Page 81 of Cruel Expectations

With a ruthless twist, Hunter squeezed the man’s windpipe. The color faded from his face, and he dropped like a stone. Hunter sank to one knee, fingers still around his throat in a vise grip.

“Hart.” Colton’s voice grated into his haze of fury. “Let go now.”

Still holding his throat, he turned his head to meet his buddy’s eyes.

Colton nodded. “Let go.”

With disgust, he thrust the man away from him and spun toward Ivy. She was roped to the chair by the ankles. In seconds, he cut her free.

Colton moved to lift Ivy from the chair.

“I got her!” Hunter positioned himself between her and Colton.

“I’ll help you get her to the truck.”

He issued a low growl. “I said I got her.”

Nobody was touching Ivy but him. He lifted her into his arms.

She trembled in his hold as he carried her out of the house with Colton on his six. Outside, there was no trace of the guy they’d followed from town. Hart wasn’t about to ask questions—not in front of Ivy. Later would be soon enough.

He strode toward the truck.

Colton called out to him. “Get her safe. I’ll do a sweep of the house.”

He stopped in his tracks and swung toward his brother-in-arms. “Not without me you’re not.”

“You take care of Ivy.”

She brushed her fingertips over Hunter’s jaw. “I’ll lock myself in the truck.”

“I’m not taking the risk.”

“You can’t risk any of these guys getting away!” When she shifted in his hold, pain rippled over her features.

Fury pounded through his core. One look at her wrist and he knew it was snapped. Shock had set in—she was pale and cool to the touch.

Every man in that house was going to pay for what they’d done to Ivy and all the Graceys.

Chapter Nineteen

Pain radiated all the way up Ivy’s arm into her shoulder. Gritting her teeth against the sensation helped very little, but damn if she was going to let out even a hint of a whimper. Hunter’s expression already scared her enough without dousing his fury with more gasoline.

The lethal set of his jaw…the glint of deadly determination in his eyes…had made her very aware of what her lover was capable of.

Seeing it in person was altogether different.

Even after Ivy tried to convince him that she could wait in the truck, he refused to leave her side. He cradled her in his lap, his touch gentle. But his jaw was clamped hard enough to snap as Colton returned to the house on a black mission.

With her good hand, she ran her fingers over his arm. “I’m okay.”

Steely gray eyes fixed on hers, then ticked to her ruined shirt. “Did they…?”

“No,” she said firmly.

He said nothing.

“Really, Hunter. I’m fine.”

---