Page 60 of Saved By the Mountain Man

Jethro was inside, and Rae was with him.

I moved closer, sticking to the shadows. The cold seeped through my clothes, but I barely felt it. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, planning my next move. I needed to get Rae out, but I had to be smart about it. Rushing in without a plan would get us both killed, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

Before I could make a move, shouting erupted from inside the warehouse, and I froze. Had someone seen me? The sound of footsteps running—multiple, so there were a few men—sounded, but it was in a different direction. They weren’t coming at me.

Something else was going on.

I heard a woman scream, and my blood turned to ice in my veins. I couldn’t wait any longer; there was no right time. The time wasnow.

I crept to one of the side doors, keeping low. The shouting grew louder, more frantic, and then I saw her. Rae burst through the door, nearly bumping into me. Her face was pale with fear. She stumbled but kept running, her eyes wide and desperate.

I rushed forward, grabbing her and pulling her into the cover of the trees.

“No!” she screamed. She fought back, clawing, punching, movements haphazard and uncontrolled. This wasn’t how I knew she could fight, but panic controlled her.

“It’s me! Rae!” When I said her name, she stopped.

“Tanner?” She stared at me. “Oh, God.” Her face crumpled for a moment. “You’re here.”

“I wasn’t going to leave you.”

I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. There was a lot of fear, a lot of panic. And a lot of questions. “We have to go,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “It’s just a matter of time.”

I nodded, my grip on her tightening. There would be time to talk later, if we could get out of here alive. “Come on.”

I gestured in a direction toward the trees, and we started running. We didn’t get very far when she stumbled.

“Hey, I’ve got you,” I said, grabbing her arm to catch her. “Are you okay?”

She clutched her head, her steps faltering. “I feel dizzy,” she said, her voice weak.

I glanced back, worry tightening in my chest. “Hang in there, Rae. We’re almost safe.”

But safety was a fleeting concept. Two men appeared from behind the warehouse, their faces twisted into menacing snarls. They were big and burly, and they were on top of us before I could think about a way to get out of this.

I pushed Rae behind me, my fists clenched. “Stay back,” I warned them.

Yeah, they weren’t going to listen. I should have guessed. They wanted Rae for some reason, and they wouldn’t stop until they had her.

Well, we’d just have to fight it out, then.

The first man lunged at me, and I dodged, swinging my fist and connecting with his jaw. He staggered back, but the second man was already on me. He threw a punch, and I blocked it, countering with a swift kick to his midsection. The fight was brutal, but no fucking way was I going to give in.

I had a lot more to lose than these assholes. Funny how a reason not to die was more powerful than a reason to live.

I took down the first man, sending him crashing to the ground and he groaned with a satisfying gurgle, not moving.

The second man was tougher, but I managed to get the upper hand, slamming him against a tree. It knocked out his breath, and it made him easier to take down.

I spun around to face Rae, who looked like she was about to faint. Something was wrong—she had to get to a hospital or a doctor or something.

Just as I thought we had a chance, a third man tackled me from behind, knocking the wind out of me.

I struggled, my vision blurring as he pinned me to the ground. Rae’s voice echoed in my ears, her cries of fear driving me to push harder. But the man was strong, and I was losing ground. Fuck, I should have looked back first, not let my love for Rae, my worry about her safety, distract me.

Vito had always told me love was a weakness.

He’d never understood how it could be a strength.

---