Page 94 of Unravel Me

Chapter 47

SAWYER

We find Ivy with Brooks standing in front of a black car at the edge of the woods. She’s covered in mud, her hair a matted mess, and I can see the fear on her face from here as she talks to him. Reid starts to voice a plan when Brooks’ hands jut out and close around her throat. The sight of her being physically harmed ignites a fire in me that I’ve never felt before.

All I see is red.

All I feel is pure rage.

I’m gonna fucking kill him.

Ivy continues to struggle, kicking and clawing at him, but the bastard holds her tight. Body on autopilot as adrenaline surgesthrough my veins, I charge up behind him just as he releases his hold and she crumples to the ground. Every fiber of my being is hyper-focused on protecting her. There’s no room for hesitation or fear, only the overwhelming need to shield her from pain. I hook my arm around his neck and bend backward, arching him and cutting off his airway. I throw my fist rapidly into his side before he starts to fight back. He’s about my size, but I’ve got adrenaline and anger on my side. He hurt my baby and fuck if I’ll let him get that opportunity ever again.

Chapter 48

REID

Sawyer grapples with the man and I run straight for Ivy. I need to know that she’s okay, that we got here in time. She collapsed to the ground when he let go of her, but she’s coughing so I know she’s breathing. That’s a good sign. I scoop her up into my arms and move her to the back of the vehicle, shielding her from Sawyer and her ex as they fight on the ground.

“You’re safe, you’re okay, sweetheart. We’re here.” I whisper to her, pushing her soaked, wild hair out of her face and moving her hands out of the way so I can check for external damage on her throat. There’s no telling how hard he squeezed and if any harm came to her throat or vocal cords. The skin is bright redand angry. “The police are on their way, sweetheart. Just hang on. You’re going to be okay. We’re here.” I do my best to reassure her.

“Gun. He’s. Got. A. Gun.” Her voice is thick and raspy and my heart bottoms out in concern when her words finally register. “Stay here. Don’t move.” I look over the trunk of the car and find Sawyer straddling him, throwing punch after punch into his face. I get to my feet quickly and run to their spot. The man’s still conscious but not fighting back, and laying limp, his arms splayed out at his sides. His face is disfigured, already swollen, and starting to bruise. He’s covered in blood. Sawyer keeps landing blow after blow. I grab him under his arms with my forearms and yank him off. I fall on my ass and pull him with me as I go. “Sawyer, It’s me. It’s me. You’re gonna kill him, brother. You can’t have that on you. You’ve gotta stop. Ivy needs you. She needs you.”

“Ivy.”

“Yeah, brother, Ivy needs you. The police are on their way. I gotta get them our location. Get to Ivy. I’ll take care of this. He’ll never hurt her again, I promise you.”

Sawyer jumps up and rushes to the car looking for her. I pat down the asshole and find his gun, pulling it free of his pants and tossing it on the ground near us. I pull out my phone to call Dallas and he answers immediately.

“Where the fuck are you guys?”

“We’re about a mile into the woods behind Ivy’s house, about a quarter of a mile off of the highway from the other direction. Get here. Tell the police we need an ambulance. I don’t know if he’s going to make it.”

“Who’s not going to make it?” Dallas bellows into the phone.

“The ex! Sawyer’s with Ivy.”

“Fuck, Reid! Start with that next time! Stay put, we’ll find you.”

I hang up and go check the motherfucker’s pulse with my fingers. It’s weak, but it’s there. I kneel down on the sodden ground next to him as rage fills me, blinding me from everything else. I do my best to separate my past from the present, but he hurt her, and a haze fills my vision until all I see is her lifeless body. I can’t change my past failures, they’ll haunt me for the rest of my life, but I can make sure that Ivy never sees the same fate. I lean down and brace my forearm on his throat, placing all my weight into it until his breathing stops altogether.

“You’ll never hurt another woman. Scum like you shouldn’t be allowed to walk the earth.” I stand and push my drenched hair out of my face, staring down at his corpse and not feeling an ounce of regret. “And now you won’t.”

Chapter 49

SAWYER

Iround the back of the car and find Ivy in the fetal position on the cold, wet ground. I crouch down at her side, not wanting to scare her. I’d fucking die if she jerked away from me in fear right now. “Baby. It’s me. I’m here.”

“Sawyer,” she croaks, her precious voice cracking. She scrambles into my arms and I hold her tightly against my chest, leaning back against the bumper of the car and keeping her wrapped up on me. Her arms loop around her waist, holding herself just as tightly as I’m holding her, and my heart breaks. How the fuck did this happen?

“You’re going to be okay. I’ve got you and for as long as you want me, I’m never letting you go. You’re safe, baby. He’ll never hurt you again.”

“I love you. I thought I’d never see you again. I was so scared,” she confesses, and my heart aches painfully imagining what she just went through. Her voice sounds clearer, but I know I need to get her some water and get her checked out by a doctor. The sirens are closer now, but I don’t know how long it’ll be before they find us here in the woods.

“I love you too. You have nothing to fear anymore, it’s over. We’re gonna start that life we talked about. You and me, baby. We’ve got this.” She nods her head in agreement and relaxes into me. I’m so fucking proud of her. She survived. I anticipated finding her having a full panic attack, but as she sinks into my chest and her breathing steadies, I realize how much she’s healed, she’ll heal from this too. I’ll make damn sure of it. She’s so goddamn strong. No woman should ever have to go through what she just did, and the fact that it’s a reality for so many rips me apart. I was so close to losing her, if we had gotten here moments later. Fuck. I can’t let myself go there. She’s breathing. She’s alive. She’s going to be okay.

Sitting next to Ivy’s hospital bed waiting for her to wake up is fucking torture. She managed to stay awake through the ride in the ambulance, but crashed immediately after the doctor did his exam once we were at the hospital. Her throat is going to be okay, just minor swelling, and will heal with ibuprofen and warm liquids. Her neck and cheek are slightly bruised and the cut on her lip has been cleaned. It fucking kills me to see her likethis. Physically, she’ll bounce back. It’s the emotional, mental part that has my stomach in knots. I’m prepared to support her in whatever she needs.

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