Chapter 35
Micah pulled into the parking lot at Clover’s jobsite. It was full, mostly with trucks, one luxury hybrid SUV and Clover’s car.
He frowned at the hybrid because it seemed out of place, but headed to her job trailer. He should have stayed at her place last night and talked. Or just hugged her.
She’d looked like she needed it as much as he had. After everything, he couldn’t just leave on another job. He was going to stay until they figured things out.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Clover stepped out and the expression on her face was pure terror.
Just for a flicker of a moment before she gave him a neutral smile. “Mr. Knight, I’m sorry I have to cancel our meeting. Something’s come up.”
What. The. Hell.
He’d started to respond when an older man with salt-and-pepper hair stepped out behind her wearing an oversized jacket and a tight smile. And the man absolutely had a weapon in his pocket, was aiming it at Clover’s back.
It took Micah all of two seconds to recognize him. Judge Ken Hogan.
Through the haze of red that descended over his vision, Micah simply nodded.
The judge didn’t move, kept standing there with Clover so Micah turned and left, hoping to draw the man out into the parking lot.
“A call would have been nice,” he said, making sure he sounded annoyed as he turned toward his truck.
“I know, I’m so sorry, we’ve had an emergency at one of our sites and I have to be there.”
Even though it went against all his instincts, he kept walking. “Just call my assistant, we’ll reschedule,” he tossed over his shoulder as adrenaline surged through him. He couldn’t let Hogan leave with her. And he had to move fast if he was going to save her.
“I will, sorry again.”
Micah picked up his pace, moving quickly ahead of them, and as he reached his truck, he opened the front door and shut it, but didn’t get inside.
The passenger side was facing their direction and his windows were tinted so they wouldn’t be able to see him.
As he ducked down and hurried along the front of the vehicles to loop back toward the luxury SUV that had looked out of place, he remote started his truck.
The judge was obviously kidnapping her with the intention to…who knew what. Didn’t matter at this point.
Micah wasn’t going to let him.
He wasn’t sure which vehicle Hogan would want to take, but had to sneak up on them. Regardless of vehicle, Hogan would want Clover to drive so he could control his weapon.
Micah stayed crouched low as he made his way toward their vehicles. All the trucks were huge so it was easy to remain hidden.
As Micah reached the truck parked next to the SUV, he maneuvered down the side of the truck and heard keys jingle. Then Hogan growled, “You’re driving my car. And if you try anything funny, I’ll put a bullet in you.”
Rage surged through him, but he tempered it back down as he plastered himself against the tailgate and stayed out of sight. He had to stop them from leaving.
Since he didn’t have a weapon, he had to move fast while also making sure Clover wasn’t caught in the line of fire.
At the sound of gravel crunching, he turned, winced at the sight of Nick pulling into the parking lot. Nooo. Nick spotted him, and with the glare on the windshield it was hard to tell, but he looked confused.
As the driver’s window rolled down Micah winced. Shit, shit, shit.
“Hey man, what are you doing?” Nick called out.
“What the hell?” Hogan snarled.
Micah had no choice but to move now. He rounded the back of the truck, made a split-second decision.
Clover was half in the driver’s side, door ajar, Hogan hovering next to the open passenger door on the other side of the SUV from them. His eyes were wild with rage.
Nick showing up wasn’t going to help things.
“Hit the ground!” Micah shouted.
To his everlasting relief, Clover dove straight for the ground without pause, slamming the door behind her as she rolled under the neighboring truck—right as Hogan raised his weapon, fired wildly.
Glass shattered in the distance and he heard tires spinning out.
Hogan fired again as Micah crouched low in between Hogan’s SUV and the truck. Bullets embedded above the rear wheel frame.
“Keep crawling as far as you can, then hide,” he whispered to Clover. He just needed her out of the range of fire.
Underneath the truck, she looked like she wanted to argue but nodded and scooted out of sight right as the window above him exploded, glass raining down on him.
He ducked, ignoring a slice of pain along his cheek as he lay flat to see where Hogan was exactly.
The judge’s feet and ankles were visible as he slowly made his way to the rear of the SUV. He’d stopped firing, was inching Micah’s way as Nick shouted in the distance.
“Cops are on their way, give up now! You haven’t done anything you can’t take back yet!” Nick’s voice carried with authority.
But Micah doubted this judge was giving up.
The man had been taking bribes for years, had just had his entire life blown up—thanks to Micah and Clover.
All the information he’d found on the man, his financials—the disgusting videos he’d found on his phone—would soon be on display in the media for everyone to critique.
Including all the people he’d put behind bars.
He’d done more than just take bribes. The man never should have been a judge with so much power.
Now that he was about to lose all that power, Hogan was scared and would take down anyone he could with him.
Micah moved fast, crouch-crawling to the front of the SUV. He was surprised Hogan wasn’t moving faster, but he likely wondered if Micah had a weapon, and Nick was shouting in the background, a very loud distraction.
Ducking low again, he saw Hogan’s legs turn away from him as Micah crept around the back of the SUV.
Now or never.
Heart pounding, staying low, he raced around the front of the vehicle and down the other side.
He was good in close quarters, but he wasn’t bulletproof.
“Come on, man!” Nick’s shout carried through the parking lot again as another shot rang out. “Hey, that’s my truck!”
Clearly he was keeping Hogan distracted, focused on him.
Micah eased around the rear of the SUV, saw Hogan’s back was to him—and sprang.
Hogan screamed, arm flailing wildly as Micah tackled him, pinning him to the gravel. The man thrashed around, screaming as he popped off another shot.
Metal pinged.
He fired again as Micah grasped his arm, slammed it onto the gravel, hard. Digging into his back with his knees, he kept the man pinned in place as he slammed his arm again.
Hogan’s fingers loosened, dropped the weapon just as Nick appeared.
Nick slammed his boot onto Hogan’s wrist.
The crunch was followed by a piercing scream of agony.
That was when he also heard sirens in the distance, growing closer. Finally.
As he finished restraining Hogan’s arms behind his back—ignoring his crying about his broken wrist—he looked up at Nick. “Clover?”
“She’s—”
“I’m okay!” She came racing through the parked trucks as a handful of other men from the jobsite started popping up from behind various trucks. “Are you okay?” Tears streaked her face as she tackle-hugged him.
“I’ve got this asshole,” Nick muttered, keeping his boot on the sniveling Hogan’s back as he lay on the gravel.
“I’m fine.” More than fine. Micah held her close, breathing in her vanilla scent as he buried his face in the side of her neck.
He never should have left her last night, should have just forced the conversation it was clear she hadn’t wanted to have.
He’d been worried about pushing her too fast, but screw that.
He wasn’t letting her pull away from him again.
“That was insane. You never should have done that.”
He snort-laughed against her neck and pulled back. “Never should have saved you? I’m not apologizing for that.” He gently cupped her cheeks, needing to touch her, to ground himself in the knowledge that she was truly okay.
Her hair was wild and her clothes streaked with the chalkiness of the gravel and—
“Did he hit you?” he growled, realizing she had a faint pink mark on her cheek.
“No, I banged my face on the undercarriage of the truck. It’s fine. I’m fine, and oh my god, you’re okay.” She kissed him hard, taking him off guard, but he leaned into it, desperate to taste her, to be consumed by her.
At this point he didn’t care that they had an audience that included her brother, but he finally pulled back as the sound of the sirens made him wince. “We’re going on a date,” he said and realized it sounded like an order.
“Yeah?”
“Yes. Then another date and another date, and we’re not stopping. Because whatever baggage you have, I want it all. Screw your ex. I’m not him. And with your parents, of course you’re scared. But I’m patient and I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I was such a coward. I never should have let you go last night. I actually can’t believe I let you leave. I didn’t sleep all night. You’re worth the risk, Micah. You’re worth everything. Even if things don’t work out—”
“They will.”
She gave him a watery smile. “I’m just saying… I’m sorry I was so scared to take a risk. I’m still working through my baggage apparently. But I want to be brave and I want to be with you. Exclusively.”
He tightened his grip around her. You’re everything, Clover. Everything I never imagined I could have. It’s probably too soon but I don’t care. I love you. Don’t feel pressured to say it back—”
“I love you too.” She grinned up at him, then shot one of the uniformed deputies a dirty look when the guy asked them to step back and give their statements.
Which just made Micah grin, but he smothered it. “She needs an EMT before she talks to anyone.”
“Her? What about me?” Hogan was full-on sobbing now. “My arm is broken!”
There was a lot Micah wanted to say to that, but since the cops were there and likely had body cameras on, he kept his thoughts to himself. That asshole was never going to hurt anyone again, especially not Clover.
And if for some reason he actually got out on bail and thought to come after Clover again, it would be the last thing he did.