Page 63 of Duty Unbound

I moved instantly, my body operating on pure instinct. I grabbed Nova’s arm, yanking her behind me while simultaneously pushing the fan back with my other hand.

“Logan!” I barked, already maneuvering Nova toward the limo.

“On it!” Logan had the jumper restrained in seconds, pinning him against the barricade while venue security rushed to assist.

Nova, to her credit, didn’t scream or fight me as I rushed her toward the limo, Ty behind us making sure no one else followed. The crowd had erupted in confused shouting, phones raised higher as people tried to capture the drama, but fortunately, nobody else jumped.

“Into the car, now,” I ordered, scanning for any additional threats as I bundled Nova into the back seat where Mel was already waiting.

I slid in after them, Ty right behind me, slamming the door.

“Go!” I told the driver, who immediately pulled away from the curb.

“Stay down,” I instructed Nova, keeping her head below window level until we were clear of the crowd. My hand reached for my weapon out of habit, though I hadn’t drawn it during the incident.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked, eyes moving between Nova and Mel.

“I’m fine,” Nova said, surprisingly calm. “What happened?”

“Fan jumped the barricade,” Ty explained.

Mel was pale but composed, her eyes meeting mine steadily. No hint of panic, just alert concern. “Logan’s handling it.”

“We’re clear,” Ty said, eyes still trained out the back window.

“Well, that was exciting,” Nova said, adjusting her hair in her phone’s front camera. Remarkably, she hadn’t started live streaming the event. Progress.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Mel asked her, concern evident in her voice.

“I’m fine,” Nova assured her. “Takes more than an enthusiastic fan to rattle me. I never even saw him.”

The rest of the drive passed in tense silence. Ty and I kept our attention outside the vehicle, but it was obvious the danger had passed.

When we arrived at the hotel, I escorted Mel and Nova through the service entrance, avoiding the small crowd that had gathered out front—news of the incident having spread quickly.

“I’ll take Nova to her room,” Mel said as we reached the elevator. “She needs to rest before tonight’s performance.”

I nodded. “I need to meet with my team. Let me know if you need anything.”

Nova seemed surprisingly subdued as the elevator doors closed, taking them up to the secured floor. I headed to our command center, where Jace was already waiting.

“I heard,” Jace said as we entered. “Everybody okay?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Overzealous fan jumped the barricade,” Ty explained, dropping into a chair.

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Logan stayed. He should be reporting soon.”

“Logan just checked in,” Jace updated us a few minutes later. “Local police are processing the jumper now. Name’s Brian Kelley, twenty-two, local college student. He didn’t have any weapon. No priors, no connection to Nova other than being a fan who got way too excited. Probably completely unrelated to our stalker.”

“Good,” I said, feeling some of the tension leave my shoulders. “One less thing to worry about.”

“About that…” Jace’s expression turned grim. “Roger Harrison was released on bail yesterday.”

My jaw tightened. “How the hell did that happen?”

“First-time offender, good lawyer, sympathetic judge.” Jace shrugged. “He’s under court order to stay away from Nova, but…”