Page 29 of Stitch & Steel
I took off into the woods, boots hammering the dirt, heart thudding in my chest like war drums. Branches whipped at my face. I didn’t care. My only thought wasfind him.
He was fast. Knew how to move through the brush. But not well enough.
I caught a glimpse—dark flannel, short hair, broad shoulders. A bastard who smiled at my girl like she was prey.
“Hey!” I roared.
He glanced over his shoulder. Saw me coming.
And ran harder.
I tore after him, but the trees thickened fast, and he dove down a slope slick with pine needles. By the time I cleared the drop, he was gone. Like he’d vanished into the trees.
“Fuck!” I slammed a hand against the nearest trunk, chest heaving.
I’d almost had him. Almost.
Back at the cabin, the sound of Scout barking again drew me out. Bullet caught up, breathless, shaking his head. “Gone?”
“Yeah,” I gritted out. “But I saw him. He wasn’t just wandering. He knew who she was. He came to see her.”
“You want me to alert the boys?” Bullet asked.
“Tell them to fan out. Quiet. Don’t spook Gran. Don’t scare Bella any worse than she already is.”
Back at the edge of the yard, Bella was still sitting on the ground, arms wrapped around her knees. Scout pressed against her side like he wasn’t letting her go ever again.
My heart cracked right down the middle.
I wanted to find that son of a bitch and rip him apart.
But right now?
I had a trembling girl to protect.
I knelt in front of her, gently prying one of her hands free and pressing it against my chest. “You’re safe. I swear it, Bella. I’ll die before I let anyone get near you again.”
Her eyes welled up. “I was so scared.”
“I know.” My voice broke. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
She buried her face in my shoulder, and I held her there, grounding her as much as I was grounding myself. The burn of failure still singed my veins—I hadn’t gotten to her fast enough.
But it wouldn’t happen again.
The gloves were off.
No more pledges. No more distance.
From now on, I’d be here. Inside this house. Every night. Every hour.
She was mine to protect.
And I was going to make damn sure no one ever made her scream like that again.
Her forehead was pressed to my chest, her breath warm against my shirt, but it was the trembling in her shoulders that gutted me.
I’d seen combat. I’d buried brothers. I’d faced down barrels and blades and the worst mankind could offer.
