Page 53 of Koa's Little Girl
Giana turned back. She could see Tom’s face through his windshield now. Rage contorted his expression. Shaking, she drew upon all her training for emergencies to hold herself together and think proactively.
“Start honking your horn. The more attention on us, the better,” Giana told Brooklyn.
“I try to avoid people noticing me, if at all possible,” Brooklyn said.
Giana could hear a quiver in her rescuer’s voice for the first time. She guessed immediately Brooklyn had a reason for being a ghost. “I’m sorry for getting you involved in this. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to get help to survive this jerk. People may call the police to help us if they figure out we’re not joyriding.”
Brooklyn swallowed hard and nodded. She smashed her hand down on the steering wheel, blaring the strident horn.
Giana could see heads turning in the other cars. The woman in the car next to her glanced over. Giana held up nine fingers and then one twice over and over, hoping the woman would call for them. The older woman slowed and turned into a parking lot. Giana suspected she wouldn’t help.
Another car pulled up beside them. They were a couple of teenage boys. They looked disappointed that the women weren’t street racers. Giana rolled down the window and yelled for him to call 911. The passenger lifted his phone and tapped the screen.
Tom was relentless. He stayed dangerously close on their tail as he alternated between waving them over and attempting to push them off the road. Brooklyn’s white-knuckled hands gripped the steering wheel as Giana braced herself on the dash.
“I’m so sorry, Brooklyn,” Giana told her. “The base is a minute ahead of us. Be ready to turn right at the entrance. Stop at the gate and roll down your window. Here it is. Turn!”
“It says authorized personnel only!”
“We’ll be authorized as soon as I talk to them.”
Brooklyn skidded to a stop. The guards met her abrupt arrival with immediate suspicion and force. When Tom raced in behind them, they surrounded the cars with their weapons drawn. The original two must have sounded an alarm because two heavily armed men appeared in full body armor.
“Call Koa Lokela. Jerico Adams’s Special Forces team. Then 911. This guy’s threatening us,” Giana said through her window, holding her hands up where the men could see them.
“She’s delusional. That’s my girlfriend. I found out that she’d been cheating. I need to talk to her alone,” Tom yelled, getting out of the driver’s seat of his car to stomp toward Brooklyn’s.
“Stop right there, sir. Get back in your car while we figure out what’s going on,” a guard directed.
“I’ll just grab her and go.” Tom took a step forward, and the guards quickly took him down to the ground. As they were handcuffing the struggling jerk, Koa and his team arrived at a full running pace. They stopped at the sight of the last guard aiming at the women’s car.
“Giana has clearance to be on base. She’s mine,” Koa told the last guard, who focused on the two women.
“ID?” the guard requested, not taking his eyes off Brooklyn and Giana.
Immediately, Koa showed him his. “Where’s yours, Giana?”
“In my phone case. He smashed it in the apartment parking lot,” she told him. All Giana wanted to do was get close to him, but couldn’t until Koa defused the situation for her.
“I’ll come to you in a minute, Flame. You’re safe now. We’re not going to let anything happen to you,” Koa told her before focusing on the guard. “Can I get her out of the car, away from her attacker yet?”
“Go ahead. Your story jives with hers. I don’t know this other woman. Will you vouch for her?” the guard asked.
Koa looked at Giana.
“She’s a good person, Koa. She put herself at risk to save me,” Giana assured him.
“I’ll vouch for her,” Caden interrupted. “Go get Giana, Koa.” He held out his ID for the guard.
Koa immediately sped around the car. Giana opened the door and fell out into his arms. She wrapped her entire body around him, eliminating any space. Koa turned her away from the scene as Tom bellowed threats. The guards strong-armed him into the back of a military police car. The slam of the door abruptly muted his words.
“You okay, little girl?”
Relief flooded through her at the feel of his steady heartbeat against her. “Koa! I don’t know what he planned to do to me. Tom appeared out of nowhere.”
“Did he hurt you?” Koa’s hands roamed over her back, checking for injuries. “Let me see the front of you, Giana.” He peeled her off and stood her in front of him.
Zale appeared at her side as Koa checked to make sure she was okay. “Did he hurt you, Giana?”
