“You found me,” I whispered, the knife cutting my skin as I spoke.
“I’ll always find you,” he promised, turning his murderous glare to Blaine. “Let her go,” he commanded.
Blaine chuckled and gripped me tighter. “Drop your gun and I will.”
What I thought would end up being a stand-off turned out to be the opposite. Without hesitation, Jason pulled the trigger and everything moved in fast forward. Blaine’s hold on my hair loosened and he fell to the floor, the knife grazing across my neck. My ears rang from the shot and I stood there stunned into silence as I looked down at Blaine’s still form, his head split open, gushing blood. More officers stormed into the room, and Jason picked me up in his protective arms, shielding me from view.
Ryan draped a blanket over me and Jason rushed me out of the room, the chief hot on his heels. “Blackwell’s still alive, but barely. An ambulance should be here soon.”
“Oh my God, Georgia,” I called out. Jason stopped and they both looked at me. “She’s dead. Blaine killed her. She was a part of this whole thing.”
Ryan’s mouth gaped open. “You can’t be serious?”
“She’s in the basement.” Ryan nodded and took off toward the basement, commanding some of the other officers to join him. “Please get me out of here,” I begged, clutching Jason’s shirt. He rushed me outside and the driveway was packed with police cars. The ambulances pulled in and he carried me toward them.
“You’re okay,” he whispered, holding me tight. “Thank fucking God you’re going to be okay.”
“Don’t let me go,” I cried. “Whatever you do, don’t ever let me go.”
“I don’t plan on it.”
I woke up to bright lights and the sound of beeping machines. Jason held my hand, but his head was down, breathing slow and deep. I didn’t want to wake him so I laid back and watched him. “I’m alive because of you,” I whispered, not thinking he could hear me.
He squeezed my hand and his head lifted, green eyes weary. “I was almost too late.”
A tear fell down my cheek. “But you weren’t. Did I pass out in the ambulance?”
He nodded. “You’ve been out for a few hours. You were dehydrated with a lump on your head the size of mine. Luckily, the two by four didn’t break my skull. I guess we both have hard heads.” Pausing, he released a heavy sigh, his body tense. “They ran some other tests as well to see if you were . . . violated.”
“I wasn’t,” I claimed truthfully. I was pretty sure I’d have known if I was. “I thought he was going to, but I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.”
“I know, but it scared the fuck out of me when they told me they were going to check for it. I didn’t want to imagine you going through that. From the looks of you, I just knew that fucker had raped you. His death should’ve been painful, but I couldn’t gamble with your life.”
A tear rolled down my cheek. “I thought I was never going to see you again.”
“So did he,” Ryan said, entering the room with a sad smile. “He was a crazed man once he awoke in the hospital. Couldn’t blame him though. I’d have been the same way if it was my wife.” Jason’s jaw clenched, his gaze focused on our entwined hands.
“I’m assuming you want my story?” I asked.
Nodding, he sat down in the chair to my other side. “Is it too soon, or do you need more time?”
“No, I can do this, but first, what’s the status on Drake? Is he alive?”