Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jump ducked just in time to miss being hit. Wind from the bat swung above him ruffled the hair on the back of his neck.
A second after he ducked, he heard the dull thud of the bat landing on flesh and bone. The crunching sound was enough to turn his stomach.
As a SEAL, Jump trained for combat. If he was out in the field, he would have on body armor. Any hits he took would hurt like hell. One advantage he had without the armor was speed. He could move much faster without a hundred pounds of supplies and armor on his body.
He used his speed advantage and rolled, moving to standing fast. he was about four feet from Grayson, just out of his swing radius. There was a guy on the ground to his left, screaming and crying like a wounded animal.
Someone tried to approach the guy on the ground, but the swing of the bat forced them back. He saw no help headed his way. There were too many people for the police to fire on them. He would have to judge this perfectly and then dive for Grayson.
His weapon would do him no good because he’d dropped the bag carrying the ammunition, and it was at least ten feet away. He had nothing other than his wits and strength.
Someone threw a stick at Grayson and he turned, searching for the person who’d pelted him with the stick. It was time for him to move.
Jump raced forward, dropping low, so he hit Grayson right along the middle of his body. The bat was mid swing, but Jump had timed the tackle just right, stopping the attack. Grayson fell, the bat getting trapped underneath him.
The man wiggled, trying to get free, but Jump had him trapped. He needed the cops to come over and cuff the bastard, but suddenly the cops were nowhere to be found.
The building behind him was making another awful noise. People were still running and screaming, and suddenly Jump was surrounded by people clawing at his shoulders.
They were pulling him off Grayson. He tried to tell them to leave him alone, but there were too many of them tugging his arms and legs.
Grayson pushed up and was free. He didn’t pick up the bat. Jump could only watch as Grayson took off. Seconds later the police were there. The crowd that had pulled him off Grayson were yelling at the cops to arrest him.
A moment later his buddies were next to him, yelling at the police, telling them Grayson had attacked first. There was so much chaos that some of the people in the crowd started throwing punches at the police. Jump feared that the cops would open fire.
T retrieved his gun case, and Bang had his bag of ammunition. Cy held onto Blakely, keeping her from danger.
Jump searched for Grayson, not finding him in the crowd. At least Blakely wasn’t in immediate danger. The police were watching a video someone took off the whole thing. He hated people who filmed tragedies, but he was thankful someone had the exchange on tape otherwise he would be in deep shit.
The police started looking around for Grayson, but the guy was gone. He’d run off, escaping the crowd and the police.
Cy brought Blakely over. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close.
Relief, happiness, and something deeper filled him.
His arms were around her, pulling her close.
He kissed the top of her head. He was glad she was safe.
This could have turned out so much worse.
If that bastard had attacked Blakely with the bat, she might not have survived.
She leaned back and stared up at him. He couldn’t stop himself and brushed his lips over hers. The kiss was quick, and sweet, but the effects were felt down to his toes. He wished they were alone for their first kiss, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself.
Blakely stared up at Jump, surprise rushing through her at his kiss. He’d really kissed her, with emotion, too. There’d been meaning behind the kiss, something substantial.
She didn’t want to let go, but the building was still coming down, and the police were trying to get them to move away to a safe area. She held onto Jump as they headed back to their cars.
The day had been a rollercoaster of emotions. She’d thought she’d lost Jump, then he’d come out alive. When Grayson had attacked him, she thought that would be the end. Now he was by her side and had kissed her.
“I think we should get out of here,” Jump said.
The other guys agreed, and they got into their cars. Bang climbed into the back seat to ride with them. It was slow going, but they were able to get on the road and get away from the congestion about fifteen minutes later.
“That was crazy,” Blakely said as Jump drove them toward Wave’s place. “I can’t believe Grayson attacked you. Heck, I can’t believe the building caved in like that.”
“Yeah, both were wild. Grayson is problematic. I guess he’s figured out that you’re with me.”
Bang leaned forward. “I think we need more information on Grayson.”
Blakely didn’t know much about the man. He’d been kept at a distance, which had suited her. Before leaving the cult, she’d been trying to figure out a way to escape having a relationship with him. “I don’t know much, but I know he’s dangerous. You need to be careful when dealing with him.”
Jump didn’t say anything for a while. “I can’t believe your parents thought he would be a good choice for you.”
“Living in a cult doesn’t lead to stability. When I got out, I had a rough six months. Paranoia ruled my life. It took a lot of work to get through it.”
“How did you get over it?” Bang asked.
“It’s weird, and I know social media has some problems, but I found some people talking about deconstructing from cults.
Honestly, I stumbled down that rabbit hole by accident.
Then I found a therapist and did a few sessions with them.
That was before Grayson found me the first time and I had to leave.
I was in Stockton at that point and moved to Las Vegas.
I hated Las Vegas. Too many people and too chaotic. ”
Jump slowed for a light and glanced over, meeting her gaze. “Las Vegas is rough if you end up on the wrong side. There is a lot of criminal activity there.”
“Yeah. I almost got mixed up in some of that activity. I took what I thought was a legitimate job, but it turned out to be a front for selling drugs. I got out of that fast.”
They pulled up at Wave’s house, and she saw that all the guys were there. Her throat closed as panic rose. Would they expect her to feed them? She didn’t know what she had on hand. Would Jump be pissed if she couldn’t make something for his friends?
The car rolled to a stop and Jump reached over. She turned to tell him that she needed to go to the store, but he squeezed her leg.
“Hey, you look worried. Everything okay?”
“I don’t know what I can cook for your friends.”
Jump’s lips spread into a smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll order pizza. Plus, we’re all responsible and can make food if we need to. The guys can run to the store if we need more food. You are not responsible for feeding us. I can understand if you like cooking, but we don’t expect you to cook for us.”
It was so different from anything she’d ever heard before. Her mother had been beaten more than once for not having good enough food for their guests.
Maybe he would change, but she could get used to this. Jump treated her like she mattered, and she’d never mattered to anyone before.