course, you’re here. Of course, you came for me, my love.
” Graham’s jubilant tone is even more alarming to me once I have him in my sight.
He is gripping a knife against Ryan’s throat, holding him up with the other hand.
Ryan’s arms are behind his back at an unnatural angle—his hands are likely restrained, or my fiancé would be demonstrating some of his own martial art skills right now.
Ryan’s upper lip is bleeding, and he has some bruising on his face, but he looks otherwise okay.
I also don’t see any significant bleeding. That wouldn’t match Graham’s previous behavior, but he has deviated from his ritual so extraordinarily that anything is possible right now, and that is terrifying.
Walker and Kelly had moved to approach him from a few aisles down, so I take a calculated risk—because if anyone is going to distract Graham, it will be me.
I take a step away from behind the shelving unit with my gun trained on Graham’s head.
“Now, now, is that anyway to say hello? The gun feels quite abrasive, don’t you think?
Let’s put that away and we can have a civilized conversation.
” Graham is standing in front of a doorway which we know leads to a storage room along the back wall, but there’s no way for us to get into the room and approach from behind him completely.
There is at least twenty feet between us, creating enough of a distance, but it still limits my options for disarming and apprehending him.
Graham takes a few steps toward me. His gaze and attention are completely focused on me—while keeping that knife at Ryan’s throat.
Even Graham’s gaze is suffocating, but I want his eyes on me.
I see Walker out of the corner of my eye, and with a few additional steps toward me, Graham unknowingly put Walker and Kelly slightly behind him, still hidden by the rows of shelves.
But I’m closer, and I’m taking a few slow steps to reduce the gap as much as I can without spooking the suspect.
The man I knew and respected as a colleague is completely absorbed in his own delusion right now.
I raise my hands and play along. “Okay, fair. I’ll set my weapon down if you do the same, Graham.”
He shakes his head with a bark of laughter as though I told a joke. “I’m afraid that’s not going to work for me, Harlow. I’m a little preoccupied at the moment.”
A man like Graham is going to be overcome with his narcissistic need to be in control and to be seen as the best in everything. I need to crack that facade and get him to move away from Ryan.
“I’m sure you can manage. Why don’t you come over here, and you and I can have a chat? In fact, why don’t you let Ryan go, and I’ll take his place, and we—”
“No!” Ryan yells out, interrupting me.
“Shut up! This doesn’t concern you. You are done stealing her attention and what’s mine!
” he yells at Ryan as he throws him down on the ground, and I wince as Graham kicks him with a stomp to his ribs.
Ryan landed in the direction of where Walker and Kelly were, which forced them to move back into the shadows.
“Hey, look at me. Graham? Talk to me, okay?” My voice is steady, but my heart is pounding. I need my voice to stay calm and in control of the situation despite the primal urge to run and protect Ryan.
“Hey, it’s just you and me,” I call out to get his attention and eyes away from Ryan’s direction, but not before I release a clip on the left side of my utility belt, making a big show of lowering the weapon in my right hand down on the ground.
“See? I’m trusting you to have a conversation here. I’m putting my gun down.”
I exhale slowly to steady my breath. I’m only going to get one chance at this.
I hope my calculations are correct.
Graham nods emphatically while pointing the knife down at Ryan, who is curled into the fetal position but still in a danger and far too close to that hunting knife.
“Good. That’s right. Just you and me.” He visibly exhales and his shoulders lower slightly.
“That’s a good idea. Harlow, I am so disappointed in you.
After everything we have been through, you went and—”
Whatever Graham was going to say next is interrupted by the extremely satisfying buzz of my taser hitting him straight in the chest. I knew I needed to be within twenty-five feet for the best chance of hitting the target, while this current model claims to be able to hit up to forty feet, I wasn’t willing to test its accuracy.
Not when it comes to Ryan.
Graham crumples to the ground, convulsing against the concrete floor. Walker and Kelly move in immediately. Kelly kicks the knife away as Walker flips Graham over, and the satisfying snap of handcuffs echoes through the cavernous space.
“I think you’ve taken enough from the lady, let alone any more of her time today, or ever again, asshole,” Walker tells Graham.
“No! No! Harlow! Harlow!” He tries to struggle against their hold, but his struggle is in vain. “You can’t do this! She’s mine!” He is yelling while Walker kneels on his back.
“The hell I am,” I declare as I walk past them.
“Piss off—oh, wait. You already did that in your pants, Dr. Tremblay.” As they pull Graham off the concrete floor, I see Kelly’s statement is accurate—a known possible side effect of being tased.
Kelly’s comment would make me laugh any other day, but not today.
Right now, the only thing that matters is Ryan.
I kneel next to him, cautiously hugging him, but don’t miss the groan he tries to hold back.
He kisses the top of my head as I hug him as tight as I can without hurting him right now.
“Hey, Lo.” Ryan grimaces as he tries to smile, but the last kick seems to have done some damage. “Funny running into you here.”
“Are you okay? I mean, obviously not, but overall, are you okay? The EMTs are on their way up, so don’t move if it hurts.
” I run my hand to smooth his dark brown hair back as he cringes, trying to sit up.
I’m also not sure where I can touch him that won’t hurt right now.
“Does anything in your back hurt? That kick was intense. You might have some broken ribs. We’ll get you to the hospital, and I’m right here.
” I gently kiss him, trying to avoid his split lip.
He’s still dressed in his travel clothes, but the shirt is ripped, and I can see the start of bruising on his face.
Knowing the coward that Graham is, he probably hit Ryan after incapacitating him when he took him.
Ryan wouldn’t go down without a fight—there’s no doubt about that.
“I knew you would find me somehow. You or Liam, someone was going to come for me. I never doubted it.” His lazy smile contradicts his current physical predicament, but nothing could dim his goodness, or the glowing pride I feel in my chest knowing he’d always believed in me.
The EMTs quickly assess and load Ryan up in a gurney, and I follow them out, insisting I ride with him to the hospital. Once his vitals are secured and we are in route, he reaches for my hand, interlacing our fingers.
“How did you find me, Lo?” His voice is weakened by the oxygen mask covering his face.
I smile and squeeze his hand. “I called in The Cavalry, of course.”
Ryan’s eyes squint, and he tilts his head toward me. “I don’t get it, what do you mean?”
“Well, apparently,” I reach under his collar and tap on his necklace, “this is a Liam-Special.” I wiggle my eyebrows.
Ryan’s barks of laughter turn into coughing, but once it calms down, he’s grinning. “That asshole put a tracker on me, didn’t he?”
“He did—and I’m so incredibly glad he did,” I admit, then bite down on my lip to try and stop the tears.
It has been an incredibly stressful four hours, but I need to keep my composure just a little longer.
Ryan lets go of our hands and reaches up to tug my lip free.
He gently cradles my face for a moment before taking my hand again.
He interlaces our fingers again as I brush away a rogue tear that managed to escape with my other hand.
“Me too, Lo. Me fucking too.”