Page 101 of Flashback for the Forward

He brought his free hand to his mouth, the lewd sound of him spitting on it enough to turn my stomach, before he returned it to his cock.

From outside, someone spoke, amplified by what I could only assume was a loudspeaker. “Wheeler, we have the house surrounded. Let the girl go before you make this any worse for yourself.”

Maniacal laughter burst past Aiden’s lips. “Worse? That’s a fucking joke. This ends one of two ways. Option one, they pump me full of lead in my own home. Option two, I get thrown in a cell where I’ll be shanked because criminals are eager to take revenge on cops who wind up in jail. Either way, I’m dead. So I might as well get one last fuck in before I end up in the ground.”

Yeah, didn’t love that plan.

Sometimes, the damsel in distress had to take matters into her own hands and rescue herself, a decision that was made easier by knowing I had backup.

Aiden’s pants were around his ankles now, the gun he carried while on duty down on the floor with them.

I pulled one of my legs up until the knee kissed my chest before using all the strength I could muster to nail him square in the balls. With a wounded cry, the man folded like a cheap lawn chair, and I didn’t waste a single second.

Springing to my feet, I grabbed the gun out of its holster, switched off the safety, and pointed it directly at Aiden’s chest as I walked backward out of the room, not stopping until I reached the front door.

Mindful of the police presence outside, I cracked the door open slowly, shouting through the opening, “I’m coming out! I have his firearm!”

“Miss Russell, listen to me very carefully,” a voice I recognized as Captain Phillips’s said from nearby. “I want you to put it on the ground and kick it over. Then you’re gonna run to the police cruisers lined up in the street. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

I kept one eye on the bedroom door, expecting an enraged Aiden to appear any second, then did as they said.

The second the gun was out of my hands, I bolted across the lawn on bare feet toward the flashing red and blue lights.

When I got there, someone wrapped me in a blanket, and I was suddenly thankful that Aiden hadn’t gotten around to tearing off my bra and panties before the situation took a turn in my favor. I wouldn’t have hesitated to escape completely naked—it was better than winding up dead—but it wasn’t ideal.

“Bridget!”

My ears perked up, and I spun around, eyes searching. “Cole?”

The man I loved came into view, and I didn’t think; I just ran, not stopping until I was safely secured in his arms—well, arm, since the left one was in a sling, encased in a cast.

“Fuck, beautiful.” Emotion leaked into his tone as he spoke against the top of my head. “I’ve never been more terrified.”

“Me too,” I whimpered into his chest.

He pulled back, scanning me from head to toe, his gaze pausing on every bump and bruise littering my skin. “How much of this is from the accident, and how much is from him?” His eyes lifted to where Aiden was being hauled out of the house, hands cuffed behind his back.

“He only got one good hit in.” I touched the tender spot above my cheekbone.

Cole growled. “That’s one too many.”

“It’s over now. For good this time.”

He hugged me tight. “He’ll never be able to hurt you ever again.”

I’d been granted the one wish I never dared to dream would come true—a life free of fear.

And I planned to make the most out of every second.

Chapter 31

Cole

Four Months Later

“I just want to say a few words before you disperse for exit interviews and clean out your lockers.” Coach’s gruff voice commanded the attention of the locker room, where every member of the Surf from the past season sat at their assigned stall.