Free Protectors by Samantha Blair

forever.
    Tyler pulled her onto his lap and held her. “We’re going to take
    care of everything, baby. Don’t worry. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

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    Chapter 7

    The state police were very nice, Sara admitted to herself as she
    watched their unmarked car disappear down the long drive. They’d
    sent two detectives by the names Ryder and Filley.
    She’d given her statement with confidence, even though she was
    trembling on the inside. Tyler sat beside her the whole time and held her hand. She had gone over every detail that she could think of from the last two years and provided as much evidence as she could
    regarding her sick mother, the sale of the house, and everyone who
    was involved in Jeremy’s gambling. Tyler insisted that the bruise on
    her cheek should be evidence enough, and amazingly, the officers
    seemed to agree with him.
    Sara hadn’t known it, but her complaint was not the first against
    Jeremy. Apparently the state cops had been involved twice before.
    The first incident was with a tourist who had gotten a speeding ticket while passing through town. The speeding woman had reported him
    for inappropriate conduct saying that he had made suggestive remarks
    and been overly aggressive toward her. The event was investigated
    and noted in Jeremy’s file but ultimately swept under the rug.
    The second incident had been a bar fight. Jeremy had been off
    duty and drinking when the fight had broken out. A fellow officer,
    who remained anonymous, had placed a call suggesting that Jeremy
    had been involved in the beating of a young man who was
    hospitalized as a result of the occurrence. Dutifully, this incident had also been investigated, but an anonymous phone call from someone
    claiming to be a police officer and an absent testimony from the kid in 64
    Samantha Blair
    the hospital, who refused to press charges, were hardly even worth
    noting.
    Jeremy’s file was not enough to convict him of anything, but it
    was enough to make the detectives believe what Sara was saying. The
    man was clearly an aggressor.
    The detectives were going to check in with the bank and the
    hospital to make sure that the evidence corroborated her story. In
    order to file for a restraining order against Jeremy, they needed proof that he was responsible for her previous hospitalization, and they
    wanted at least one or two more witnesses to testify to his gambling
    and drinking habits. If Jeremy was really as volatile as she described, someone else in town would know about it.
    They recommended that she stay away from the property in
    question until they had Jeremy in custody, which meant that she was
    staying put for a while longer.

    * * * *

    Gage handed her a cup of herbal tea, sat down, and pulled her feet
    into his lap. “Since we can’t take you home yet, was there anything
    else that you wanted to do today? We could watch a movie or
    something.”
    She sipped the tea and considered his offer. “I’m feeling a little
    restless to be honest. I don’t think I can sit still long enough to watch a movie.”
    “I was just about to go bring the horses in, if you want to take a
    walk with me,” Tyler suggested. “They’ve been out in the pasture, but Clove in particular can’t stay out there much longer. She’s still
    recovering from having stepped in a bear trap.”
    “Jeez,” Sara said. “The poor thing. It’s a wonder she survived at
    all.”
    “Yeah, the trap wasn’t functioning properly. It sliced up her leg
    pretty badly, but didn’t get into the bone. She’s a lucky mare.”

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    “I’d like to get some air, if you don’t mind, and I’d like to see the barn. I always wanted a horse, but my mom would never let me have
    one when I was a kid.”
    All three of them went out together. Sara found it interesting how
    they constantly moved around her to keep her between them. One or
    both of them was always reaching for her hand or putting their arms
    around her. They made excuses to