Page 54 of Pretend I’m Yours
“Oh thank God! I was so scared,” I breathed. I didn’t say what of, but I went to work on the knots. They were tied very well. Clearly, this guy either knew what he was doing from his training, or he had done plenty of research before he went through with the kidnapping.
Hannah yanked the gag from her mouth. “Is Brandon here?”
“I didn’t see him,” I said. “The house is black and there didn’t seem to be anyone out there, but the vehicle is in the garage.”
“Look out!” she screamed as she suddenly pointed behind me. I didn’t even bother to look back as I ducked out of the way, just as a bat came crashing down to the ground mere inches from my head. I was surprised he’d missed Hannah with it as well, but I didn’t waste any time throwing fists back at him.
“You think I’d miss the chance to show you what I think of you with my girlfriend?” he asked with a sneer. “Come on, show me what you’ve got!” Brandon swung the bat at me again and I ducked out of the way, this time letting it come down on a lamp in the room.
The glass shattered all over the floor, but I grabbed the base and yanked it out of the wall, brandishing it in front of me. He swung the bat again, but this time I hit it hard, sending it flying to the other side of the room. Hannah screamed again, trying to get her feet untied from the legs of the chair.
I wanted to help her, but there was no time with Brandon on top of me again. He tried to dive for the bat, but I grabbed his legs, sending him to the ground. I pinned him beneath me, hitting his face. But he knew how to fight, and he managed to throw me off him.
He reached the bat and grabbed it, turning around just as I managed to kick it out of his hand. He didn’t try again, this time grabbing at my feet and sending me to the floor. He was on top of me in an instant, both of us grabbing at the other’s neck, trying to get the upper hand in the fight.
I managed to get him off me, and we were both on our feet in an instant. He hit me hard, sending me into the wall, but I used the leverage behind me to thrust myself right back into him, this time sending him to the other side of the room.
Another well-placed punch nearly knocked him to the floor again, and I managed to hit him right in the stomach, now knowing for sure that I was winning the fight. I was about to put him to the ground when he suddenly reached into the drawer of the nightstand he leaned against, yanking out a gun and pointing it at me.
“Brandon!” Hannah screamed. “No!”
He gave her a look, then cocked the gun as he turned back to me. I was sure he was going to level it and pull the trigger, but at that moment the sound of the front door breaking in caught all our attention.
“This is the police! Hands in the air! Show me your hands!” an officer screamed as he burst through the doorway, his own gun drawn and already leveled at Brandon. He was followed by two other officers, all giving the same commands.
“On the floor! On the floor! Now! Hands where I can see them!” an officer shouted. Hannah was still screaming, and Brandon was shouting threats. The room erupted in chaos, but it only lasted a few seconds before Brandon’s hands were cuffed behind his back and the last of the knots were cut from Hannah’s legs.
She shook as she rushed to me, neither of us caring any longer what had happened that afternoon. There would be no way for Brandon to get out of this one. It didn’t matter who he knew on the force, or what he thought he could get away with. He had been caught red handed with a gun pointed at me, after kidnapping his ex-girlfriend.
We both knew he would be locked up for a very, very long time, and this whole ordeal was finally over. Hannah had gone through Hell to get here, and I was glad I was able to see her through to the end. This was it.
Hannah was free.
24
Hannah
I sat at the table in the kitchen, slowly writing out the check. I made it out to Drake Campbell, fighting the tears as I signed my own name at the bottom. Brandon had been taken to jail and was being held without bail as they were not only investigating what he did to me and his assault on Drake, but as they were conducting more internal investigations on who he might be working with.
