Page 61 of Doctor Grump

Apprehension rolled through my gut. I had never heard that tone from the mayor before. The man was either cocky, angry, or amused. But now, there was sobriety in his tone and something else that sounded worrying.

“Well, don’t keep me in suspense, Mayor,” I snapped, tired of the vagueness and mystery. “What happened?”

“I received a call this morning from the police chief. It was about a 911 call for a home invasion where the caller had screamed and then hung up suddenly as if the attacker had found them. Luckily, they managed to trace the call and arrive on the scene, but they can’t go in yet. The attacker has indicated that they will kill the hostage if the police breach the walls.”

“That’s horrible,” I said. “But what does any of it have to do with me?”

Santiago’s voice sounded heavy and leaden as he continued, “The 911 operator recognized the voice of the caller. She knew who it was because, well, everyone in town knows who she is. The caller was Piper.”

Everything came to a stop within me as Santiago’s words sank in. Time seized in that second, and then everything rushed to start again, my heart beating at triple time. Piper? My Piper? A hostage? Nah, it couldn’t be.

Panic rushed through my brain, but I immediately beat it back using my training. It was like I was transported back in time to a warzone where everything was happening too quickly to truly process, but I had to spring into action anyway. I had to focus and do what needed to be done.

Except it had never been this personal before.

Before I could even work out the details of what Santiago had said, I was saying, “Where is she?”

“Now, you can’t just come here and mess everything up,” Santiago warned. “Hostage negotiations are about to take place, and the whole place is about to be on lockdown.”

“Where the fuck is she, Santiago”? I barked. I would drive to his house and beat it out of him myself if he didn’t tell me.

Santiago was quiet for a few beats, then he reluctantly said, “It’s at her parents’ house. 367 Oval Lane.”

I hung up and immediately pressed my feet to the accelerator, speeding toward my woman.

Piper was in trouble.

Piper was being held hostage by a maniac who could hurt her at any moment.

Fuck no.

Nothing would ever hurt her, not while I was alive. I would destroy anyone or anything that tried.

I broke a whole lot of county laws and a few state ones to get there within ten minutes. The place was a spectacle that I could spot from a half-mile away. There were police vehicles surrounding the home, and some officers stood in a huddle, talking to each other. Others had guns trained on the windows, which had been swept shut, and one man had a megaphone. I spotted Santiago standing with Monty and another tall man who had introduced himself as Vinny at Monty’s party. Santiago spotted me as I approached.

“What the fuck is happening?” I demanded.

“We’re waiting for the hostage negotiator,” he told me.

“Waiting?” I stared at all of them like they had lost their minds. “For fucks sakes, the three of you are trained Marines, and you’re fucking waiting for a negotiator? Are you kidding me?”

“We can’t just go in there with guns blazing, Graham,” Monty tried to explain. “The woman who has Piper is trigger happy and seems to be looking for any excuse to blow your woman’s brains out.”

Jesus. The imagery instantly popped into my head, and the thought made me ill.

Vinny must have noticed because he nudged Monty in the side. “Nice choice of words, genius.”

“Sorry.” Monty looked chagrined. “But you know what I mean.”

Fuck. I rubbed my hands over my face. “So you mean to tell me that if it were any of your women in there, you would still be standing here?” I turned and faced Santiago. “What if it were Lucia in there? Would you be waiting for backup?”

Santiago narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you trying to insinuate?”

“That maybe you don’t give as much a damn about my woman as you say you do.”

“Okay, listen here, you prickly ass—”

“Okay.” Monty inserted himself between the two of us. “You both need to cool off, okay? Santiago, you gotta understand that it’s his woman in there. Piper is your friend, yes, but she’s more to him. That’s what has him on edge.”

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