that in this family?” he tried to tease, but his dad didn’t show any sign of humor.
“Joke all you want, but since your last birthday, legally you own the land that the Randell Guest Ranch and the cattle operation grazing pastures are on. It’s not fair to ask your brother to keep running things on his own. He’s been working as the foreman. You need to make a decision, Brand.”
Before Brandon could speak, his radio went off. “A possible 10-14 in progress,” the dispatcher said over the radio. “Officer needed at the location of Burch and Maple, the West Hills Emergency Center parking lot.”
Brandon reached for the radio and identified himself. “10-76 en route to West Hills Emergency Center. Arrival less than five minutes.”
He slid out of the booth. “I’ve got to go.” He was out the door and jogging to the patrol car before his dad could say anything.
Brandon shut everything else out of his head. It was all about his job now.
He had found her.
Nora Donnelly tried to draw a breath, but fear froze her. It wouldn’t do her any good to fight, given the steely strength of the man who’d grabbed her and had her pressed against the car in the dimly lit parking lot. She was trapped.
“Thought you could get away with it, didn’t you?” the attacker whispered harshly against her ear. “Well, I got you now.”
“P…please, don’t hurt me,” she pleaded, thinking about her son. Oh, Zach. Who would take care of him? “Take whatever you want. I don’t have much money on me, but I can get you some.”
His hold tightened. “It’s good hearing you beg. I don’t want your money, but you are going to pay for what you did.”
He swung her around. She faced the burly man, who towered over her own five-foot-five height. She didn’t recognize him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t sent here to find her.
Nora didn’t have a chance to react before the man backhanded her across her face. The pain caught her off guard as she stumbled to the ground. He came after her as she tried to crawl away. He landed on top of her, trapping her against the asphalt. She screamed, trying desperately to fight him off. No, she wasn’t going to be a victim again. She bucked and squirmed, until he grabbed one of her arms and twisted it behind her back. She cried out.
He straddled her from behind, knocking her head against the ground. She fought the pain and to keep conscious.
“Have I got your attention now?” he snarled.
“Please,” she whispered, feeling his hands move over her. Bile rose in her throat.
Then came the distant sound of a siren. The attacker cursed. “I’m not done with you, yet.” He climbed off of her and was gone.
Fighting the pain, Nora stumbled to her feet and searched around for her purse. She had to get away.
That was when she heard the siren cut off then footsteps. She glanced up at the large shadow. “Please, go away. Leave me alone.”
“Ma’am, I’m Officer Randell with the sheriff’s department.” She saw his calming hand in the darkness as he brought his flashlight up to his shirt, showing her his badge.
Nora had always been good at holding it together. She had to, to protect her son. But suddenly her head began to pound and she closed her eyes against the pain. All she remembered was feeling the officer’s arms coming around her and holding her close.
“Please…He can’t find me again. Don’t let him find me again.”
“It’s okay, you’re safe now.”
She wanted to believe his reassuring words, but knew no one could ever keep her safe.
Brandon shifted the woman’s weight before she sank to the ground. He called for assistance and waited for help to come.
Don’t let him find me again. He ran her words through his head as he brushed the woman’s dark hair away from her face. Even in the shadowed light he could see she was young and pretty. Most abuse victims were, before some man got his hands on them. He should say fists.
Brandon took a breath to fight off memories of his early childhood, and the pain his mother suffered until finally she left her abuser, Joel Garson.
“You’re safe,” he assured her.
The woman groaned and turned her head toward his chest. A strange feeling came over him seeing the scrape along her jaw and the blood.
“You’re going to be all right,” he assured her again.
“Zach…” she whispered as tears flooded her eyes. “Oh, Zach, I’m sorry.”
Had that been the guy who worked her over?
He heard footsteps and looked up to see people running toward them. “Over here,” he called as he stood, lifting the small woman in his arms and carrying her to the gurney. He laid her down on the padded surface and started to step back when the woman opened her eyes. She gasped, and he could see the fear in her eyes and the tremble in her voice.
“Thank you,” she managed to mumble as the nurse tugged a blanket over her to ward off the autumn chill.
Before Brandon could speak, a nurse stepped forward. “Nora,” she whispered. “Oh, Nora, what happened?”
“Let’s get her inside,” someone else called.
Brandon would have followed the victim but another patrol car pulled up and rookie officer Jason Griggs emerged.
“We couldn’t find anyone,” the officer said.
“Did you secure the area?”
Together they walked back to the scene. “Yes, the security guards blocked off the exits and we’re checking IDs. But we don’t know who we’re looking for.” Griggs nodded toward the gurney being wheeled through the doors of the center. “Is the victim okay?”
“She was roughed up, but conscious.” He found he wanted to see for himself. He shined his flashlight on the ground, then picked up an abandoned purse and found a wallet still inside along with the car keys.
Brandon opened her wallet and read her license. “This Nora Donnelly was lucky someone saw the man grab her.”
Griggs joined in the ground search. “If the man wanted money, why didn’t he just grab her purse and take off? He held her a lot longer than needed—unless he had other plans, like a sexual attack.”
Brandon couldn’t get the victim’s words out of his head. Don’t let him find me again, she’d begged him. Then she whispered the name “Zach.” He glanced toward the emergency center. “I think I’ll go see if Ms. Donnelly is up to answering some questions. Maybe give us a description.”
Jason nodded as Brandon walked off. He had a strange feeling about this. When a man used a woman as a punching bag, it was more likely to be personal. Did Nora Donnelly know her attacker? Was Zach a husband or lover?
Once
