Page 194 of Bodyguard By Night

There were tiny white lights strung across the courtyard, but it barely cut the darkness. Briefly, I caught a flash of light skin. I took off, instinct overriding any sense.

I could hear Reid’s footsteps thundering behind me, but I zeroed in on the flash of pale flesh in the low light. Her skin was a beacon, drawing me to her. Thank God she was wearing that goddamn dress.

I was going to have it bronzed when I got her back. Because there was no other option.

A branch cracked and I veered right, hiding by one of the craggy trees that were in full bloom.

“Get up, get up.” The voice was just above a whisper, but it wasn’t Chaos.

I ran into the darkness. I didn’t know if he had a weapon, but it didn’t matter.

Onlyshemattered.

I dove for the dark figure, pushing Willow to the ground in the process. She collapsed onto her side, flowers scattering around her in the dim light. Distantly, I heard her slurred words. Maybe my name.

She was alive. That was the only thing I needed to know. I drove the man to the ground, my fists plowing into anything I could find. Ribs, a knee, a shoulder. And finally, his face. Sharp, rat-like features were skewed in pain.

The man tried to curl into himself, but I was incensed.

“Ransom!” Reid roared from behind me.

I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.

He’d dared to try and take her from me again. I felt the jolt in my side, the searing pain of the Taser, but my adrenaline was too fueled to feel it.

Just the blood under my fists as the man choked out pained sobs.

“Ransom. Enough!” Reid dragged me off him as I struggled and swung.

Reid ducked from my hammering blows. “Stop!” He shoved his shoulder into my belly and took me down to the ground in a tackle. “He’s down. He’s not going anywhere. I promise.”

“Chaos?” I looked around wildly, but I couldn’t get free of Reid.

Voices in the distance were calling both of our names.

“Get off me,” I managed.

“All right, all right.” Reid rolled off and laid spread out on the grass. “Whatever. Kill him if you want to go to jail.”

I stood over the man who’d done this to her. His face was a mess of blood and swelling already. He was barely conscious and still curled into himself.

Clay and Rachel were running toward us, but I only had eyes for Willow.

I stumbled to her. My side was singing, and the ground came at me way too fast, but I pulled her onto my lap. “Chaos?”

“We gotta stop doing this,” she said against my shoulder. Her eyes were heavy, but she was valiantly trying to keep them open.

“Never again.” I wrapped my arms around her. The pain didn’t even register at this point. I was surrounded by lemons and apple blossoms and earth, but the most important part was in my arms.

“I didn’t want to go with him.” She touched her forehead and shook her head. “I think something was in my drink.”

I pressed her cheek to my chest. “He won’t be bothering you again.”

Sirens in the distance allowed me to relax a fraction more. I looked up and Reid and Clay were on either side of the man on the ground. He wasn’t going anywhere.

Laverne and Claire, Chaos’s mom, ran over to us. Hands tried to take her from me even as I fought to hold on.

“It’s okay. She’s okay,” Laverne said softly. “You can let go, Ransom.”

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