My cousin Nikolai.
What are the chances if I return as an angel, I’ll get to see the people I love again?
That’s the last thought I have before I’m suddenly free of the man’s arms and stumbling to the ground.
My hip lands hard on impact with the asphalt, breath jolted from my lungs.
For a stunned moment, I lay sprawled on the ground, attempting to make sense of everything.
Landon is a few feet from me, fighting the man who grabbed me. His fist flies toward him. The man ducks back, avoiding it.
I glance around, searching for something that might help level the odds in Landon’s favor.
A gun lies on the asphalt a few feet from me. But I have no idea how to use one, and I don’t want to accidentally kill Landon or seriously injure him.
I scramble up and push the gun aside with my foot, hiding it behind a garbage can in case the tables should turn to the bad man’s advantage. That’s when I spy a tree branch on the ground—a gift from heaven.
I dive for it.
The branch is heavy in my hand, but not heavy enough to keep me from hoisting it up. I adjust my hold on it like it’s a baseball bat.
Landon ducks the man’s fist and lunges forward. The man reverses a step.
And I swing the branch with every ounce of strength I possess—and then some—aiming for behind the man’s knees, relying on momentum to work in my favor.
The element of surprise works to my benefit. He stumbles back. Before his attention can return to Landon, Landon levels a blow at the man’s head.
He goes down in a crumpled heap.
For a minute, all I can do is numbly stare at the man passed out on the ground while Landon checks him out. I open my mouth to say something, anything, but the words are too stunned to leave.
Every cell in my body vibrates, and I can feel myself start to shake.
“Thank you,” I finally manage to get out as Landon straightens. “He had a gun, and…and he was going to take me somewhere, but I don’t know where.”
Now that the dam has been torn down by that simple thank-you, the remaining words come out in an unstoppable gush. “He must have dropped the gun when you jumped him. I knocked it away so he couldn’t grab it.”
Landon slowly approaches me as if I’m some sort of wounded animal that he’s afraid will claw him if he gets too close. “Did he hurt you?”
I shake my head.
Landon wraps his arm around my shoulders. “You’re shaking.”
“Oh, I just thought we were experiencing an earthquake,” I joke. Well, attempt to joke. It comes out clumsy and falls flat on its face.
“You’re in shock. Let me drive you to my place. Whiskey might help.”
Now that he’s said it, I wouldn’t mind cuddling the bundle of fluffiness. It might help distract me from what happened.
“Shouldn’t we call the police?” My voice is still shaky.
“I’ll do that now. They can interview you at my home.”
“What about the gun? We can’t just leave it and him here. A kid might find the gun and hurt themselves or someone else. And he might regain consciousness and escape.”
The last thing I want is for him to attack another woman, one who doesn’t have a guardian angel named Landon watching over her.
He nods. “Okay, I’ll call them now. But you need to sit.” He’s got a point there. I’m not sure my legs will keep me upright much longer.
