Page 77 of Rock

She eased her hand away.

He winced but pulled off his shirt and pressed it on the wound. “It’s okay, Little one. It’s not too bad. Look at me.”

She was sobbing now, unable to stop herself. Adrenaline pumped through her body, making her shiver violently. Shock.

“Look at me, Lyla,” he ordered again.

She forced her gaze to his.

“I’ve got you. You’re safe. The cut isn’t bad.”

She nodded because he seemed to need her agreement.

Sirens entered her consciousness. Lots of them. They grew louder.

“Who- Who-” She swallowed. “Who are those guys?” She pointed toward the two men who had crowded into the bathroom and now had her attacker cuffed. They were holding him down.

“Police, Baby girl.”

She couldn’t make sense of that. They didn’t look like police.

Rock cupped her face and turned her so she was facing him. “They were undercover. They were following Carl.”

“So-so-so that’s Carl?”

“Yes.”

“Do-do-do you know them?”

“Yes, Little one.” He pulled her tighter against him, still holding his shirt to her neck. There wasn’t room for them tomove. The hallway was jammed with people coming in both directions.

He forced her to continue looking at him. “It’s a small town, Lyla. I know most of the people. I’ve worked with the police several times. I didn’t know these guys were tracking Carl until one of them called me about ten minutes ago.”

“They called you?” She stared at him, struggling to make sense of all this.

“Yes. They spotted him and were trying to follow him through town. Owen called me to make sure you were safe and with me. When I told him you weren’t, I jumped in my car to head here.”

“But, if they were undercover, how did they know about me and know to check that I was with you?”

“As soon as Susan realized it was most likely Carl Houseman who had attacked you, she contacted Owen’s handler and told him so he could get in touch with Owen and fill him in about our involvement and her suspicions about Carl.”

Lyla inhaled deeply. “A lot of people were looking out for us.”

“They sure were, Baby girl.”

She leaned into Rock hard, letting him absorb her weight. “Jackson…”

As if she conjured him, Jackson suddenly burst through the throng and into the hallway. “Fuck. Jesus. Fuck.” He glanced at Rock. “Is she okay?”

“She’ll be fine. It’s just a nick.”

Jackson ran a hand over his head. “Fuck,” he growled again. “She just went to the bathroom. I should have gone with her.”

Rock grabbed Jackson’s arm. “It’s not your fault.”

Lyla sincerely hoped Rock truly believed that. She didn’t want Rock to be furious with Jackson for not going into the damn bathroom with her.

“Police,” someone shouted from inside the coffee shop. “Clear out of here, everyone, now. You need to let us get through.”

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