CAPTURED: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys(96)

Helman grabs me and drags me away from the crowd. "We need to go somewhere private to do this, sweetheart."

"Let her go, Helman." It's Sawyer. He keeps shouting at Helman to  release me. He's fighting through the crowd. Then Helman lifts his gun  and fires into the air. Pandemonium ensues. People run away from him,  crashing into each other. Sawyer struggles to get through the sea of  panicked people.

Helman's attention is on Sawyer, and I lift my leg and drive my knee into Helman's crotch.

He squeals, sputters, grabs his privates through his expensive pants. Then he points the gun at me-

"Don't move! Put your weapon down!"

Blankly I look around. Cops are everywhere-wearing flak jackets, with  guns trained on Helman. It really is like I've walked onto a TV show.  But this is real.

"Fuck," Helman spits.

The cops are coming closer. I realize Helman is not going to do the  usual stunt you see on TV. He's not going to grab me. I can-I can walk  away.

I can't quite believe it. I take a step toward one of the officers. My  legs are shaking. I try another step. Then I run, blindly, toward the  cops, and I lose my balance because my legs are so weak.         

     



 

I'm falling forward-

"Claire!" Sawyer's powerful arms grab me. He drags me to his chest and holds me tight.

"The cops came to me this morning," Sawyer says quickly. "They told me  you went to see them. I told them you were a hostage, but I didn't know  where he was holding you. I tried ripping all of damn Westingham apart  to find you. After I saw you in that warehouse, I went back to the cops.  I realized I needed them to help me-it was the only way to save you. I  couldn't get you out of the warehouse. I was blindfolded and taken there  in the trunk of a car, so I had no idea how to get there again. The  cops figured the best plan was to rescue you here."

I'm sucking in deep breaths, cuddling tight to Sawyer's chest. Thank god he went to the police.

"If you hadn't gone to the cops-" Sawyer breaks off. He tenderly presses  his lips to the top of my head. "You were right. Right all along,  Claire. I was a damned effing idiot. Again."

"No, you weren't," I whisper. "You were trying to protect the people you  love. And I am so damn happy you brought the police here." I took a  huge gamble going to the police. That was the decision I made. I had to  protect Sawyer.

I laugh then, with relief, but it fractures halfway through and turns  into a sob. I press tight to Sawyer. He's so big and we're surrounded by  the police but I start shaking with fear.

On TV, Helman would break free and make one last attempt to hurt us.

But that's not real. He can't do anything. "I'd like to get out of here."

"You're shaking." Sawyer's arms tighten around me. "Claire, you're terrified."

"I just keep thinking … I just can't stop being afraid that it's not over."

"It is over," Sawyer insists. "Helman's going to be arrested for Jaxon's  murder, for kidnapping you, for a hell of a lot more crimes. The cops  think at least one of his bodyguards will talk in return for a deal."

One of the police officers comes and leads me to an ambulance. Sawyer  follows. As I sit there while an EMT checks me over, I realize Sawyer is  being questioned. I shoot to my feet. "Don't arrest him. You can't do  that. He didn't race-his bike didn't leave the start line. He was trying  to protect me. He saved my life. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Sawyer puts his arms around me and forces me to sit again for the EMT.

The police officer says to me, "Mr. Tremaine is not under arrest."

Thank god for that.

"There's nothing wrong with me," I say finally. "I'm hungry, and my  wrist and ankle are bruised, but I'm okay. Admittedly I'm still kind of  scared and pretty shaky, but okay."

They let me go to Sawyer, but I know I have to go with the cops and give  my statement. Sawyer says, "I'll go with you. I don't want you out of  my sight. I want to know you're safe. I want to know all night that  you're safe."

I want to be with him, so I can feel safe. But there's something I know I  need to do after I finish with the police. "I need to go home to my  mom." I shiver. "But I can't face the thought of getting on a bus  tonight."

"I'll drive you," Sawyer says.

"You can't do that. My home is almost six hours from Westingham and it's almost midnight."

"No problem, Claire. I've driven twenty-four hours straight before."



I plan to stay awake. Maybe just because I need to keep looking at  Sawyer to convince myself that it's over, I'm safe and unharmed, and  he's free. And alive.

But the warmth of the truck's cab, the endless dark road, and the glare  of the oncoming cars make my eyes close. I know I fall asleep because I  keep waking up.

I'll see Helman's face in front of me. Or dream I saw Sawyer crash. Each time I jerk awake and find it wasn't real.

"Are you okay?" I mumble to Sawyer. How can he keep driving when I can't even keep my eyes open?

"I'm good," he says. "Try to sleep."

I close my eyes because I can't fight to stay awake.

Next time I open them, the sky is streaked with red, and we've reached a  sign that says, "Welcome to Opeongo." The small town where I grew up.  I'm home.

"I'll drop you off," Sawyer says, glancing over at me.

"Oh. I thought-I thought you might stay. You should get some sleep. But  you don't have to come in, obviously, if you don't want-"

"I didn't think you'd want me around. And I'm pretty sure your mother  won't. When she finds out what I dragged you into, she'll probably want  to kill me."

"Of course not. You saved me, Sawyer. And she's probably going to thank you for that. As well as feed you."

"What about you, Claire? If you want me out of your life, I understand."  He rakes his hair back out of his eyes. He isn't looking at me-as if  he's afraid of what he'll see in my face.

"Out of my life? Sawyer, I-" I want to say I love you, but I hesitate. Will it scare him? Is it too early?

Hell, I didn't know how to kiss and I don't know how to do  relationships, since I have so little experience. Maybe the best thing  is to be honest.

"Sawyer, I love you."





Chapter Eight

What is he going to say?

He's driving and he hasn't said anything for several minutes. I gave him directions to my house and that's where we are headed.

I'm scared I've blown it, just like I did with that impetuous kiss I  tried to plant on Trey weeks ago. I've said too much, gone too far, and  scared Sawyer. Impetuous things do not work for me.

Of course, if I hadn't bestowed that awkward, terrible kiss on that idiot Trey, I would never have propositioned Sawyer.

Nervous, I glance at Sawyer. He keeps looking from the road to me and  back again. Finally he asks, "How can you be in love with me?"

I gape at him, drinking in his gorgeous profile. "Maybe because you are  an amazing guy. Because-because I just am!" My cheeks are burning, I'm  blushing so hard.

He lets out a deep breath. "I am so in love with you, Claire, it hurts. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you."

I'm astounded.

His hands are tight on the steering wheel, his knuckles white. "It makes  me realize what an effing jerk I've been. I thought I loved Kerry. I  was so scared I would lose her that I wanted to be her whole world. I  didn't want her spending time with her friends. Her family was pretty  screwed up and when she felt bad, I wanted her to come to me instead of  talking to them. I told myself I knew best because I loved her. I'm  scared that what I really needed was for her to need me. That doesn't  make me deserving of love now."

I realize he has told me his darkest secret. He has completely opened his heart to me. This is what haunts him.

"Why?" I ask bluntly.

"What do you mean, ‘why'?" He hits the brakes for a traffic light.

"Why did you need all of her attention? Why couldn't you share her, Sawyer?"

"I was a selfish bastard."

"No, you aren't. I don't believe that. You were scared for some reason.  You were scared and on top of that, you were afraid to lose her love.  Did someone break your heart before?"

"No." He says it shortly.

"What about your dad and your mom?"

"My dad walked out. It broke my mom's heart."

"I lost my dad. It made me very protective of my brother when he was sick."

Sawyer focuses on traffic as he drives. Then he says, "I guess I was  afraid of losing her. Afraid she would leave me like my dad did. I  didn't understand the danger of what I was doing. I just wanted her to  be happy and I thought I could do that for her."

I lean over and kiss him tenderly on his cheek. "I love you," I whisper.  "For your strengths and your vulnerabilities. They are what make you  special and beautiful and amazing." I realize that he doesn't believe he  is worthy of love. "You deserve to be loved intensely," I say. "And you  deserve more than one night stands. I don't think you had one night  stands because you were protecting women from the dangerous world of  street racing. I think it was because you feared the women you were with  wouldn't love you. Well, I do."