Chapter 23 #2
She moaned softly, and as her pretty green eyes fluttered open, the tightness in my chest started to ease just a little bit. She had a bump on the back of her head and redness around her neck that I was sure would bruise over the next few days, but there were no other wounds that I could see.
“Jase,” she whispered hoarsely, then winced and reached for her throat.
“Easy, darlin’, don’t try to talk. You’re safe now.”
She struggled to sit up, and I helped her, propping her up against the arm of the couch. I was relieved to see that she looked more alert now. I pressed a kiss to her temple, then looked up at Jagger, who was standing next to the couch eyeing Lauren with concern.
“Watch her for me, brother. I’m gonna kill that bastard.” I stood up, but Lauren grabbed my hand to stop me.
“No,” she rasped, tugging me back down beside her. “It wasn’t Beau.”
“We know. He’s still at work, so he must have hired – ”
“JD’s the stalker,” she interrupted, before bursting into tears.
Those three words had the effect of a bomb dropping in the middle of the room.
I exploded. “That goddamned motherfucker!”
I jumped to my feet and stormed across the hall, shouldering Lucky out of the way as he stood guard in front of the recording booth.
I reached down toward the prone body on the floor, yanking the bastard’s head up. His hat fell off, and I found myself staring at an unconscious John “JD” Darnell. Blood ran down his temple, and he was deathly pale, but the sonofabitch was still breathing.
“We’ve already called for an ambulance, Trick, so the cops won’t be far behind,” King spoke up over my shoulder. “As much as I’d like to help you put that fucker in the ground, we’re gonna have to do this one by the book.”
I dropped JD’s head, smiling as it bounced off the carpeted floor.
I took a step back, then hauled off and kicked him in his side, taking great satisfaction in the sound of his ribs cracking.
I’d never been happier to wear a pair of heavy shitkickers.
They were just perfect for inflicting maximum damage.
“Fine,” I ground out. “We can turn this guy in, but don’t be surprised when he gets shanked in his cell. I don’t want Lauren to ever have to worry about him getting out.”
“We’ll make it happen,” King agreed as we stepped back into the hallway. Lucky took up his post in the doorway, glaring daggers at the piece of shit lying on the ground.
“We found Tony,” Bull called out as he came around the corner and walked toward us.
“Joker’s with him. He’ll be OK, but he’s probably got a concussion.
His head’s bleeding and he has one hell of a lump.
Looks like the fucker hit him on the back of the head with something heavy, then duct-taped his hands and feet before he locked him in the supply room.
” He hesitated, then looked at me with concern before asking about Lauren.
“I think she’s gonna be OK. I want to get her throat and neck checked out. He had her in a pretty good rear choke when I found them. It was the fuckin’ custodian, JD” I snarled, and Bull’s brows lifted in surprise.
“You gotta be shittin’ me…the do-gooder who helps homeless vets?”
I nodded grimly, then walked back into the breakroom to check on Lauren.
Rome had arrived at some point, and he and Jagger were sitting on either side of Lauren, comforting her.
Someone had given her a bottle of water, and she winced as she swallowed a small sip.
They’d also filled a plastic baggie with ice, and she was holding that against her neck.
“Careful, darlin’. Don’t drink too much until we get you checked out to make sure that bastard didn’t do any real damage to your throat.”
She nodded, then set the bottle down. Jag and Rome both stood up, and I took Rome’s seat next to Lauren. I wrapped my arms around her and she collapsed against me, crying.
“He’s sick, Jase,” she whimpered. “He…he thought I was her.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but it was obvious that every word was painful to get out. “Shh, don’t try to talk.”
She shook her head, and tears started falling again. “He killed her. He told me that he…”
Her voice cracked as she broke down completely. My entire body tensed as her words sank in. My eyes flew to the others in the room, and they all looked as shocked as I felt.
“He killed who, sweetheart,” King asked softly, walking over to crouch down in front of us.
“His g-g-girlfriend,” she said, sobbing so hard that she could barely get the word out.
Rome swore under his breath. “I’m callin’ Randy,” he muttered, taking his cell phone out.
Sirens could be heard in the distance, and Bull crossed the room to look out the window.
“Two patrol cars and an unmarked unit just rolled in, and the ambulance is right behind it,” he informed us, then said he’d go out front to meet them.
Randy walked into the breakroom a minute later, followed by several uniformed officers and two paramedics rolling a gurney.
“I’m on shift tonight and recognized the name of the recording studio, so I was already responding to the 911 call. We’d just pulled into the parking lot when Rome called me.”
The paramedics tended to JD first, and it pissed me off.
“He attacked her,” I pointed out angrily, and Randy gave me an understanding nod.
“I get it, but they still have to take him first because his injuries are a lot more severe than Lauren’s or Tony’s. Don’t worry, we’ve already called for another ambulance to take care of them, and that asshole will be arrested as soon as he regains consciousness.”