Page 140 of For Your Consideration

The line disconnected and I kept both hands on the wheel, my grip white-knuckled. The light in front of me turned red and I punched the wheel. It felt like the longest light in history. The feeling of something being wrong was gnawing at my stomach, and my chest was tight.

As I turned off the main road, my eyes scanned the parking lot, landing on Jaxson’s car. I expected him to be looking in the store. But his car was in the middle of the parking lot, pulled up behind Sutton’s. His door was open and he was bent down.

My heart dropped into my stomach as I got a view of Sutton on the ground, curled into a ball, another man standing beside her along with someone who looked like an employee of the store. My car was barely in park before I jumped out, closing the distance quickly.

Jaxson was helping her stand off the ground as I reached her. I could see tears on her face, blood on her palms and knees. She had this terrified look on her face, even with Jaxson beside her.

“Who. The. Fuck. Hurt. You,” I growled out. The two strangers took a step back, startled. I only just registered that as soon as Sutton heard my voice, her eyes were on me.

She blinked a few times and opened her mouth to speak but then just started crying, and as soon as I was close enough, she collapsed into my arms.

I cradled her gently against my chest, careful not to hold her tightly because I wasn’t sure what was wrong. She just stood there sobbing with her head tucked against my chest.

I took a shuddering breath. Whatever it was, I could handle it now that she was safe in my arms.

Looking over at Jaxson, I saw he had a serious look on his face. “Witnesses said some guy grabbed her. Dragged her by her hair.” He practically spat it out. I knew he was just as angry as I was.

“It…was…Ben,” Sutton managed through her tears.

Fire raged through my veins as Sutton cried a little harder into me, grasping at my back to try and pull me closer. “It’s okay,” I whispered into her ear, careful to avoid the back of her head. “I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

She nodded with a shaky breath but didn’t let me go.

“The guy took off when I yelled at him,” one of the strangers told me.

“I’ve called the police,” the other guy added.

“Jaxson.” I looked over to him, needing him to take care of the details so I could focus on Sutton.

“I was fucking tracking him.” He shook his head angrily as he looked at his phone. “The asshole must have left his cell back in Vancouver,” he told me quietly. I could see the storm brewing. He was livid someone got past all the security I knew he had in place. “I’m going to call Maya.” His jaw was tight as he took a step away to call her.

I gently pushed Sutton back from me so I could look her over.

“Can you tell me what hurts?” I asked softly as she hiccupped and took some deep breaths.

“I d-don’t…” she stuttered, looking around like she was expecting Ben to jump out from behind a car. “I just want to go home.”

“We will but we need to get you looked at.” As I said it, sirens filled the air, announcing the arrival of a police car and an ambulance pulling into the parking lot.

Jaxson came back up to Sutton and me. “Maya said to make sure we get her a copy of the police report as soon as we can and to get the names of the witnesses. Oli is calling the Chief of Police to make sure we have what we need.”

The officers walked over as they took in the scene, likely seeing me, a large tattooed man, towering over Sutton and wondering if I was the problem. But as one strolled up to us and the other went to the witnesses, Sutton took a step into me and the policewoman relaxed.

“We were called about an assault.” Her eyes were on Sutton. “Can you tell us what happened?”

“She needs medical attention,” I stepped in before Sutton could reply.

“I just had a panic attack.” Sutton’s voice shook as she spoke.

Looking down at her, seeing the blood on her palm as she wiped a tear from her cheek, I ground my teeth together. “You need to be looked at.”

“The witness that called it in said you were being dragged by your hair.” The officer looked at Sutton. “He’s right, you should be looked at. We can ask you questions after the paramedics give you the all clear.”

I could tell Sutton was going to object so I tucked her into my side and maneuvered her to the ambulance with Jaxson following behind on his phone, likely keeping everyone updated on what was going on.

An hour went by as the paramedics looked over Sutton. She had some cuts on her hands and knees from the rough ground in the parking lot and her heart rate was elevated, which wasn’t surprising. They checked her head, which was tender from a bump on her forehead. They said she likely had a mild concussion but nothing that warranted a trip to the hospital.

Every moment, every comment, every cut was making my anger simmer into a low rage I was trying to tamp down. As Sutton recounted the events to the police for their report, she held my hand and I clenched my other one so hard I was surprised there wasn’t blood on my palm.