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I nod.
He crawls on the floor to the other end of the desk. Shit! What is he going to do?
I peek through the crack between the two desks to check on Lix, hearing the sirens closing in.
Lix’s eyes slide to the front windows. “Looks like we have company.” He turns back to Joel. “So what’s it gonna be?”
“I could shoot you.”
“Yeah.” Lix bobs his head like it’s a plausible option. “You could, but you’re not getting out of here, and you will go to jail. I know.” He nods. “I’ve got some experience with this kind of stuff. My mom’s currently serving twenty-five to life, and she was protecting herself and her kids. But you, well…” He tilts his head. “You just walked into a Domestic Abuse Center with a gun. Buddy, if you don’t put that gun down now, I don’t see you getting out of here alive. Unless?” Lix’s hands flip palms out. “You have a death wish. Unless you came in here knowing that you’re not getting out of here alive. If that’s the case, then go ahead, do everyone a favor and kill yourself now.”
“Maybe I’ll take you with me.”
“No, you won’t.” Lix grins.
“How can you be so sure of it?”
Cole comes up behind Joel. With one smooth kick, he sweeps Joel’s legs. At the same time, Lix quickly knocks the gun from Joel’s hand. Joel falls to the floor with Lix on top of him
Lix slams Joel’s hands on the floor and smiles down at him. “’Cause my big brother’s got my back.”
Chapter 27
The police officers storm through the front door with their guns drawn.
“It’s okay!” Harper rushes toward Lix and me with her arms in the air. “I called 911.” She points down at the fucker on the floor. “That man came in here, threatening me with a gun. I have a restraining order against him. You can look it up.”
“Yes. I remember you.” A female cop walks into the room, nodding at Harper. She looks down at Lix, shaking her head. “Mr. Daxon, so we meet again.”
“It’s always a pleasure,” Lix says with a wayward smile. Lix looks up at me. “You remember Officer Starr from my run-in with the mugger while I was out jogging.”
I take a better look at the officer. Yes. She was at the hospital when Lix got stabbed during an escort that went bad. Lix gave her a hard time that night. Of course, we were able to keep the escort out of it. Lix came up with some story about being out jogging in his jeans. I don’t think the officer bought it.
But I’m also sure he left a lasting impression on her.
“We’ll take it from here,” Officer Starr says, turning to another police officer and waving at the asshole who just took years off my life. “Jenkins, could you cuff this man?”
Lix moves off the abuser so that Joel can be apprehended.
I want to walk over and pull Harper into my arms, but I know better. She needs a moment to collect herself. Sometimes I feel like I’m a threat to her but not physically, just maybe to her heart. And she’s having a hard time coming to terms with it. I’m not going anywhere. I plan to see whatever is going on between us through to the end.
She can fight me all she wants.
With steady eyes, I watch her give her statement. Observe her crossed arms and the rapid tick of her left finger. She’s trying to keep it together.
Her eyes slide over to me. I capture them, affirming I am not letting her go. I’m here for her. She nods at the officer, but her view remains on me. Her finger stops ticking. Her shoulders drop.
She says something to the officer, but she stays trapped with me as I am with her. There’s a powerful unspoken connection happening between us. I’m not sure what it is, but I’m ready to ride it out for as long as she does.
The officer walks away. Harper remains stationary, staring back at me. My feet want to move toward her, but I sense I need to wait for her to come to me. After what just happened, she must prove to herself that she has balance. I can’t take that away from her.
I release my suspended breath as she moves toward me. Fuck. This woman arrests my being and imprisons my thoughts. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make her smile or hear her laughter. Two things she reserves and rarely reveals.
She stops. “Will you take me home?”
“I think it’s best if you stay with me tonight. I can take you to Willa’s tomorrow.”
“Yes. That’s what I meant.”
