“Very good,” he said in a sing-song voice. “Butchy always said you were smart. But now, I’ve got you and you’re going to pay for killing him. He promised me I’d get to finish you.”
“Jaxon is going to be here in seconds,” I warned.
“Yeah, but not faster than a bullet. Get up.”
I stood slowly. I still had the back of the bench between us and I really, really hoped Jaxon was close.
“Duck, Harmony!” Jaxon bellowed and I dropped to the ground just as a heavy body covered me, and Graham let out a squeal, then a grunt.
“I can’t breathe,” I rasped and the body shifted.
“Sorry,” he said, and I recognized Cheese’s voice.
“Get off me!” Graham screamed.
“Stop resisting!” Jaxon demanded.
I lifted my head to see Brock fighting to get one of Graham’s hands secured while Jaxon had a knee in the middle of his back and one of his wrists handcuffed. Dallas kicked Graham’s gun away and then helped Jaxon and Brock get him under control.
“Got ’im,” Brock said, and Jaxon removed his knee from Graham’s back.
“We’re gonna help you up, asshole,” Jaxon said, and he and Brock helped Graham to his feet. Jaxon then handed him off to Brock and Dallas and made his way to me. “You can let her up now.”
Cheese slid away from me and Jaxon pulled me up and into his arms. “You were so good, baby.”
“I was, huh?” I whispered, shivering. The adrenalin was wearing off and I now clung to him like a spider monkey baby clings to its mother.
“So, so good.”
Brock nodded. “You’re a real natural. All that stuff about going out to eat afterwards, that was perfect.”
“Yeah, that was all Harmony,” Jaxon said.
“It was all so natural,” Dallas added. “Like you were really planning all that.”
“It was on the fly,” Jaxon said. “We weren’t sure if Graham was listening, so we just had to keep making shit up.”
“Well, I’d go out in the field with you any day,” Brock said, and I grinned.
“Thanks.”
I started to shake again and Jaxon squeezed me tighter. “I’ve got you, Rufus.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to completely break down.
“We’ll take care of him,” Brock said. “You take care of Harmony. We’ll meet you back at her place later.”
“Okay, brother. Thanks.”
“Let’s get you home,” Jaxon suggested.
“Yes. Please.”
Jaxon walked me to his SUV and helped me in. Apparently, Cheese had loaded all of my purchases in the back, so Jaxon took me home and insisted I soak while he put everything away.
I didn’t argue.
After my bath, I dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt and padded out to the kitchen to find Jaxon unloading bags of food. “You grabbed dinner?”
