Page 3 of I Promise You
“You were the officer that was supposed to protect her. You were supposed to be working on this case, yetyoudid nothing about it.”
Grim growls, his nostrils flaring, and it looks like he’s about to commit his second murder of the day.
That’s when I see it–-red–so much red, seeping through the navy blue shirt plastered to Grim’s chest.
This man’s threshold for pain was impressive, yet unbelievable.
He stands there as if it were just another normal day. The lengths he’d go through for Ari were admirable, yet frightening.
“Grim!”
I snap him out of his blinded rage and his strangulation of the officer’s neck. The poor guy shakes underneath his grasp, and his fear paralyzes his words to call for some assistance and salvation from his co-workers.
He won’t find any.
Unsurprisingly, none of them try to intervene and spare his impending doom from Grim, and it’s because Danny Rider willalwayshave the upper hand. These men served their time in the military; their unwavering respect and his prestigious reputation mean they won’t stop him from dulling out justice.He was a hero in the eyes of the United States and even more so here in Bloomings.
Grim looks at me, his glare sending waves of fury in my way.
“You’re hurt, bro. Don’t you feel it?” I point to my chest, then to his, trying to get him to look down and see where Shane stabbed him.
There’s a tear in his shirt and a dark stain that trails to his waist.
I sway as reality and memory clash together.
The last time I saw him bleed like this is still fresh in my mind. The night we rescued Violet Redd, the grenade blast…he was fine; at least, he acted as if he were fine. I didn’t notice until we flew back in the Chinook afterward. Red covered the back of his uniform as he bled from the shrapnel lodged in there.
I shake my head as I try to return to reality. The trauma of our shared past caught up to me in my moment of weakness.
He looks at his chest and blinks. If I thought I was covered in blood, Danny was showered in it.
“Sir, we need to get you treated.” A paramedic surveys his wound and then gestures for Grim to follow him out of the house. He searches Grim for more injuries, worry clear in his eyes.
“I’m fine,” he growls, finally letting go of the trembling police officer. The latter staggers back before he recollects himself and looks at Shane worriedly. He glances down at Shane’s dead body before turning to Grim.
He wants to say something but grows more afraid and refrains.
Grim’s eyes soften when he glances back at Ari, and pure agony spreads through his features. Two paramedics secure her onto the gurney.
“She’s pregnant,” he rasps. The paramedics stop moving any further, letting the information sink in.
“We’ll do everything that we can. Are you the father?” a female paramedic asks him as she tries to keep a professional stature.
“Yes.” He grabs Ari’s hand, watching her with an intense expression of devotion. He narrows his brows as he intertwines his fingers with her lifeless ones. He firmly squeezes her hand and his eyebrows narrow, as if he’s begging for her to squeeze his back.
“Help them, now,” Grim demands.
“Come with us.”
Danny walks next to the staff. His eyes never leave her, even though she’s still asleep. I watch him, watch her, and I know he is ruined by her. The man is head over heels in love. The one man we all thought wasn’t capable of giving himself to anyone. Ari has completely done him in for.
Her mother follows, too, and they go outside, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I’m still inside the house and I feel like I’m going into some sort of shock.
I turn around to see Shane dead on the floor as police start their investigation. He’s beaten to death, and Nora gets strolled away by two male cops in handcuffs. One cop on each side of her keeps their grip tight on her as they relay the Miranda rights. Nora is seething and I glare at her the entire time.
Pure evil motherfuckers.
