Page 20 of Gage

We carefully slid the jackets beneath her until she was no longer lying on the jagged rocks. I checked her wound, praying it hadn’t hit anything vital.

Jasper licked her face again.

“Where did this dog come from?” I asked, smiling slightly despite the tension. “He seems to have fallen for you—so I’m not the only one.”

She let out the faintest chuckle. “He’s mine. He found me under the house and showed me the way out.”

“He also found us and led us to you,” I said, brushing her hair back gently. “I’m glad he did.”

“Me too,”she began, her voice hesitant. “Gage, I need to tell you something. I’ve been following you around for a few months.”

I raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet, letting her continue.

“I... I put a tracker and microphone in your bag,” she admitted, her face flushing with embarrassment. “I picked you because, well, I kind of like you. At first, I just wanted to see how all the teams worked for a story I was doing. But then, when you let me fly with you to Greece, I realized I could ask everyone questions. I got caught up in it, and I never stopped.”

“So it was you,” I said, shaking my head, a smirk tugging at my lips. “I knew someone was following me. I could feel it.” I leaned closer, my voice softening. “But I’m glad it was you. Lori, I’ve had a crush on you for years.”

Her eyes widened in surprise, but before she could respond, the sound of an approaching ambulance broke the moment.

“I hear the ambulance coming,” I said, glancing toward the distant sirens.

“Gage,” she said, her voice trembling, “how are they going to get me into the ambulance? Please come with me. I want to hear more about this crush of yours.”

I chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “There’s no way I’d let you go without me.”

“Did you two forget I’m standing right here?” Eddie, Lori’s dad, interjected with a raised eyebrow.

I laughed, and Lori joined in, the sound lightening the tension in the air.

The EMT workers arrived, heading first to the sheriff’s vehicle. I frowned as they approached the kidnapper instead of Lori.

“What the hell are you doing?” I called out, my voice sharp. “This is who I called about!”

“What’s happening?” Lori asked weakly.

“They’re looking at the guy who kidnapped you,” I said, my eyes narrowing on the scene.

“Be careful,” she said urgently. “He’s crazy. I hope his hands and feet are cuffed.”

As I glanced back at the kidnapper, my stomach dropped. His hands were cuffed—but in front of him.

Everything happened in a blur. He lunged, grabbing the sheriff’s gun. A single shot rang out, striking the sheriff in the shoulder.

“Damn it!” I shouted, reaching for my own weapon. But before I could react, the second officer fired, dropping the kidnapper instantly.

“What just happened?” Lori asked, her voice trembling.

“The bastard grabbed the cop’s gun and shot him,” I explained. “The other officer shot the kidnapper before he could do more damage.”

“How’s the cop?” she asked anxiously.

“He’s standing,” I reassured her.

I strode over to the EMTs, one of whom looked visibly shaken. “Let’s focus on getting Lori into the ambulance and to the hospital before something else happens,” I said firmly.

12

Lori

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