My mind races with countless horrible possibilities. I take the knob in my hand and grip it tightly. Taking a long, deep breath, I throw open the door to find Lori lying on her bed. She’s pale and looking lifeless, so I rush to her and check for a pulse. She’s breathing and her heart rate is strong. Thank god.
I see no signs of injury. He must have drugged her and carried her upstairs. The thought of him having her in his arms stabs me like a knife in my side. The fact that she’s still clothed is both a relief and a warning. I’ve interrupted him. He has to still be in this house somewhere.
I turn to leave the room. I have to find him and apprehend him before he slips through my fingers again. As I approach the bedroom door, it slams in my face. Michael, who has been hiding behind the door, leaps out at me.
He has a long, sharp blade in his hand and is cutting and slashing the air between us. I grab his arm and bend it behind his back until it snaps and the knife falls to the floor.
Michael cries out in pain, but I have no sympathy. I throw him into the wall and catch him when he bounces back off. I’ve lost all memory of the cop inside me. Right now, I’m an enraged man who will fight to the death for my woman. I don’t care about the consequences. I have to eliminate and eradicate this threat.
Unrelenting, Michael attempts to throw a punch, but I catch his fist in my larger, more capable left hand and hold it while I unleash a battery of rights onto his face.
His nose breaks and blood gushes down his face and onto his shirt. I see the ruby red flood and grin. I want him to feel pain. I want him to suffer at my hand.
His legs weaken, and I have to hold him up to continue my assault. I beat his face and body until he moves like he’s made of rubber. Images of Lori flash inside my head as my assault continues. She’s so innocent, so small, so helpless.
It’s my job to keep her safe. I’m her protector.
“That’s my girl!” I shout. “I’ll kill you for this, fucker!”
“Luke? Luke, I’m okay. I don’t think he did anything to me.” I hear Lori call out from her bed. “Luke, please. If you don’t stop, you’re going to kill him.”
I turn around and see her sweet, innocent face looking back at me in horror. It’s only now that I realize I’m covered in this man’s blood. My girl doesn’t need to see this side of me. She should never have to be scared of anything. Especially not me.
“It’s okay, baby girl,” I say as I drop Michael’s limp body on the floor. He looks like a crippled dog lying in a pool of his own blood and groaning in pain.
I radio for backup and medical for the broken man and wait for them to arrive. I rush back to Lori and take her in my arms. She’s woozy but otherwise seems alright.
“What happened? How did he get in here?”
“It was all my fault, Luke. I let him in. I’m just so stupid. Please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t know who he was or what he was planning to do. I don’t even want to think about what might have happened if you didn’t get here when you did. You saved me. I can’t explain it, but somehow I knew you would. How did you figure out it was him?”
“You don’t have to think about it, baby girl. You never have to think about it again. I’m not mad at you. I’m just happy you’re safe now.”
“You said you’d protect me and you did.” She puts her arms around my neck, and I hold her until my deputies arrive. She belongs here, with my arms around her. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.
11
LUKE
Michael DiMiglio spends the next five days in the hospital recovering from his injuries.
Once he’s capable, he’s arraigned and taken to the state prison to await his trial. In the course of our investigation, we searched his bedroom and found a stash of candid pictures he took of Lori. Some recent shots are of her in the yard and on the porch and other, older ones are of her when she was just a little girl.
His obsession with her appears to date back to when they were children. If he were being held in my jail, he might not live to see his trial. On that count, he’s lucky the State stepped in.
Lori is a little on edge for the next few days. She’s shaken from the experience and blames herself for not recognizing the dangerous position she put herself in. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to convince her it wasn’t her fault. Sometimes good people assume the people around them are also good. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.
With DiMiglio behind bars, I have no reason to continue spending my nights at Lori’s place. It’s hard sleeping without her, and I spend most nights waiting for the sun to come up so I can see her again.
Today, I’m helping her take her grandmother to the doctor and find them both waiting for me on the porch when I arrive.
“You didn’t have to come outside, baby. I would have come in to help you,” I tell Lori before planting a long kiss on her pouty lips.
“It’s alright. Nana is moving around much better. Getting her out here was a breeze.”
“Still, I wouldn’t have minded helping you. That’s what I’m here for, right?”
“Of course. You’re our handsome knight in shining armor.”
