Page 54 of Guarding Colton’s Witness

More grunts and thumps sounded, and Sam was screaming. She couldn’t leave Ryan to fight alone, especially if there was more than one man. She was surrounded by cop brothers, and they’d taught her to shoot even though she hated guns and refused to have one in her house. She regretted that now.

What could she use as a weapon? The only thing within reach was the brass lamp on her nightstand, the base heavy enough to knock someone out. She dropped her phone on the stand, grabbed the lamp, and pulled the cord out of the socket. After yanking the shade off, she wrapped her hands around the top end and went to find some mean men she could hurt.

The commotion came from Sam’s room and, wanting to ensure she wouldn’t accidentally hit Ryan instead of the intruders, she switched on the hall light as she passed. At the room’s entrance, she paused. Ryan and a skinny man were tangled on the floor. Swinging the lamp was risky, as she might hit Ryan by mistake.

“Matti,” Sam screamed.

She shifted her gaze to Sam, who was cowering in a corner of the room. “Come to me, Sam.” When he reached her, she said, “Go in my room and lock the door.”

He darted a look at the men wrestling on the floor, then took off running. Her bedroom door slammed shut, and with Sam safe now, she turned her attention back to Ryan and the man, relieved to see Ryan had pinned the man face down with a knee on his back.

“The police are on the way,” she said.

As if those words gave the man newfound strength, he somehow broke free from Ryan and launched another attack. He got Ryan in a headlock, his arm squeezing Ryan’s neck. Her heart pounded with fear and adrenaline as she stepped into the room, gripping the brass lamp tightly in her hands. Without hesitating, she swung the base of the lamp down with all her strength, aiming for the back of the man’s head.

The impact made a sickening thud as the man released Ryan and crumpled to the ground. Ryan gasped for breath, rubbing his neck as he scrambled away from his attacker and stumbled back to her.

“Are you okay?” she asked. That was a stupid question. Of course he wasn’t. Her gaze roamed over him, noting the black eye that was swelling closed and his cut lip. When he brought his left hand up and cradled it in his other hand, she winced at seeing it already swelling.

“Where’s Sam?” he said.

“Locked up in my room.” She glanced at the man on the floor. “Is he the only one?” There’d been two men in the motel room and the park. Where was his partner?

“As far as I know, but I need to check the rest of the house.”

“What you need is a doctor.”

“Here’s a secret, Matti. I am a doctor. I’ll live.” He stepped around her. “Go in the room with Sam while I make sure no one else is in the house.”

“No. You’re hurt and in no shape to fight again. The police will be here any minute. They can clear the house.” She tilted her head to listen. “I hear sirens now.” She grasped his arm, realizing he was more injured than he admitted when he allowed her to lead him to her bedroom.

As soon as they were inside, she slammed the door closed and locked it. “Sit.” She pushed him down on the bed, then grabbed her phone from the nightstand and called her brother.

“Tell me you’re on the way to my house,” she said when Wyatt answered.

“I’ll be there in two minutes. What’s going on?”

“A man came for Sam and Ryan fought with him. The man’s knocked out in Sam’s room. We’re locked in my bedroom. Ryan needs an ambulance.” Her heart was still pounding and she was breathing hard.

“I don’t need an ambulance,” Ryan said.

She ignored him. “The front door’s locked, but I don’t want to go unlock it in case there’s anyone else in the house.”

“Do not leave the room. I’m a minute away now, and I’ll let patrol in to clear your house.”

“Okay.”

“Are you and Sam all right?”

Sam! How could she forget about him? “Just hurry and get here.” She disconnected, then dropped her phone back on the nightstand. Where was he? Her bathroom door was closed and she went to it, finding it locked. “Sam, it’s Matti. Let me in.”

“Is the mean man still here?”

Ryan stood and came to the door. “You’re safe, buddy. Come out, okay?”

The door opened a crack and Sam peeked out. “Is he gone?”

She exchanged a glance with Ryan, not sure how to answer, because no, the man was laid out on the floor in Sam’s room.