Page 39 of Comforted By The Mountain Man
“Go,” I say, checking my ammo and moving to the door behind us.
“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Beckett yells behind me. “Get down.”
“You need a distraction,” I say, mind focused on the task ahead of me. “When I shoot, you go. Get Ryder out of here and back to Sierra.”
I narrow in on my target, a mini propane cylinder on a shelf next to a fire extinguisher. The men closing in are reloading in the same room.
“Daddy Asher,” Ryder cries.
“I’ll be right behind you, bud,” I lie, before meeting Beckett’s eyes. “When I shoot, you go.”
Beckett gives a single nod and I pull the trigger, grateful like fuck our dad used to take us all hunting growing up. As expected, the shot lands. The propane cylinder explodes on impact, hitting the fire extinguisher. Dry powder and gasses fill the room.
“Go,” I yell.
11
SIERRA
Pacing, I keep checking both the phone I arrived with and the new one. I convinced Viper that I was searching for the contact information they wanted but I needed a little time.
They sent a picture of my son at a window, inside what looked like an office. If it weren’t for Grace, I would have fallen apart. The last update I received was from Beckett, informing Gracie and me that they had arrived and would be back with Ryder. To stand by.
Well, I’ve been standing by for an hour now and I keep hitting waves of emotional despair, fear, holding back tears, anger, then numbness. Rinse. Repeat.
None of this feels real. My mind wants to protect me by pretending Asher and Ryder went to get cupcakes and are about to walk through that door any minute now, laughing while Ryder bounces high on sugar.
Oh, God, please tell me I get to see my baby again.
Burning a hole in the living room floor where I have a better view of the front windows, I wring my fingers, no longer able to hold back the tears.
“Grace,” I whisper, choking on a sob.
She crosses the room and holds me as every scenario rapidly catalogs like a nightmare reel in my mind. At the time, when they assembled and left, I felt confident, but now, I have to ask, what qualifies the Hunter brothers to take on a vicious MC who doesn't believe in rules? They play dirty. What if something happens to one of the brothers because of me? I could be responsible for bringing more pain and loss to this family.
They’ve already lost so much.
Oh, Asher. Please come back to me.
A roar of engines rumble down the path. Grace and I momentarily freeze before running to exit the front door.
“Mama!” Ryder’s voice breaks as he jumps out of Beckett’s arms and runs to me.
My world stops. Tripping down Asher’s front steps, I leap off the last one, fall to my knees, and catch my everything, holding his small body as he trembles.
Into my neck, he breathlessly rambles, “I was so brave, Mama. Even though I was scared. I was thinking of all the Hunter-vengers coming to save me. And then,” he hiccups, “Daddy came for me.”
Crying into his curls, I look up, taking in each of them individually. They look battered. Some with splatters of blood but no one seems hurt.
Wait.
“He stayed to save us,” Ryder keeps telling me his story. “I’m so scared. He’s not back yet, Mama. Is Daddy almost here?”
Pulling away, I brush his curls off his face as what he’s saying registers. The men are distracted. Nash and Grayson are on their phones barking orders, Beckett holds Grace, quietly updating her, Ezra watches me and Ryder with a thunderous expression. Holden is texting.
“Where’s?” My breath hitches as my eyes dart around. “Where’s Asher?”
All the men stand still, eyes bouncing back and forth from each other. I pick Ryder up but Grace gestures to give him to her. Her eyes communicate strength. She knows something I don’t.
