Chapter 7 #3
My phone buzzes again. Not a text this time. A call. From Jackie.
"Brock, you need to get to the café. Now. Ryan's here. He's got Sadie cornered and?—"
I'm already moving. Don't even hear the rest of what she's saying. I grab my keys and bolt for the door.
"Chief?" Ramirez calls after me. "Where are you going?"
"The café. Call the sheriff. Tell him to meet me there."
I make it downtown in record time. The café is small, wedged between a bookstore and a hardware store. Through the front window, I spot them immediately.
Ryan has Sadie pinned against the counter. His hand is wrapped around her arm, and even from outside I can see how white her knuckles are, how her whole body trembles. Jackie stands nearby, phone clutched to her chest, looking helpless and scared.
I'm through the door in seconds.
"Let her go." My voice comes out quiet, but there's a promise of violence underneath that makes everyone in the café freeze.
Ryan’s head snaps toward me. He’s got this wild look in his eyes, like he’s been wound too tight for too long. His grip on Sadie’s arm tightens and she makes a small sound of pain.
“This doesn’t concern you,” Ryan says, trying to sound confident, but I can hear the desperation bleeding through. “Sadie and I were just having a conversation.”
“She’s not interested in conversations with you.” I move closer, slow and deliberate. “Let. Her. Go.”
“She’s mine,” Ryan says, the words coming out almost like a growl. “She was mine before you, and she’ll be mine after you’re gone.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Sadie says. Her voice shakes, but there’s steel underneath. “Let go of me, Ryan.”
“You don’t mean that.” He pulls her closer, his face inches from hers. “You’re just scared. Once we get away from here, once we’re back to how things were?—”
I reach them in two strides and grab his wrist, twisting just enough to make him yelp and release her. Sadie stumbles forward and I catch her, pulling her behind me in one smooth motion.
“You need to leave,” I tell Ryan. My hands shake with the effort of not putting him through the wall.
“Get in your car, drive away from here, and never come back. Because if I see you near her again, if I hear that you’ve even looked in her direction, I will make you regret every single day you’ve spent in this town. ”
“You can’t threaten me,” Ryan says, but he’s already backing away. His eyes dart between me and the door, calculating his escape.
“That’s not a threat,” I say quietly. “That’s a promise.”
The sheriff’s car pulls up outside just as Ryan bolts for the door. He runs, and I let him go. I don’t need to chase him, I need to make sure Sadie’s okay.
When I turn around, she’s there with her eyes wide and wet, tears threatening to spill over. A red mark blooms on her arm where he grabbed her. I take her face in my hands gently, checking her over.
“Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?”
“No. I’m okay. I’m okay.” But she’s not okay. She’s shaking, and her voice comes out thin and reedy.
I pull her against my chest and hold her while the sheriff comes inside. I give my statement with one hand pressed to Sadie’s back. The sheriff says they’ll pick Ryan up, adding assault to the charges already pending against him.
But I’m not thinking about charges. I’m thinking about how he grabbed her. How he had his hands on her. How he looked at her like she was something he owned.
When we get back to the truck, I help Sadie into the passenger seat and buckle her in like she’s made of glass. I drive home in silence, jaw clenched so tight it aches.
“Brock,” Sadie says quietly. “I’m okay. Really.”
“He grabbed you.” The words come out rough and angry. “He put his hands on you.”
“I know. But you were there. You stopped him.”
I reach over and take her hand, lacing our fingers together. “I’m always going to be there. Always. He’s not touching you again. I’ll make damn sure of it.”
When we get home, I pull her into my arms and don’t let go. I feel her heartbeat slowly returning to normal, her breathing evening out. But inside me, something has shifted. Ryan has crossed a line. He’s moved from obsessed ex to a genuine threat, and I’m done playing defense.
That night we lie in bed with the lights off.
His hand strokes slowly up and down my back under my shirt.
I trace patterns across his chest and listen to the steady beat of his heart.
I love this man. Deeply. Completely. Ryan showing up today only made it clearer, I’m not going back to my old life.
I’m building something real here with Brock, and I refuse to let Ryan steal that from us.
I tilt my head up and kiss the underside of his jaw. “Thank you for today. For being there.”
He pulls me closer and kisses my forehead. “Always, Sadie. I love you. Get some rest.”
I fall asleep in his arms feeling loved and protected. But even as I drift off, a small uneasy voice whispers in the back of my mind that Ryan meant what he said. We will see each other again. I push the thought away and hold Brock a little tighter. Tomorrow we’ll face whatever comes. Together.