Page 42 of Liam
He’d called the police to notify them about an attack in this general area. They wouldn’t arrive quickly enough.
The second he’d heard the tussle over the phone—fuck, it nearly killed him.
He pushed his body to run faster, every muscle taut and his fingers fisted so damn tight, it was like they were made of granite.
Why the hell hadn’t she turned around the second she’d seen the guy? She’d been uneasy. That, in combination with her being alone…unarmed…unprotected…
After what felt like too damn long, he saw her near the exit of an alley. She stood with Eleanor, who had a phone pressed to her ear and an arm wrapped around Nylah’s waist.
He wrenched her out of the other woman’s grasp, grabbing her upper arms, holding her tightly, inspecting her body for injuries. “Are you okay?” The words came out low and dangerous.
She nodded, and he tugged her into his chest. The second she was against him, some of his panic receded and he could finally breathe again.
His hand twitched to grab the Glock from his holster, though he couldn’t identify an immediate threat. He pulled away from her but kept his hands on her shoulder, studying her face, searching. “Tell me what happened.”
“He grabbed me and shoved me against the wall. I fought back and got his gun. When I saw Eleanor, he lunged and took the weapon back before disappearing. I’m sorry he got away.”
Darkness threatened to ravage him—the asshole had tried to hurt her, shoother—but he pushed it down. “Which way did he go?”
Nylah turned her head. “He ran that way, and I think he turned…”
“Left,” Eleanor finished, pointing down the road. “Pierce should be here any minute. He said he already received a call.”
Liam nodded. “I called nine-one-one.”
Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned to see Tyler.
“The asshole ran down there and took a left,” Liam said quietly.
Nylah straightened. “He was wearing a checkered blue button-up and jeans. Dark hair. About six feet.”
Tyler nodded and ran toward the end of the alley.
A police car pulled up at the end of the alley, and Officer Carlson climbed out, his partner beside him.
“What happened?” he asked the second he was close.
Nylah took a breath before rehashing the story. Hearing it out loud a second time wasn’t any easier for Liam. It almost felt worse. Yes, she’d fought him off. But it could have been so different. And what if Eleanor hadn’t seen them and shouted when she had? Would the asshole have attacked her?
His chest grew too fucking tight, the idea shredding him. She’d been in real danger, and he’d been down the street, unable to help.
She’d just finished describing what the man looked like when Carlson nodded and closed his notepad. “While I understand that you weren’t sure who he was at first, next time you have a bad feeling about someone, best to turn around and leave the heroics to those of us who are trained.”
The muscles in her back tensed beneath his fingers, and she straightened. “I wasn’t trying to beheroic, but I can’t just cower away from every single person who gives me a bad feeling.”
“You can, Nylah,” Liam bit out, probably too harshly. “You just turn around and walk back to safety. It’s called being smart. What you did todaywasn’tsmart.”
Nylah’s head jerked back as if she’d been slapped. Her breath stopped, her lips parting. She took a step away from him before clearing her throat. “Thank you both for your thoughts. I’ll try to besmarternext time.”
Fuck, he wasn’t wording this well, but Jesus, he could barely think straight right now.
Carlson looked between them. “Okay, well…you can go when you’re ready. We’ll keep you informed if we find any leads on this guy.”
Her back was still stiff as she turned to Eleanor and gave her a quick hug. Then, without a word, she walked away.
He hurried forward and touched her arm. “Come to the office and I’ll drive you—”
“No. I can walk.”
