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But her shoulder grazed the side of the SUV, throwing off her balance, stumbling her steps. Chad grappled for her, and yelling out again, she swung to land a cupped palm over his ear.
He staggered back, but his bruising grip locked on her arm. When he jerked her toward him, she went for the groin kick. He blocked her knee, and a hard shove bounced her off the SUV, knocking the wind out of her for a terrifying second. As he came at her, she mustered everything she had and used the palm-heel strike up under his chin while screaming so hard her voice broke.
Her blow slammed into his jaw and snapped his head back. When he stumbled backward, she took off running for the front of the building, yelling all the way.
Two steps around the corner, she ran into a wall—a wall of muscle with Dev’s voice. “Shelby, it’s me. It’s Dev. I got ya.”
The second her gaze met his, her knees gave out and she sagged against him. He caught her, his eyes frantic as he reached up to gently cradle her throbbing cheek. “Are you okay?”
Her breath caught on a sob of relief as she nodded.
“Stay here.” He swung her around, switching their positions to push her into the arms of a man holding a Chihuahua. “Keep her here.”
She frowned as he backed away from her. “Dev.”
He held out one hand, glancing over his shoulder and as he backed up while drawing his weapon. Meeting her gaze once more, he promised, “I’ll be right back, Shelby. Stay here.”
And then he was gone around the corner of the building. She held her breath, then flinched when his shout cut through the air.
“Stop right there, Mayer.”
A door slammed, and three shots rang out.
Chapter 29
Shelby jerked in stunned shock, then cried out and tore free to run around the corner. She slid to a stop when she saw Dev rushing the driver’s side door with his gun pointed at the window.
“Get the fuck out and get on your knees,” he barked. “Now.”
When Chad did as ordered, Shelby noticed the Cadillac sitting at an odd angle. Relief weakened her knees as she realized Dev had shot the SUV’s tires.
Police sirens sounded in the distance, getting louder with each passing second. Dev shoved Chad to the ground, kneeled on his back, and bound his hands with a zip-tie—probably the same one he’d tried to use on her. When he started to turn his head in her direction, Dev shoved him face-first into the gravel.
“Don’t fucking move, asshole. Your ride’s almost here.”
The sirens had reached the parking lot by now, and Dev glanced over his shoulder as he tucked his gun away. He grimaced when he saw her standing there watching, but stayed kneeling on her attacker’s back with his hands raised as the cops rounded the corner.
One officer went to her, the other advanced on Dev, weapon drawn. Shelby tried to tell them he was okay, but her throat was so raw from yelling, no sound came out.
Dev explained the situation, and a call to the precinct straightened things out in record time. Everything seemed to happen in a fog as the police took their statements, while her alarmed co-workers and curious clients dispersed back inside.
At some point, someone had given her an ice pack for her cheek, and she lowered it when finally, she stood by Dev’s side as Chad was handcuffed and shoved in the back of the police car.
The moment the squad was out of sight and it was just the two of them, she buried her face against Dev’s chest and let her tears flow. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back against the side of building, almost as if he needed the support, too. She felt his lips against her temple as his hold tightened.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you.”
The raw guilt in his voice pierced her heart, and she shook her head. When she lifted her face to him, anguish filled his eyes as his hand rose. His fingers trembled, hovering a centimeter from her swollen cheek.
“This is all my fault.” Moisture brightened his eyes, and he fisted his hand as his whole body shook against hers with suppressed anger.
“No,” she croaked. The pain in her throat made her wince, so she switched to a hoarse whisper. “You are the reason I’m okay, Dev, because you taught me to protect myself.”
He frowned, his expression telling her he didn’t like her trying to absolve his guilt. But no way in hell was she going to let him take any of the blame.
Holding his gaze, she grabbed his hand and pried open his fist until she could lightly press his palm to her aching cheek. “When he first grabbed me, I froze. I was so scared I could barely breathe, much less scream. But then suddenly you were there in my head, yelling at me about rule number one, and I found my voice. And as soon as I found my voice, I started fighting.”
The crease in his forehead eased, but not enough. She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his palm. “You kept me safe, Dev. You taught me how to protect myself, and you were right there with me in every move I made. That counts double in my book.”
