He was looking at her now, with so much concern in his thick-lashed dark eyes it made her chest feel tight.
She remembered the way he had rushed to help her. “You were amazing,” she said.
“Yeah? Well, you were pretty amazing yourself. If you hadn’t fought those men the way you did, I wouldn’t have had time to get to you. You did great, honey, but next time you’re in trouble and I tell you to run, you need to do what I say.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Three to one is not exactly fair odds. I couldn’t just leave you.”
Amusement touched his lips. “Most people would have.”
“Not me.”
A slow smile broke over his face. “In that case, thanks.”
It occurred to her that he was a former navy SEAL. He could probably handle three men as easily as one. It didn’t matter. No way was she running away when it was her fault he was in danger.
“Sounds like the cops have arrived,” he said at the sound of sirens screeching out in front. “I’ll be right back.”
The air seemed to deflate as he left the room. She heard the police talking to Jax in the main part of the office. When they came back into the break room, she recognized two of the officers who patrolled the area, the same ones who had shown up the night Chase’s wife, Harper, had gotten in trouble. Officer Alvarez was a tall man with thick black hair. The other man, Officer Simmons, was older, heavier, with short hair laced with silver.
“Why don’t you start at the beginning,” Officer Simmons said, pulling out his notepad and flipping it open.
Since she didn’t really know where the problem had actually begun, she just jumped in. “It was getting late. I work after hours quite a bit.”
For the next few minutes, she filled the officers in on the kidnapping attempt and Jax’s amazing rescue, but she couldn’t tell them much about the men who were responsible. Officer Simmons wrote down the basic information, including vehicle and physical descriptions of the attackers, then he and his partner checked out the area outside where the attack had occurred.
As the officers finished and were preparing to leave, Detective Lieutenant Walter Gunderson arrived.
“Ryker,” the detective said, clearly acquainted with Jax. With his thinning light brown hair and tired eyes, he looked older than the early forties Mindy guessed him to be.
“Gunderson,” Jax said.
“You’re the guy who stopped the attack?”
“That’s right.”
“She’s lucky you were here.”
Jax made no reply, but the hard set of his jaw said he knew it was true. Mindy certainly agreed.
“I’m afraid I’ll need you to start over, Ms. Stewart,” Detective Gunderson said as the two police officers left.
Mindy looked at Jax. “This is probably going to take a while, and it’s getting really late. Now that Detective Gunderson is here, there’s no reason for you to stay. I can drive myself home when we’re done.”
Jax’s powerful shoulders tightened. He shook his head. “Not gonna happen, sweetheart. You just tell the detective what he needs to know.”
“But—”
Jax’s stony expression said there was no use arguing, and secretly she was glad. Just thinking about what had happened—what could have been so much worse—made her feel light-headed.
As she ran through the details of the kidnap attempt a second time, Jax added the partial plate information, as well as basic descriptions of the three men.
He mentioned little things she hadn’t noticed, like a scar on the back of the big man’s right hand, which Jax believed was probably made by a knife—the man’s weapon of choice. The eye color of the guy Jax called Mr. Average—a pale shade of blue—and the tall man’s sneakers, expensive Giuseppe Zanotti high-tops, black with red leather trim.
“He had a rough voice, probably a smoker,” Jax added. Mindy shivered at the memory of him calling her a bitch. Then the detective started asking questions that might lead to the reason for the attack.
“So, no boyfriends, current or otherwise, who might be upset with you?” Gunderson asked.
“I haven’t been seeing anyone. Not for more than six months.” She glanced at Jax, then away. “I’ve been too busy to date.” Not quite true. She just hadn’t found anyone interesting. After she’d met Jax, no other man seemed to compare. But she’d die of embarrassment if he found out.
