Page 69 of Hold Me Before You Go

“Just the—mother of God. I’d thought this fucking town had seen enough with fucking Moonie and the fucking fire,” Chase grumbled, pulling out his phone.

I looked at Mags in confusion, and he only gave me a slight shake of the head.

Who was Moonie?

What fire?

Chase looked at me, his face serious. “Where did you escape from? I’m assuming it was somewhere around Hayden. Denver told me you were barefoot when Mags found you, is that correct?”

I nodded, bringing my hands together and twisting my fingers.

“I came from the other side of that mountain,” I explained, pointing to the window in the kitchen facing the mountain. “I was in a motel about two miles away from the ranch.” I went on to explain how I found the fencing and how far I traveled before finding the graveyard.

Chase’s eyes sliced to Mags for a moment, saying nothing. When he looked back at me, his voice was calm, almost lethal. “And what about this ‘possible murder?’”

I sighed and looked down to my feet, which were now covered in thick wool socks, provided by Val. “Brandon isn’t…right in the head,” I said.

Mags grunted.

“What do you mean by that?” Chase asked.

I looked up at him. “This is a long and complicated story, Sheriff.”

He took a step forward, ready to say something but Mags cut him off.

“Look, you just need to wait until Joseph Grayson gets here, and then—” Mags cut himself off as a loud whirling sounded in the distance, getting closer and closer by the second.

I looked up to Mags. “What is that?”

“A helicopter,” Chase answered for the cowboy.

Mags was on the move, prowling towards the door and pulling it open. The sound was overwhelming now, the snow on the ground was spinning in circles. My heart jump into my throat.

Grayson.

Grayson was here.

Suddenly, I was moving, cutting around Mags’ furniture to stand beside him. The large, black helicopter was lowering itself down, hovering over the fresh blanket of snow, the blades chopping through the cold, morning air loudly. The mountain, the Langston mountain stood proud, covered in snow and ash.

When I looked back to chopper, it had slowly begun its descent, the blades commanding the air around it as snow rose up back into the air, sparkling in the sun. It felt like Christmas morning. The warm, golden glow of the sun was shining around the helicopter, creating a heavenly image, and before I could think, I was stepping onto the cabin porch, chest heaving and heart pounding.

I felt body heat behind me, and then Mags’ voice was close to my ear. “I’ll let you stay on the porch, but if you run out into that snow, Grayson will have my balls. So try not to do that, yeah?”

Tears stung my eyes as I turned to look at the cowboy, a smile spreading across my face as the wind whipped around us. I didn’t even feel cold. Grayson was here now, and everything was going to be okay. As long as Grayson was with me, I would always be warm. I would always be safe.

As a tear fell down my cheek, I held up my pinkie to the tortured, brooding cowboy. “I won’t run out in the snow,” I said over the sound of the helicopter.

Mags eyed my pinkie as the chopper continued to land out of the corner of my eye. “The fuck is that?” he asked bluntly.

“A pinkie promise. They’re sacred,” I yelled, chuckling at the end. “Link yours with mine, and I won’t go out in the snow.”

He looked to the chopper, shaking his head before linking his pinkie with mine, his skin rough and warm. I beamed at him, and for a half a second, I thought he would actually smile at me. He didn’t, but I knew, deep down, that when Mags finallydidsmile again, the world would be forever changed. He dropped my finger and jerked his chin towards the chopper.

The helicopter landed, and I held my breath as the massive blades slowed, my eyes on the man with aviators on in the cockpit.That was Hayes. I hadn’t had the chance to meet him yet, but Grayson told me he was the second in command at Red Snake and a retired Air Force pilot.

I wondered if the rest of the team was here too.

When the side door of the chopper opened, I brought my hand up to my mouth, trying to stop the sound from escaping, but it was too late. My eyes landed on the man I loved, the man who owned me, body and soul, and I felt my knees go weak. It took everything I had to remain standing.

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