Page 100 of Protecting Her Secrets

“Damn.”

We approach the cabin slowly, though all is quiet. The door is unlocked, and Wilder instructs Ridge and Rowan to guard the door while he and I clear the inside.

The second we’re through the door, I hear a sound from the left and point my gun in that direction. A woman raises her hands. She’s naked except for a blanket. When she lifts her arms,the blanket falls to her waist, exposing tits that are probably not appropriate for a woman in her fifties.

“Don’t shoot. I’m unarmed,” she says. Her face is busted, with dried blood crusted on her nose, a fat lip, and two black eyes. The rest of her isn’t doing well either. She has bruises on every part of her showing.

“Cover yourself and stand,” Wilder says. She drapes the blanket around her and stands on unsteady legs. Wilder pats her down and instructs her to take a seat. “Is there anyone else in here?”

“No, it’s just me.”

“Where’s Skylar?” I ask, knowing this is the woman who took her, even with the bruises.

“I-I don’t know.”

I take a menacing step toward her, pointing my gun right at her fucking forehead. “Tell me where she is. I’m not playing games.”

She winces. “I really don’t know. She went t-to the bathroom, and then I heard K-Klutch say she jumped out of the window. That’s all I know. They took off after that.”

“Cabin’s clear,” Wilder says after checking the bedroom and bathroom. “The window in the bathroom is open.”

A gunshot echoes through the little valley the lake and cabin sit in. “Stay here.”

She sniffles. “I got nowhere to go.”

Wilder and I rush outside, relaying information as we head toward the trees outside the bathroom window. It would make the most sense for her to run this way. I try to tune out the fear and anxiety of Skylar being my wife and treat the situation like it’s a SAR mission, only with guns and bad guys.

“Thanks for teaching me to hunt,” I whisper to Rowan as we follow the obvious trail left behind by Skylar or the assholes who took her.

“No problem.”

Another gunshot sounds, and Wilder gestures in four different directions. If we want to find her, we have to split up a little but not get so far apart that we can’t be there to help at a moment’s notice.

I come across a fresh gouge in a tree. Klutch and his idiots wouldn’t think to leave a trail. This has to be Skylar. We’ve had many conversations about my work with SAR, and this was the first thing I taught her.

“Good girl,” I say.

I follow the breadcrumbs she left, my fear ratcheting up each time I hear a gunshot. My goal is to find Skylar, not the bikers—though if I find one of them, I’ll have no problem showing them what I think about them kidnapping my woman.

To my left, I see Rowan, and to my right is Wilder. I keep them in my periphery as we trek through the trees. We don’t necessarily travel deeper into the forest as much as we travel in a giant ass circle. After about twenty minutes, we pick up the voices of men. They’re not even trying to be quiet, stomping around and shouting to each other. They’ve done like we did and split up. I think I can hear four distinct voices, but I can’t be sure.

We have a better chance of taking them down all at once rather than one at a time, and Wilder seems to agree as he motions for us to proceed. I’m all too pleased when I set my sights on Klutch. He’s making too much noise to hear me approach as I position myself behind him.

I wait for Rowan and Wilder to both give me a nod before stepping behind Klutch and cocking my gun, just to add a little drama.

“Don’t move a fucking muscle.”

“That you, Walker?”

“Just give me a reason to blow your head off. I dare you.”

Despite being a hunter, I’ve never killed a human and don’t want to start now, but if it comes down to my life or his, I will press the trigger and sleep like a baby tonight.

“I gotta give you credit. You found us a lot quicker than I thought. Though if my bitch fiancée didn’t run, you would’ve missed us.”

“Drop your gun,” I say. “And she’s my wife, not your fiancée.”

“Whatever you say.” He tosses his gun, and I take a step back.

---