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“Quiet,” I snapped, grabbing his mask to rip it off his head.
The material came up in one movement, leaving behind an average-looking man. His features were pinched in pain and frozen in place. I likely cracked something of his from the impact.
If only one toss could render him perfectly still, then it could only mean he was human. It would explain why he didn’t try to fight me back.
Catching sight of the zip ties in his jacket pocket, I pulled one out and yanked his arms down in front of himself. He yelped, but I didn’t listen. He certainly didn’t listen to Cora when she tried to fight him off.
He was lucky I had enough self-restraint.
Once the tie was tightly in place, leaving the man to simply lay there in pain, I decided he wasn’t going anywhere. Instead, I looked at Cora to find her on the ground, wide-eyed as she looked at me.
A rush of guilt and anger at how badly he scared her came over me, and I forced myself to be calm for her. She needed me to be an anchor in that moment, not a loose cannon.
As much as I wanted to rush over to her, I was still on duty. I had a job to carry out, regardless of any personal involvement.
Pressing the button on my walkie, I called in for backup and stated our location. Once confirmation that others were on the way was returned, I clicked it off and returned my focus to Cora.
Cutting the space between us, I softened my features and held a hand out to her.
She glanced between the subdued assailant and my palm with tears in her eyes, seemingly trying to get a better grasp on the situation. She swallowed hard, then took my hand, and I helped her to her feet.
Before I could say anything, she pressed herself against me and wrapped her arms around my waist. She sucked in a shaken breath.
Relief washed over me, accompanied by the comfort of knowing she wasn’t injured and that I had interfered at the right moment. I allowed myself to soak in the feeling of her embrace as I comforted her in return.
Cora sighed against my chest. “Thank you.”
That quiet, almost broken tone stirred that protective instinct within me, and I was glad I had been the one on duty. I was so thankful I had even signed up for the Task Force in the first place.
“Are you all right?” I asked, silently remorseful as she pulled away. Selfishly, I wanted that contact to linger.
While she looked visibly shaken up, Cora took in a deep breath and pulled herself together enough to nod. She was still weary of the assailant despite his restraints, letting her eyes drift to him.
Even if remnants of fear remained in her eyes, that confusion came out loud and clear.
Knowing she was safe and unharmed, I relaxed enough for the questions to circulate through my mind. At once, I wondered what she was even doing out there, or how she found herself in that position. We were well away from town, especially if she had been on foot.
But I knew the others would have more than enough questions for her, and I didn’t want to overwhelm her.
Luckily, headlights streamed in through the trees as the others rolled up, and I hailed them down.
Kai was there along with several others, and they were quick to cuff the man properly before taking him away. We were escorted to the main road, and all the while we went, Cora looked reminiscent of a deer in headlights.
She stayed quiet, and the others handled her with absolute care. Even if they had taken over the situation from that point on, I couldn’t help but linger. That pulse in my chest urged me to stay and make sure nothing else happened to her.
I gave my account of the situation to one of the guys while Cora was questioned separately, and while I knew it was only protocol, something in me was itching to be near her. I needed the satisfaction of knowing I was watching over her, even if she was in capable hands.
I did my best to answer questions as concisely as I could, but my mind was in somewhat of a scramble. I could only focus on her.
“All right, that should be everything,” the officer said, giving me a gentle clap on the shoulder. “Nice work tonight. It was lucky you had been there.”
Half-paying attention, I nodded and brought my attention back to Cora and Kai as they talked.
When they wrapped it up, Kai said to everyone, “I need someone to escort Cora back home to make sure she gets home safely. She needs her rest.”
Without hesitation, I stepped forward. “I can take her back. My shift was about over anyway.”
Every fiber of my being wanted to make sure she was returned safely. Letting someone else escort her and hearing she was back home wasn’t enough. I needed to be the one to do it.
