Page 151 of Rescued by the Single Dad

Clint texted ahead to Jagger, simply telling him to get the kids out of the house.

Jagger just said, “On it.”

When he pulled back up to the house, he hopped out first and made sure the kids were gone before he ran out to grab Brooke.

Jagger arrived just as he was carrying her inside. She was catatonic. Still in shock.

That’s when he also noticed the scratches on her neck and face and the chunk of hair missing from her scalp.

“What the fuck happened?” Jagger asked, his eyes wide in horror as he took in the scene.

“Inez,” Clint said, laying Brooke down.

But she shook her head and sat up. “No. No, I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine,” he protested. “Not after that.”

“Somebody needs to fucking fill me in,” Jagger said.

“Inez tried to kill us. Took Brooke to Heaven’s Leap, pulled a gun on her. It was either a bullet in the head or over the cliff. I got there, but she went psycho on me.”

“I’ll fucking say,” Jagger said. “Dude, you’re missing hair—you both are. And your face looks like you got into a fight with a wolverine.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said dismissively, turning his attention back to Brooke.

Jagger’s phone buzzed. “Grayson’s here?” he asked, checking the text message, then hitting a button on his phone to open the gate.

“Everett figured we should call him to check us out.”

Jagger went to the front door and opened it enough that Grayson could just come in. “Where’s Inez?”

Clint met his brother’s gaze.

Jagger’s mouth dropped open.

Brooke ditched her shoes and curled up into a tight ball, her knees next to her face. “She just ... fell ...”

An unnecessary double knock at the door alerted them to Grayson, and he stepped inside, mouth going as wide as his eyes as he took in the scene. “Everett called and ... Jesus Christ.”

“Can I just ... I just need a minute,” Brooke whispered, not looking at any of them.

“Yeah, of course, of course,” Clint said. He went to sit up from where he was beside her, but her hand shot out, and she gripped him by the arm, digging her nails into his fresh scratches. He winced, but didn’t pull away. “Stay. You. Please.”

“We’ll just duck out to the patio for a sec,” Jagger said, jerking his head to the side to tell Grayson to follow him.

Once they were alone, Clint pried Brooke’s hand off his arm and laced their fingers together. “It’s just us now. You’re okay.”

Lifting her gaze, she blinked several times, the tears tracing paths in her dirt-stained cheeks. “Don’t make me leave. Ever. Please.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Everything inside her body was ice cold.

Except for her heart.

Being back in Clint’s home warmed her and healed her in ways she would probably never fully understand. The rest of her was in shock.

The betrayal, the fear, the guilt.

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