Page 13 of Liberated Mountain Man

I turn to run back to the cabin, my heart pounding with the urgency to warn Jax. But as I sprint through the underbrush, a rough hand grabs my arm. I’m yanked to a halt, stumbling and gasping as I come face-to-face with one of my father’s men. His eyes are cold, devoid of sympathy.

“No, no, let me go!” I scream, trying to break free, but he tightens his grip, dragging me backward.

Another man emerges from the shadows, his face hidden but his intent clear. I’m thrown to the ground, my attempts to escape futile. The men gather around me, their presence a chilling reminder of the control my father still holds over my life.

Panic surges as I watch the men pulling out ropes and preparing to secure me.

“Well, if it isn’t my dearest Cassie?” I feel the slap across my face before I see it coming.

“Did you really think you could run off and playhouse with the first man who came away? Today, that Jax Regent dies.”

Despair and fear grip me as I realize the depth of the threat facing Jax. My heart aches with the knowledge that he’s in danger, and I feel helpless, unable to reach him. I struggle against my restraints, my tears mingling with the dirt and leaves beneath me.

“I hate you. You’re an evil man. Jax will never let harm come my way,” I spit back at my father.

He laughs in my face. A vile evil laugh.

He ignores me. “Go get the bastard and finish him up,” he commands.

“You, missy, are coming with me.” He grabs me by my arm, and I’m forced to follow him.

The horror of it all crashes down on me. I understand now that my father’s grip on my life is tighter than ever, and Jax’s life is at stake because of it. I can’t let them do anything to my Jax. I know I love him.

I have to find a way to save him, even if it means risking everything.

Chapter 6

Jax

My heart slams against my ribcage, the panic surging through me like wildfire. The cabin is eerily quiet, and Cassie’s absence is a void that swallows the entire space. I dart from room to room, adrenaline coursing through my veins, searching for any sign of her.

She’s gone.

I’ve just received intel—her father had found us. We had a mole in our ranks, someone who couldn’t resist the lure of cash. I had been keeping a close watch on her father, but the bastard managed to out manoeuvre us with a clever diversion. By the time my team caught wind of his manoeuvre, he was already closing in on Sweetheart Falls. The fucking bastard thinks he can take my baby girl away from me.

I slam my fist against the wall, the wood splintering under the force of my anger. I check the cabin again. Cassie has taken the bag of art supplies I left so that means she must’ve run off to the spot I showed her. I grab my tactical backpack, filling it with the weapons I had strategically placed around the cabin—my handgun, a tactical knife, extra clips of ammunition. Every second counts. My instincts scream that she’s in danger, and I need to move fast.

They have Cassie.

My muscles are taut with tension as I strap on a utility belt and check my gear. I yank open a hidden compartment under the floorboards, retrieving a concealed weapon I had stashed foremergencies. It’s a compact but deadly piece, and I slide it into a holster around my leg.

I burst out of the cabin, my boots thudding against the ground. The air is crisp, but it feels suffocating with the weight of what I know. Cassie’s father—the man who had been watching us, planning who knows what—has come for her. The thought of her in harm’s way fuels my rage. She’s mine, and no one, not even her father, is taking her from me. If a single hair on her head is harmed, I’ll make them all fucking pay. I should’ve killed her father when I had the chance, but I didn’t want to scare Cassie.

The forest is eerily silent, the kind of silence that makes my instincts scream danger. I’ve barely made it through the trees when I realize I’m not alone. A chill runs down my spine as I sense the presence closing in around me. I’m surrounded. Shit.Fucking dumb move, Jax Regent.I’ve been so fixated on Cassie that I’ve walked straight into a trap.

“It’s over,” one of them says.

I have four guns pointed at me. I don’t have much of a choice. I raise my hands in the air so they can see I’m not going to make any sudden moves.

The men are professionals—cold, efficient. They close in on me with ruthless precision, stripping me of every weapon I had. My knives, my guns—all of it taken away in a matter of seconds. I’m left with nothing but my fists and a heart racing with fury.

My mind is a maelstrom of anger and worry. What have they done to my baby girl... I can’t let them win or hurt her. I would rather die.

“I will fucking kill you all with my bare hands. If you hurt her, I will kill you.”

I swing my fists, catching the nearest man off guard and sending him crashing into a tree. Another one lunges at me, but I sidestep and land a brutal kick to his side. I’m moving fast, fighting with the raw, unfiltered rage of a man who’s determined to protect what’s his.

But even as I fight back, a gnawing fear clutches at my insides. I need to end this quickly, to get back to Cassie. That thought alone fuels my every move.

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