Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
S hiloh winced when another ambulance went screaming by, and she dropped her phone on the floor. “Can you see what’s going on?” she asked Melissa.
The secretary had her nose scrunched to the glass front door but shook her head. “No. It’s too far down the street.”
Marching over, Shiloh pushed open the door and stepped onto the sidewalk. The sun was high and hot, and Shiloh felt an immediate sheen of sweat hit the back of her neck. But it was the large, shouting crowds of onlookers that had her attention.
“Dang being short,” she muttered, raising herself on tiptoe to try and get a better look down the street. Melissa pushed past her and began to walk. “Where do you think you’re going?” Shiloh asked, waving toward the crowd. “It’s a madhouse down there.”
Melissa glanced over her shoulder. “Curiosity got the better of me. Be right back.”
“Curiosity killed the cat, Mel.”
“I still have two lives left!” Mel shouted back.
Shaking her head, Shiloh gave the crowd one more searching glance, then moved to open her front door again.
A harsh grip on her arm jerked Shiloh off balance, and she nearly hit the sidewalk. “Hey!” she shouted, automatically pulling against whoever was yanking on her.
Shiloh froze, however, when she looked up to see Arthur sneering at her, a black hoodie over his head.
“Nothing to say?” he snarled, one side of his lip curling. Glancing over his shoulder, Arthur scowled at the crowd and quickly shoved Shiloh inside the office, pulling the door closed behind him.
Shiloh fumbled to catch her balance after being thrown forward. She managed to stop herself on Melissa’s desk and used it to hold herself upright while her knees took a minute to stop shaking. “What are you doing here?” she asked, frantically trying to remember where she’d set her purse that morning.
This was the second time she’d been caught without her mace in her hand, and Shiloh was mentally cursing herself out. All this work and all the warnings from Granger, and she’d still been caught alone and unarmed. His anger made more and more sense.
“Taking advantage,” Arthur responded with a malicious grin. He pushed back his jacket hood and took a step toward her. Shiloh quickly backed up, wobbling in her heels.
“You aren’t supposed to be within one hundred yards of me,” Shiloh said, aiming toward her desk. Her purse was on the floor somewhere. But which corner? What was the shortest path to her only weapon? And where the heck was her?—
Oh…she’d dropped her phone when the ambulance went by.
Brilliant, Shiloh. Absolutely, brilliant.
“And you aren’t supposed to involve the cops,” Arthur retorted. He paused his advance, glaring at her. “It was simple,” he said. “So simple.” His hands spread to the side. “We’re in the same business, we’ve been flirting for years, and all I did was ask for a date. One date.”
Shiloh’s eyes widened. “Flirting?” she asked breathlessly. “I never flirted with you.”
“All those little emails,” Arthur continued, as if she’d never spoken. “At first I asked you out just to be funny. I mean…you are gorgeous…so I wouldn’t have minded if you’d said yes, but then…” He shook his head. “Then you had to go and make things personal.”
“Arthur.” Shiloh stepped back again, putting her hands in front of her. “I’m sorry you think I’ve been leading you on, but I haven’t. I’ve told you from the beginning, I wasn’t interested.”
“That’s just it.” Arthur lunged forward suddenly, grabbing Shiloh’s arms again, squeezing them exactly where he’d left bruises before. “You are interested. I can tell,” he said in a low tone.
The calm in his voice was more terrifying to Shiloh than the previous anger. Her heart was doing the kind of dance that should have ended in a heart attack, but somehow, Shiloh was still on her feet.
“You’re hurting me,” she whimpered, hating how weak she sounded. On a quick impulse, she tried to stomp on his foot with her heels, but Arthur jerked her to the side, throwing her off balance again.
“Stop with the games,” he shouted in her face, his cheeks growing flushed and red.
“I’m not playing games!” Shiloh shouted back. She knew she shouldn’t antagonize him. The man was completely off his rocker, but Shiloh’s lack of filter was coming back to haunt her. “I never led you on. You asked, and I said no. End of story.”
“No one turns me down.” Arthur’s voice dropped again. “Do you have any idea what it takes to make it to the top?” He snorted and let go of her with one hand, reaching up to touch her cheek.
Shiloh tried to lean back, away from his hands, but Arthur pulled her closer, then wrapped an arm around her back, holding her in place. “Let me go,” she ground out, shoving against his chest.
Jaw clenching, Arthur shifted them once more, all but lifting Shiloh off her feet as he swung her toward the side, pinning her between his chest and the wall, effectively cutting off her ability to fight back.
The bell over the door jangled. “Someone broke into a car!” Melissa shouted. “Can you believe—” She cut off, eyes wide when she saw Arthur and Shiloh.
“GET OUT!” Arthur screamed. He threw Shiloh to the floor, then raced for the front.
Melissa was quicker on her feet than Shiloh would have expected, and she was grateful her secretary was able to dart down the sidewalk before Arthur got there. As she scrambled to her own feet, however, Shiloh’s heart sank when she heard him lock the door, closing off one of her exits.
No matter.
She bolted for the back room. There was a door to the back alley. The path was littered with boxes of old contracts and cobwebs, but Shiloh knew where it was. Arthur didn’t. Kicking off her heels, she ran as fast as her tight skirt would let her.
Her freedom was short-lived when pain erupted in her head, and she was knocked back to the ground, the air blasting out of her lungs with the force of a freight train.
For a moment, she couldn’t breathe and she couldn’t move, so when Arthur’s face entered her line of vision, Shiloh’s heart immediately skipped into hyperdrive.
“This all could have been avoided,” he said, with a shake of his head. “You teased and then rejected, and my reputation at the office has been turned to shreds.”
WHY IS THAT MY PROBLEM? Shiloh screamed in her head, but nothing managed to make it out of her mouth. Her lungs were still refusing to work, and she felt utterly and completely helpless when Arthur reached for her.
“Using that stupid gardener was a mistake,” Arthur kept muttering, pulling a very limp Shiloh to her feet. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to have your entire business laughing at you? Word gets around in this stupid city. Everyone talks. And then the cop showed up, and I knew, I knew , I hadn’t made myself clear. I tried showing you.”
Shiloh whimpered, her breathing slowly coming back.
“I left you notes and that picture. I showed you what I was capable of. That I have more connections than anyone else, but still you didn’t respond. You still spent time with the idiot and his son.” Arthur closed his eyes and shook his head. “Why couldn’t you just have taken the easy way? Why did you make me do all this?”
“Please,” Shiloh managed to rasp, her chest finally expanding a miniscule amount. “Stop.”
“It’s gone too far?—”
Shiloh suddenly hit the floor again, her head banging on the hardwood. Groaning, with her vision growing black around the edges, she managed to swing her head just in time to see Granger throw a punch that knocked Arthur flat on his back.
“Best…boyfriend…ever,” she wheezed before it all went dark.
Granger clenched and unclenched his fists, over and over again. Everything in him wanted to pick Arthur up and keep beating the guy to a pulp. A sharp pain in his right hand told Granger he’d messed something up, but he didn’t care. He’d hit Arthur more if the guy tried to move at all.
“Stay down,” Granger commanded. His eyes flashed to Shiloh, who was lying on the floor. She was too still and Granger knew he needed to check on her, but Arthur had to be dealt with first.
Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he shot off a text and put the phone back. Now was not the time to take his focus away from the groaning man on the floor.
“I think you broke my nose,” Arthur garbled, holding onto the appendage, which was bleeding.
“Good,” Granger snapped. “Maybe it’ll knock some sense into your brain.” He flexed his hand again, but stopped when that sharp pain came back. Yep. He’d totally messed something up.
A loud banging came on the front door, and Granger sighed in relief.
Pointing at the still groaning Arthur, Granger snapped, “Move and I’ll break your jaw, too.” Eyeing Shiloh one more time, Granger jogged to the door and let Montoya in. “He's right there,” Granger said, pointing to Arthur.
“Got it.”
Granger ran to Shiloh then, bile rising in his throat when she still wasn’t moving. “Shiloh?” he whispered, his voice almost inaudible. His hands hovered over her, unsure if he should move or touch anything.
His eyes ran over everything he could see. Her sleeves were heavily wrinkled, suggesting that Arthur had been gripping her. The thought of more bruises made Granger see red. Too bad he hadn’t followed up on the threat to break the guy’s jaw.
“Sweetheart. Open those big brown eyes for me. Sass me. Do…something.”
“He hit me!” Arthur shouted, his tone barely intelligible.
“I can see that,” Montoya said. “Let’s talk about it down at the office.”
“I want to press charges!”
“I’ll get right on that. After we talk about you breaking the restraining order.” Montoya held onto Arthur’s cuffs, pushing him toward the door. “Granger?”
“Yeah?” Granger never looked away from Shiloh. She was pale, but her chest was rising and falling in normal breaths. She couldn’t be too hurt, could she? There was no blood?—
“Don’t touch her,” Montoya ordered. “Let me pass this guy off, and I’ll be right back.”
Granger nodded, his vision growing a little blurry as he forced himself not to try and wake her up. “It’s gonna be alright,” he whispered, his voice shaky. “We’re gonna take care of you, Shiloh. It’s gonna be alright.”
“Is it safe to come in?” Melissa poked her head through the back door.
“Dad?” Zane yelled.
Granger blinked back his tears and nodded. “Yeah. Come on.” He held out his hand, and Zane crashed into Granger’s side.
“Why is Shiloh sleeping?” Zane whispered loudly.
“Oh, honey…” Melissa dropped on her knees across from Granger. “I saw Officer Montoya taking Arthur out, so I thought we would check on you.”
Granger nodded, still hugging Zane to him.
“Did you get here in time?”
Granger shrugged. “I’m not sure why she's knocked out, so I don’t know for sure.”
Melissa’ pursed her lips into a thin white line. “If they don’t put that man behind bars this time, I’m going to sue.”
Granger chuckled darkly. “I’m going to do more than sue.”
Melissa gave Zane’s back a pointed look, then raised her eyebrows at Granger.
He shrugged, not caring.
Without warning, Shiloh groaned, and her hand came up to her forehead.
“Shiloh?” Granger leaned forward, nearly dropping Zane on the ground. “Shiloh, sweetheart, can you hear me?”
Shiloh’s eyes fluttered, and she opened them, only to squeeze them shut again. “Why am I on the floor?” she muttered.
Melissa huffed. “Don’t tell me you forgot the excitement already.”
Shiloh’s eyes shot up and then flared impossibly wider when they landed on Granger. “Arthur,” she whispered thickly. “You hit Arthur.”
Granger nodded and finally gave into the impulse to touch her. Reaching out his free hand, he cupped her cheek. “Can you move?” he asked. “Did he hurt you?”
Shiloh blinked several times, her eyes unfocused before she shook her head. “No. I mean, I’m pretty sure I have enough bruises to be considered a Van Gogh painting, but otherwise, I’m alright.”
Granger’s head hung to his chest as he sent a prayer of thanks heavenward.
Zane sniffed and shifted in Granger’s arms.
“Zane?” Shiloh noticed the little boy and immediately started to push herself upright.
“Whoa…” Granger said. “Easy. Stay down until you’re feeling up to it.”
“I’m fine,” Shiloh said, pushing his hand aside. “But I won’t be for long if I don’t get a hug from Zane. He gives the best hugs ever.” Finally getting up enough to tuck her legs under her, Shiloh held out her arms, and Zane lunged into them.
Granger could hear his son sniffling, and his ribcage was shaking through his t-shirt.
“Ah, sweetie,” Shiloh cooed. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” She leaned back, cupping Zane’s face and looking him in the eye. “What’s got you crying? It makes my heart hurt when you cry.”
Zane wiped at his face with the back of his hand, but the tears kept coming and Granger didn’t blame him. He’d been ready to cry as well.
“I’m not crying,” Zane insisted. “I just thought you were hurt.”
Shiloh smiled, but Granger noticed the lines around her mouth were tight with tension. “I’m fine. See? Just fine.” She pulled him in and hugged Zane again. “Your dad won’t let anything happen to me. He’s a hero.”
When her eyes met his, Granger had had enough watching. It took a slight bit of maneuvering, but when he had Shiloh, followed by Zane all wrapped in his arms and sitting on his lap, the world suddenly felt a lot better.
“I could get used to this,” Shiloh whispered from where her head lay against his chest.
“You better,” Granger grunted. He adjusted his arms. “Because I’m not letting go any time soon.”
The lines on her face finally relaxed, and Granger felt his own tension leaving as they sat together.
Melissa had left, and Granger could hear her talking with someone at the front door. Hopefully, Montoya would be back soon so they could get this messy business taken care of.
“I owe Luca,” Granger muttered. “If he hadn’t been so quick on the ball, we wouldn’t have anything to show against Arthur.”
Zane shook and snuggled into Shiloh’s hold deeper.
Granger met Shiloh’s eyes, and he nodded, noting that they were going to need to talk about it later.
That was fine. As long as it was figured out and the issue was over, Granger could wait a few more minutes. Right now, he’d protect what he had.
His son and the woman he loved, in his arms.
That was all he needed.