Page 11 of Rescuing Micah
Sure, she’d made a youthful mistake when she was seventeen, and in doing so broken his heart and permanently damaged his ability to trust the opposite sex, but she was a good person. One who loved hard and worked hard. She was dedicated and cared about the people in her life.
He didn't need to know everything that had been going on with her or Prey to know that she was in trouble, and if he didn't get to her quickly he could lose her.
Dodging around people as he broke into a dead run, he prayed he made it there in time. As he approached, he could hear a muffled scream, and his heart about jumped out of his chest.
Even though he’d stared down hundreds of armed militia, been captured along with his team, been caught up in explosions, and even survived a helicopter crash early in his career, Micah was pretty sure he had never been as terrified as he was in this moment.
As he rounded the van, he saw a man grab Teresa by the hair and swing her into the nearest wall.
Her head bounced off the brick, and he saw red.
There was not a conscious thought in his head as he closed the distance between them, grabbed the man’s head between his hands, and twisted in such a way that he snapped the other man’s neck.
Then he dropped the body and left it where he lay, so he could advance on the other man. This one was hunched over, clutching his groin, and Micah smiled as he realized that had to be Teresa’s doing.
Little spitfire.
Needing to incapacitate the man completely until help came, Micah slammed a fist into the side of his head and watched with great satisfaction as the man’s eyes rolled back and he droppedas well. Still alive, so the cops could interview him when he came round.
Now, though, he hurried to Teresa who was leaning propped up against the wall, still on her feet, her wide chocolate brown eyes watching his every move.
“You killed him,” she murmured as he approached.
“Rather I’d left him alive?”
She shook her head quickly, then winced, pressing a hand to the side of her head, gently probing the lump on her forehead and the gash on her cheekbone.
“They tried to abduct you,” he said, his voice coming out in a harsh growl that made her flinch.
“They did,” she agreed. Then abruptly she straightened, swaying slightly. “I have to get back to Prey. Have to search the security cameras to see if I can get an ID. That guy is probably going to be out for a while, and we need to know who they are so we can try to find who sent them.”
“Whoa.” He caught her elbow as she staggered past him, still swaying on her feet. “I think you should sit down before you fall down.”
“No time. They followed through on their threats pretty quickly.”
“Their threats?” he growled, wishing he hadn't left last night. He should have stayed and offered to help Nathaniel and Ava with their friend who had the problem. Definitely should have decided to stay once he bumped into Teresa and realized she was the teammate with the problem.
If he had, Teresa sure as hell wouldn't have been out there alone and unprotected, completely vulnerable to an attack.
“I don’t have time to explain,” she grumbled, trying to pull free of his grasp.
Tightening his hold just enough to keep her in place without hurting her, he met her gaze squarely, doing his best not to focus on the blood and already forming bruises. “Make time.”
“Come with me then. You already know Nathaniel, right? You're on his SEAL team, so you already know about the trafficking ring.”
“I know about them,” he agreed with a sharp nod. “I just don’t know why they attacked you in an alley.”
“Call the cops, tell them where we’ll be, and come with me. Either that or you can stay here and wait for them, but I'm going back to work.”
Realizing she wasn't going to back down, Micah muttered a curse under his breath and released his hold on Teresa. Untying the laces of the man he’d knocked unconscious, he used the shoelaces to bind his hands and feet, then dialed 911, quickly explaining who he was, what had happened, and where he and Teresa were going to be.
Then he followed her back across the street to her building.
The way she wobbled slightly had him aching to reach out and scoop her into his arms. But since he was pretty sure that wouldn't be well received, he settled for remaining close, ready to catch her if she fell.
Swiping her keycard as they went into the elevator, they headed up to a different floor than the one he’d been on last night when he visited Nathaniel and Ava in the apartment they were staying in. This floor was quieter, with closed doors lining the corridor when they stepped out of the elevator.
Like she hadn't just been attacked and injured, Teresa walked with purpose and determination toward the only open door. Micah couldn’t not be proud of her, she was a warrior, tough enough to compartmentalize what had happened and still be able to focus on what needed to be done.
