Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

O fficer Williams glanced in his rearview mirror. “You doing all right back there, Miss Massey?”

She offered a tight smile. “I’m fine. Thanks.” Her purse was in her lap. She squeezed it before looking through the window and peering unseeingly into the dark night. This afternoon, Lexi and Lucas had stopped by Jaxson’s place. Lexi gave Lemon some pepper spray and a sharp-tipped nail file. “I have to walk from the restaurant to the parking deck after work,” she explained. “These make me feel a little safer.” Lemon wasn’t sure either of the items would help, but she appreciated Lexi’s gesture. Lemon was terrified and numb at the same time.

She’d called Shade to check on her, not mentioning the amnesia or Wesley’s threat. Shade seemed perfectly normal, which was a good sign. Shade mostly just scolded Lemon for not answering her calls, and she wanted to know how the meeting with Wesley went regarding the children’s line. Lemon told her she was running short on time and couldn’t talk about it right then but promised they’d discuss it soon.

It was eight thirty p.m. Lemon was headed to Pinkerton Park. Officer Williams, one of the policemen who’d shown up at the scene of Jaxson’s accident, was driving her in an unmarked car. Jaxson and Ramsey were in Jaxson’s truck, following close behind. Knox, Lucas, and several police officers, along with Chief Blankenship, were at the park, planted in strategic locations. The unmarked car Lemon was in had Uber stickers on the front and back windshields, and Officer Williams was wearing regular clothes.

Lemon’s stomach was tied in knots. She could vomit at any moment. The park was only a quarter mile up the road. The car stopped at a red light.

In a flash, a car whipped sideways in front of Officer Williams, blocking him from going forward. A startled gasp left Lemon’s throat as a man jumped out, ran around to the driver’s side door, and pointed a gun directly at Officer Williams’s head. The young policeman held up his hands in defeat.

Expect the unexpected , that’s what Ramsey had said. No way could Lemon have anticipated this. She was so certain that everything would go down at Pinkerton Park, especially considering that was the designated spot where Wesley wanted to meet. Making a split-second decision, she grabbed the pepper spray from her purse, threw open the door, and made a mad dash to the adjacent parking lot of a grocery store.

She heard rapid footsteps on her heels. She glanced back. A cry wrenched her throat when she saw Wesley. It shot through her brain that he must’ve been in the car directly behind her. He tackled her. She fell to the pavement, her left hand and knees taking the brunt of the fall. She held onto the pepper spray for dear life as he pulled her up by her hair. She yelped as pain shot across her scalp. Her blood nearly stopped when she felt the cold press of metal against her spine.

“That was a dumb move,” Wesley hissed.

“Let me go!” she demanded, trying to wrestle out of his grip, but he held her fast. The parking lot was lit with pale street- lamps. She prayed Wesley would be too preoccupied to notice the pepper spray in her hand.

“See, you can’t run from me,” he boasted. “I’ll always find you. You’re mine.”

Horror streaked through her. Wesley was crazy.

A black sedan pulled into the parking lot.

Wesley pushed her forward. “Let’s go,” he growled.

Her breath came in short, fast bursts. “Where are you taking me?” Her eyes darted around. Officer Williams’s car was still parked in front of the red light. The other car was there also. It was too dark for her to see if Officer Williams was in the car. Was he okay? Alive or dead? A shudder ran through her.

“We have a lot to talk about,” Wesley said. “I’ve missed you, love.” His voice grew silky soft, lyrical almost. He breathed against her ear, sending a wave of revulsion through her.

“It has always been you,” he said softly. “The moment I saw you, I knew I had to make you mine. You’ll learn to love me as I love you. You’ll see. I can be very persuasive.”

Fear lodged a cold shaft through Lemon’s throat. She got the distinct feeling that if she got into the car with Wesley, she’d never make it out alive. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement as Jaxson’s truck came barreling forward.

Wesley raised the gun and took a shot. It hit the grill of the truck.

“No!” she cried, using the canister of pepper spray lodged in her fist to knock his arm. The gun toppled from his hand and hit the asphalt. As Wesley was scrambling for the gun, she turned off the safety and pressed the button to activate the spray. She made a quick streak across his eyes, just as Lexi had taught her to do.

Wesley swore, falling to his knees and clutching his eyes, which were forced closed. “What did you do?” A succession of guttural coughs overtook him. “I—I can’t breathe!” he sputtered.

Lemon sprinted away from Wesley, going toward Jaxson who’d gotten out of the truck and was hobbling toward her.

The next events seemed to happen in slow motion. Jaxson yelling for Lemon to get down. Before she could react, she heard a shot. She whirled around. The driver in the black sedan dropped his gun as his hand went over his chest. A stunned expression came over his face as he fell to the ground. Lemon turned back to Jaxson’s truck and realized that Ramsey was standing behind the open passenger door. He’d fired the shot.

“Drop it!” Ramsey ordered, aiming his gun at Wesley.

Lemon turned, realizing that Wesley had staggered to his feet. He was holding the gun, but his eyes were swollen shut.

“Lemon!” Wesley screamed in desperation. “Why’re you doing this?” His voice broke. “Can’t you see how much I love you?”

Ramsey’s voice cracked like a whip. “I said drop it! This is your last chance!”

Wesley pointed the gun toward Ramsey’s voice. A shot rang in the air as Wesley crumpled to his knees and then fell onto his back.

A sob rose in Lemon’s throat as she stumbled toward Jaxson. He placed his arms around her, stroking her hair. “It’s over,” he said.

She turned to look at Wesley’s lifeless body. The relief that went through her made her weak in the knees. Even so, she was sick at heart. She’d thought Wesley was her friend. Never could she have imagined the evil that lurked beneath his carefully concealed mask of wealth and class. She turned her back to Wesley, not wanting to look at him anymore. Such a waste of a life.

“Thank you,” she said to Ramsey “… for everything.”

He nodded. “You’re very welcome.”

Her stomach clutched as she thought of something else. “Is Officer Williams okay?” She glanced toward the red light. Officer Williams’s car was gone. Cars were slowing down, curious passersby interested in the events that had just taken place.

“Let me find out,” Ramsey said, reaching for his phone. “Hey, Chief … yeah, we’re all okay. Two men down—Wesley Livingston and his hired gun. Lemon’s safe. How’s Officer Williams? Okay … thanks.”

“Officer Williams is good,” Ramsey announced. “The gunman held him for a while but then took off when he realized that Wesley and his cohort were shot. The police are looking for the assailant now. I suspect it won’t be long before they capture him.”

Lemon sighed in relief. She didn’t want to add another death to her conscience. Officer Williams seemed like a good guy. He deserved to have a long, full life.

Jaxson cupped her cheeks with his large hands. He searched her face, a deep depth of emotion sounding in his voice. “I was afraid I’d lost you.”

A smile tugged at her lips. “You’re not trying to get rid of me, are you? So you can go back to your playboy ways?”

He laughed in surprise. “Never.” Worry clouded his features. “What about you? Now that you have your memory back, are you gonna head straight back to the big city, or do you think you’ll stick around for a while?” His words were spoken lightly, but she could hear the undercurrent of seriousness.

She tipped her head, her face pulling into mock concentration. “Hmm … I’m not sure.”

He swallowed in disappointment. “I understand.”

A giggle rose in her throat. “Do you really think I went through all of this angst and turmoil just to up and leave? This time, I’m here to stay.”

A large smile split his face. “I like the sound of that.” He moved in and gave her a long, thorough kiss.

Ramsey scoffed. “Get a room. You’re seriously sucking face when you’ve got two dead guys in the parking lot? Unbelievable!”

Jaxson pulled back, keeping his arms fixed firmly around Lemon’s waist.

“You’ve certainly been doing your share of sucking face lately, little brother.”

“Speaking of which, I’ve got a feisty redhead waiting for me at home.” A lopsided grin pulled at his lips. “I wish the cops would hurry up and get here, so we can wrap this thing up. I have a honeymoon to get to.”

Sirens sounded in the distance.

“Right on cue,” Jaxson quipped. “You must be living right,” he joked. He looked at Lemon. “After we answer all the obligatory questions from the police … dot all the i’s, cross all the t’s. Whaddaya say we go home?”

Warmth glowed over Lemon. “Home,” she sighed. “I like the sound of that.”