Page 27 of Save Me Enemy

“What are you?” he demands, flipping the knife in his hand and taking a stance to fight. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter, just another animal to kill!”

He roars and lunges, and for a second time I curse myself for not crushing his neck when I had the chance. I dodge him, snarling, and put myself between him and Rachel as he swings wildly again. He’s steering me, I know it, moving around me in an attempt to escape, but that’s not happening.

I’m a hunter like he’s never imagined. I’ve hunted beast and man, and this bastard put his hands on my woman. He’s going to die. I leap into the air, fully intent on biting his head off his shoulders, but a red wolf beats me to him. I land and roll while Rachel snarls and bites his shoulder, dragging him back and shaking her head from side to side.

Luckily for us, all bystanders fled when I threw the fucker out the window. Unlucky for me, I apparently threw him into a truck filled with mattresses. He only suffered scrapes and bruises before Rachel got her teeth into him.

“Jax…”

Cricket only whispers my name, but it’s enough for Rachel and I turn in unison. Cricket stumbles, then falls out of the truck, her face the palest I’ve seen yet. I shift as I leap toward her, picking her up in my arms as Rachel rushes to my side. Her hands are on Cricket in a moment, her eyes closed, Latin pouring from her lips so fast I can't even recognize the words. Color floods back into Cricket’s cheeks.

“You can’t keep me from my daughter, you monsters!” Corey screams behind us as a motorcycle revs.

“He isn’t dead yet?” I growl, turning to face him, just in time to watch him speed away on Chase’s bike.

Fuck, Chase! The thought occurs to me at the same time it does Rachel because she leaves us there in the street and runs for Chase. He stirs, groans, and opens his eyes as the healing takes hold.

“Is he dead?” he asks, coughing up blood, his eyes locking onto mine.

“He got away,” I tell him as Cricket wraps her arms around my neck and buries her face in my chest.

“Stop fussing with me! Go catch him!” Chase roars.

Rachel slaps him across the face. “Stop moving! You’re gonna bleed out!” she begs, tears falling freely.

Chase rubs his face and looks from her to me in shock.

“Focus on healing, Tracker,” I tell him. “Your baby needs you. Ruby needs you. I’ll find him, there’s nowhere he can go to hide from me now.”

As Ryder’s blood flow begins to slow and his strength returns, I turn my back and walk back to the trailer. Cricket and I need a few moments alone, and I need answers. Now. I hold my woman with one hand and climb back into the trailer with the other. I sidestep the seats, ignore the blood on the floor, and set her on the bed in the back of the cab. When I’m sure she can sit up on her own I stand, back bent in the cramped quarters. I rake my hands through my hair, and try desperately to take a steady breath.

“Are you alright?” I demand.

“I’m okay…”

“Did he touch you?”

“Not with anything but his hands and his gun…”

My blood is boiling, my mind is on fire as I turn away from her and punch the dashboard. Imagining him touching her, imagining him forcing his cock down her throat makes me so angry I could tear this truck apart with my bare hands.

“Did he kidnap you?”

“No, I—”

“Did he trick you?”

“No, Jax, please?”

“Then how, Cricket? How did he get you?” I turn my rage towards her, and she draws back. Those blue eyes are wide with fear, brimming with tears, and her hands are covering her mouth as she shakes her head back and forth, sobbing.

“I ran!” she cries, her grief wracking her body with tremors as she gets more and more worked up.

“Why,” I demand, walking over to her menacingly, putting my hands on the ceiling and looming over her.

“I was scared!”

“Of me?”

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