Please God don’t let the cops shoot him…
Not thinking clearly about the situation going on around me, I raced toward the porch and the man who raised me. I stepped in front of him and turned to the crowd in front of us. Everyone was frozen in place staring at us with wide eyes for a second before they all burst into action.
The man was contained, cuffed, and being led to a police car in a matter of minutes. Lyric had stayed by my side, along with the other officers who had convinced grandpa to finally put down his weapon. Some statements were taken, but I knew more would come in the next day or so.
I glanced over at Braxton and Gyth speaking to the cops that were now pulling away with the perp. Within seconds, they were approaching us.
“How are you holding up?” Braxton asked me as I turned toward him.
I was wondering if I would ever breathe easily again, but everyone was okay. Yet, I still didn’t know why there was only one guy or what had been said.
Braxton explained then that one of the guys took off through the property into the trees but the second guy they caught had stopped, scared to run anywhere because my grandpa fired a couple of warning shots by his feet.
I was mixed with emotions. On one hand I was damn proud of what a strong man my gramps was at his age and on the other, I was scared that he thought he was invincible. If there was a next time, what would happen?
The man they caught had claimed he didn’t know me, and he, along with another guy, who he said he didn’t know, were both paid to come to scare me while delivering a message. It was the same message the guy in the club had for me when he whispered in my ear. Not only that but he said he also didn’t know who paid them to do this.
It was all done secretly.
How many would there be? Would it ever stop? And what did they want?
With all the questions running through my mind, I staggered as stress and fear took over my system.
Strong hands grabbed my hips from behind to steady me and I couldn’t help but lean back into the man who’d put them there. I didn’t need to look to know it was Lyric. He smelled amazing, like Old Spice and there was always a protective vibe in the air when he was near.
“Easy,” he whispered close to my ear, sending shivers down my spine. My reaction was not based on fear, but on something entirely different. It may not have been the time, but my body reacted on its own.
He addressed the guys and cops still standing around all at once. “I think they’ve had a long night and need some rest. I’ll make sure they get down to the station to finish up statements,” he told the police before turning his attention to Braxton and Gyth. “And we’ll continue as planned on getting the security system up and running.” Ten minutes later, after Lyric talked to his friends before they pulled off the property, and Jett and Gramps had gone back inside the house, I found myself standing on the porch alone with Lyric.
It was then that he let out a ragged breath. “You scared the shit out of me, woman.”
My eyes widened at the comment and his tone.
I thought he would’ve been pissed that I hadn't listened to him but he sounded more worried. And there was something else in his voice too.
Was it affection? Did Lyric care about me?
I secretly hoped that he did.
ChapterFive
LYRIC
My professionalism was being tested.
I knew that as a cop it could be grounds for dismissal if I took Ruby over my knee and swatted her ass for not only not listening to me but scaring me too. As far asNo Surrenderwent, she may have been a client, but I didn’t think the guys would care. Some of them had found love themselves exactly that way. And their women certainly wouldn’t. They were nosy matchmakers after all.
Love?
That had been a foreign word to me for so long and I didn’t even know why it popped into my head but I’d been watching it happen all around me. It just hadn’t been for me since—
I shut that thought down.
I wasn’t going to think abouther.
My mind wandered back to my original thought and Ruby’s fine behind. I figured if I didn’t keep my hands to myself, there was also the possibility that I’d find myself staring down the double barrel of her grandpa's shotgun.
Gramps with a gun could have been a big disaster but I was still impressed. The old man had some big kahunas and I had nothing but respect for the fact he’d do anything to protect his family.
