Camden's Redemption (Gloves Off #4)(27)

“Do you want me to walk you to your car? Where did you park?”

“Oh, no, I’m just around the corner, the opposite way. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

I laughed and kissed him quickly. “I’m sure. Now go. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

He smacked my bottom and winked before walking backward down the street. “You’re a stubborn ass, you know that?”

“It’s part of my charm,” I shouted as the distance grew. Once he turned around and started down the sidewalk, I pulled out my phone and read the messages from my brother.



Jason: I really didn’t need to see what I just saw.

Jason: I’m just around the corner . . . waiting.



Rolling my eyes, I called him instead of texting. “It’s about damn time,” he grumbled.

“He’s on the move, jack ass. And tomorrow, who’s on Camden watch?”

“That would be Erickson. Why? What’s up?”

“Because that’s not going to work. I’m going on a date with Camden and the last thing I need is Erickson giving Blake a play by play.”

“So what are you going to do?”

I sighed. “It looks like I’ll have to be on duty.” It was the only way I could be around Camden without having someone watching us. I didn’t want everyone knowing about us yet.

“Mason’s going to ask questions. I hope you’re ready for that.”

“I can handle Mason. Now get to work.” He chuckled and I hung up on him. I wasn’t about to call Mason tonight. That was going to wait for the morning.

The parking deck was just around the corner and I hated parking in them, but sometimes there was no choice when parking downtown. Surprisingly, everything was quiet. Usually, you’d hear the laughter of others echoing off the walls, but tonight there was nothing. It was eerily quiet. It was times like that when I really wished I had my gun in hand. Unfortunately, it was in the car. I had about twenty more paces to go when the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I wasn’t alone.

Quickly, I shot a glance behind me and didn’t see anything. Picking up my pace, I rushed to my car and pressed the unlock button. Before I reached the door, the feel of a vice-like grip around my chest and cold metal against my head made me freeze.

“Not a smart move being out here all alone, sweet thing,” he chided. His voice was gravelly and harsh.

“What do you want?” I snapped, trying to catch my breath.

He gripped my breast and squeezed it so hard my eyes watered. “Your tight little * for one thing. Where’s your purse?”

“In my car.” Along with my gun. He pushed me over to my car and kept the gun to my head.

Still holding me tight, he leaned into my car with me as I reached for my purse. If I was going to do anything I had to act fast. In these cases, there was a high likelihood he would either kidnap and rape me, or kidnap, rape, and then kill me. I’d seen it too many times in my few years on the job.

With my purse in hand, I was only inches away from my gun. Slowly, I moved out of my car and when I was almost out of the door, I snapped my head back and clocked my assailant in the nose. I felt the crunch on impact. Not to mention the back of his head slammed against the door frame of my car. His grip loosened and it was enough for me to fight back. He stumbled out of the car and took off, but I raced after him. Luckily, Blake and Wyatt turned the corner at just the right moment.

“Guys, get him!” I shouted.

They immediately went into cop mode and tackled the scumbag to the ground. Blake had the guy down while Wyatt pulled out his cuffs.

“Do you mind?” I asked.

Wyatt shook his head and handed them to me. “Be my guest. What happened?”

Blake had the guy’s arms pulled back so I snapped the cuffs in place. “They’re too tight, you stupid bitch,” he shouted.

Blake growled, “Shut the f*ck up.”

I leaned down low and whispered in his ear. “Meet my tight *, shithead.”

Wyatt called in backup while Blake jerked the guy to his feet. It was then I got a good look at him. He looked to be in his early twenties with rotten teeth, dirty skin, and scraggly brown hair; most likely a meth head trying to get money for more drugs. Two minutes later, a patrol car sidled up and Officer Vinny McGee got out. He was stocky with pitch black hair, tanned skin, and bright blue eyes. Even though he was short, he could outrun just about anyone.

“What do we have here?” he asked.

Blake snarled and tossed the assailant into the back of the patrol car. “A worthless piece of shit who attacked B.”

Vinny’s eyes went wide. “You okay?” he asked.

After circling my shoulders and rolling my neck, I nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll follow you to the station. And then my ass is going home.” Vinny nodded and got in his car. Having to make a statement was not on my list of things to do tonight.

Blake put his arm around me. “Do you want to ride with me?”

Shaking my head, I slid out from under his hold and backed up toward my car. “No, I’ll be fine. I just want to get this over so I can go home.”

His jaw clenched. “I’m going to the station anyway. I guess I’ll see you there.” He turned on his heel and stalked off, leaving me alone with Wyatt.