Page 14 of Stalked By the Officer

No more words. It's showtime.

I feint left, a split-second diversion, and it's just enough. Mikey's eyes flicker, following the movement. Rookie mistake. I take advantage. In one fluid motion, I close the distance between us, my service weapon now a useless hunk of metal in this close-quarters dance.

"DOUG!" Lori's scream slices through the chaos, but I'm already committed.

Mikey swings around, knife arcing with lethal intent. I dodge—barely—a cut instead of a stab. Adrenaline surges, fierce and fiery, as I grab his wrist, twisting hard. Bones grind, and he howls, the sound animalistic.

"Run, Lori!" I command her.

Mikey and I are locked in a twisted tango, strength versus strength, his free hand clawing at my face, my grip ironclad on his knife arm. Every cop muscle I've trained screams in protest, but there's no backing down. Not when Lori's life hangs by a thread.

"Fuck you!" Mikey spits blood and fury, headbutting me. Stars explode behind my eyes, pain a white-hot lance through my skull. But I don't let go. Can't let go.

"Drop it, Mikey!" The command rips from my throat, raw and guttural.

He bucks wildly, a cornered animal, but I'm the immovable object to his unstoppable force. A knee to the groin, dirty but effective, and Mikey's resistance falters. The knife clatters to the ground.

Gotcha.

With a grunt, I pin him, my body a shield over Lori. My breaths come in ragged gasps, sweat mingling with blood on my brow. Mikey squirms beneath me, but he's done. Outplayed. Outpowered.

"Stay down!" I press harder, making damn sure he's not going anywhere.

Lori's beside me, trembling, tears streaking her dirt-smudged face. Her eyes meet mine, a storm of emotions swirling within those green depths—fear, relief, something deeper and raw.

"Are you hurt?" My voice is gentle, a stark contrast to the thundering pulse in my ears.

She shakes her head, a small, brave gesture that punches straight through my chest. "You came for me."

"Always," I rasp, and it's more than a promise. It's a vow, etched into the core of who I am, who I want to be for her.

As backup swarms in, securing Mikey and clearing the area, I pull Lori close, her body melding against mine.

"Got you," I pant, the relief surging through me like a tidal wave.

Lori's body quakes against mine. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, desperate, as if she's afraid I'll vanish into thin air. "Doug," she whimpers, and damn if that sound doesn't spear straight through to my soul.

"Shh, I got you, Lori. You're safe now." My words come out gruff, laced with emotion and the adrenaline still coursing wildly through my veins. I wrap her up tighter, feeling her heart hammer against my chest, matching the erratic beat of my own.

We're on our knees on the sidewalk, the world blurring into a mess of blue and red lights, but none of that matters. It's just Lori and me, two survivors clinging to each other in the aftermath of hell.

"Hey, look at me," I coax, tilting her chin up so those piercing green eyes lock onto mine. They're filled with a thousand words she doesn't say, a mix of fear and gratitude that makes my throat tight. "You're okay, breathe."

Her breath hitches, a jagged inhale followed by a shuddering exhale. "I thought...I thought—" She can't finish, but she doesn't have to. I understand all the unspoken thoughts racing through her head.

"Never gonna happen. Not on my watch." I offer her a shaky grin, trying to bring some lightness back into the moment. "Can't get rid of me that easily, can you?"

A watery chuckle escapes her, and it's music to my ears.

"Thank you," she whispers, her voice a fragile thing that I want to protect forever.

"Anytime, sweetheart." And I mean it. Every damn word.

"Lori, you’ve got to know..." I pause, my chest heaving with more than just the exertion from the fight. It's now or never. "Lori, I'm nuts about you. I've tried to keep it professional, but screw it."

She blinks up at me, her lips parting slightly, as if my words are the oxygen she's been deprived of. The chaos around us dims, and for a heartbeat, it's just Lori and me in our own little universe.

"Are you serious, Doug?" she asks, a tremor in her voice. Her vulnerability makes me want to wrap her up and shield her from the world.

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