Page 21 of Pursuit of Honor

With his lungs screaming, Law powered through the water, making his way back to the sidewalk and then, entered the motel. The guy at the front desk was still asleep so Law walked soaking wet down the corridor, with Piper clinging to him.

When he opened the door to their motel room, he set her down on the nearest chair, not caring if it got drenched. What he needed to do now was get her dry. After that, he’d call her father and let him know Piper was safe.

Law went into the bathroom to retrieve some towels and a robe, returning to begin drying her. She was shivering, wrapping her arms around herself tightly for warmth as she started to sob softly.

“I’m here,” he told her as he toweled her off. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now, Piper.”

“Thank you,” she said softly, her green eyes huge and grateful. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Any time, sweetheart,” he said sincerely, leaning down to kiss her forehead. Relief surged through him. Thank goodness she was safe. That was all he cared about.

Once he got her dry, he stepped back to let her change into the bathrobe in the privacy of the bathroom. Satisfied that she was safe, Law picked up his phone to call her father.

“I’ve found her,” he said quickly, not wanting to prolong the man’s agony. “She’s with me at the motel.”

“She’s safe? Thank goodness,” her father said. “What’s the address?”

“Sir, I wouldn’t recommend you come down here in this weather,” Law cautioned. “You don’t even have a car. It’s stuck in a flooded street and I had to smash the window to get her out.”

“I don’t give a damn. I’m her father and she’s my little girl,” the older man said sternly.

“It would be foolish to put yourself in danger,” Law said, gritting his teeth in irritation over the man’s refusal to listen to reason. “How the hell could I explain it to Piper if something happened to her dad? She’d lose her mind. At least wait for the storm to die down.”

Lieutenant Ryan paused. “Fine. The minute the rain lets up, I’ll be down there to pick up my daughter.”

Law felt his heart plummet. He’d be picking her up to take her away. Forever. “Right. Of course, sir.”

“Before that though, let me talk to her,” the older man instructed.

“Sure. Give me a second...”

The lieutenant cleared his throat. “Listen. Lawrence was it? I want to thank you for saving my daughter. I was wrong about you and I’m man enough to admit it. You seems like a serious young man. And you were able to protect her. Takes guts to do that. Shows that you care about her.”

“Yeah, I do care,” he said, finally admitting his feelings out loud.

“Glad to hear it,” the lieutenant said. “If you want to date my daughter or be long-distance friends, or whatever you kids are doing these days, it’s fine with me, as long as that’s what she wants.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Good. Regardless, I intend to protect my daughter,” the lieutenant said, an edge to his words. A warning. “So, I expect you to do right by her.”

“Always,” Law promised.

“Excellent. Hopefully this storm clears up by morning and I’ll be there to pick her up,” her father said. “Now, let me talk to her.”

“Right. Just a second, sir,” Law said, getting ready to hand the phone off.

The adrenaline still coursing and his body was tense. Because there had been a finality to the older man’s tone. And Law knew why. His time with Piper was slipping away. This was it. Their last goodbye.

Chapter 9

Piper startled awake in an unfamiliar room, wrapped in the sheets of an unfamiliar bed. For a second, she panicked, but then she remembered. The argument with her dad. The storm. Law showing up out of nowhere to rescue her. Were it not for him and her father, she would have been swept away into that flood last night.

Her father. Law. They’d spoken. During her phone call with her dad, he’d apologized and basically given his blessing. She’d been grateful for it, but Law was leaving today. Even though her father approved, there wasn’t going to really be a relationship.

Letting out a sad sigh, she sat upright, letting the bedsheet slip away. The large bathrobe Law had given her was the only item of clothing she had on. Her actual clothes had gotten drenched in that storm which had come out of nowhere. Guilt washed over her. In her desperation to talk to Law, she had ended up in danger. Which had put Law in danger, too. Was he okay? She’d never forgive herself if he’d gotten hurt because of her stupid, impulsive actions.

Anxious, she climbed out of the bed. Recollections from after he’d saved her last night were hazy in her sleepy mind, but she was starting to remember. One of his friends had given up the bed for her while Law had sat by her side as she’d fallen asleep.