The Billionaire Boyfriend Trap

Chapter 12

I fought my way toward Becky. I could no longer see her or hear her, but I kept pushing through. I got elbowed in the chest and hit across the cheek with the edge of a wooden banner.

I spotted her pink shoe and barreled toward it. She sat on the ground, one arm pinned behind her by a cop, the other lashing out aimlessly. The other policeman shouted at her to stop struggling or she'd be arrested for assaulting an officer. But Becky wasn't listening. She was hysterical, crying and screaming and kicking.

I had to get to her and calm her down before she got herself hurt or arrested. "Becky!" I cried, shoving at the sweaty body of a man who got too close. The crowd was thick near her, the noise level deafening. It was chaos. The protesters jostled for position and surged whenever the police arrested someone.

 "Becky, it's me!" I said when I drew closer. "Stop fighting the cops." Another man crashed into me, and I tried to push him away, but he was too heavy. Unbalanced, he fell in my direction and took me down with him. He landed half on my chest, but scrambled to his feet and got swallowed up by the crowd again.

All the air rushed out of me. My lungs constricted and wouldn't expand. I tried to suck in breaths, but only managed a painful rasp.

"Cleo!" Becky screamed. I spotted her through the legs. Her face was a picture of panic as she stared wide-eyed back at me. At least she'd stopped struggling against the cop who held her.

I tried to call out and tell her I'd be all right, but without air, the words wouldn't come. Panic seized me by the throat. I needed to breathe.

There were so many people around, but nobody seemed aware of me. Feet kicked out or stepped over me. If I didn't move I'd be trampled. But I couldn't get up, couldn't call for help.

"Cleo!" Becky cried. "Help her! Over there!

One of the cops charged through the crowd and lifted me in his arms. He held me against his solid chest and carried me out of danger to a bench seat beneath a tree where he settled me gently down again, but did not let me go. He cradled me against his body, my head tucked beneath his chin. He rubbed my back with slow, melodic strokes, easing the panic out of me. My chest inflated as the panic eased. I breathed once, twice, and turned to my rescuer.

I stared into Reece's worried face.

He backed away, breathing hard, as if he too struggled for breath. Then he turned and ran back to the house. I tried to call his name, but my voice hadn't completely returned. It died on my lips.

A moment later Becky was spat out by the crowd and ran to me. "Cleo! Are you okay?" She helped me sit up then sat beside me. "I saw you go down and the cops wouldn't let me go to you. Next thing I knew, Reece was picking you up. He told the cop to let me go just now, and he's dispersing the rest of the protesters too."

"He is? How?" I followed her gaze to see the bulldozers being driven onto the backs of the trucks.

The protesters cheered and Cassie's voice came over the loud speaker, hailing it as a victory over the greedy RK Financial Group and Reece in particular. She went on to say the war wasn't over yet. The bulldozers would be back tomorrow.

Reece hadn't given in.

I shut my eyes and concentrated on filling my lungs with delicious air, but I couldn't completely block out thoughts of Reece, the way he'd wrapped his arms around me, and the terror I'd felt at seeing Becky dragged off by the police. The thought of doing it all again the next day defeated me. I started to cry.

Becky folded me in her arms. "We'll get through this together, Sis. It'll be all right." It was what I used to say to her after she underwent chemo. I hardly thought the two things compared, but clearly my words had made an impact. I felt proud of her, of her courage and fight, and hugged her back. She was a great kid. Woman, I corrected. She was all grown up now.