16. TANNER

16

TANNER

I didn’t even feel the cold air as I made my way through the forest, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I had to find Rae, no matter what.

There was no other plan than this: get in, get her, get out.

Hopefully with everyone alive, but her life was my priority.

The warehouse Jethro and his men used wasn’t far, and I hoped I wasn’t too late. The black SUV that they’d put her in was parked to the side, proof that I was in the right place.

I moved quickly, tense, worried. The trees loomed dark and silent around me. It was funny how the forest had always been a refuge since I’d run from Vito and the life I’d left behind, but now it was imposing and villainous. I guess it was all about context.

That counted for a lot in life, actually.

I pushed forward, focused on what I needed to do, not letting myself get distracted by my past and by what I hoped to God would still be there so I could build a future.

I reached the edge of the forest and the warehouse came into view. I crept closer, moving slower now that I neared it so that if someone was standing watch, they wouldn’t hear me. I crouched behind a tree when I had a good view but I was still hidden from sight.

The warehouse was a decrepit building with sheet metal roofing, dirty windows where there was still glass, but a lot of it had been thrown out with rocks by rebellious kids, or it had broken during storms. The warehouse was just an old ghost now, a relic from an industrial past long gone.

I scanned the outside of the building and saw no one. Moving in a crouched form behind a cluster of trees, I assessed the situation.

The place looked abandoned, but I knew better. The movement behind some of the dusty windows—just shadows, but they were there—told me everything I needed to know.

Jethro was inside, and Rae was with him.

I moved closer, sticking to the shadows. The cold seeped through my clothes, but I barely felt it. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, planning my next move. I needed to get Rae out, but I had to be smart about it. Rushing in without a plan would get us both killed, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.

Before I could make a move, shouting erupted from inside the warehouse, and I froze. Had someone seen me? The sound of footsteps running—multiple, so there were a few men—sounded, but it was in a different direction. They weren’t coming at me.

Something else was going on.

I heard a woman scream, and my blood turned to ice in my veins. I couldn’t wait any longer; there was no right time. The time was now .

I crept to one of the side doors, keeping low. The shouting grew louder, more frantic, and then I saw her. Rae burst through the door, nearly bumping into me. Her face was pale with fear. She stumbled but kept running, her eyes wide and desperate.

I rushed forward, grabbing her and pulling her into the cover of the trees.

“No!” she screamed. She fought back, clawing, punching, movements haphazard and uncontrolled. This wasn’t how I knew she could fight, but panic controlled her.

“It’s me! Rae!” When I said her name, she stopped.

“Tanner?” She stared at me. “Oh, God.” Her face crumpled for a moment. “You’re here.”

“I wasn’t going to leave you.”

I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. There was a lot of fear, a lot of panic. And a lot of questions. “We have to go,” she said, looking over her shoulder. “It’s just a matter of time.”

I nodded, my grip on her tightening. There would be time to talk later, if we could get out of here alive. “Come on.”

I gestured in a direction toward the trees, and we started running. We didn’t get very far when she stumbled.

“Hey, I’ve got you,” I said, grabbing her arm to catch her. “Are you okay?”

She clutched her head, her steps faltering. “I feel dizzy,” she said, her voice weak.

I glanced back, worry tightening in my chest. “Hang in there, Rae. We’re almost safe.”

But safety was a fleeting concept. Two men appeared from behind the warehouse, their faces twisted into menacing snarls. They were big and burly, and they were on top of us before I could think about a way to get out of this.

I pushed Rae behind me, my fists clenched. “Stay back,” I warned them.

Yeah, they weren’t going to listen. I should have guessed. They wanted Rae for some reason, and they wouldn’t stop until they had her.

Well, we’d just have to fight it out, then.

The first man lunged at me, and I dodged, swinging my fist and connecting with his jaw. He staggered back, but the second man was already on me. He threw a punch, and I blocked it, countering with a swift kick to his midsection. The fight was brutal, but no fucking way was I going to give in.

I had a lot more to lose than these assholes. Funny how a reason not to die was more powerful than a reason to live.

I took down the first man, sending him crashing to the ground and he groaned with a satisfying gurgle, not moving.

The second man was tougher, but I managed to get the upper hand, slamming him against a tree. It knocked out his breath, and it made him easier to take down.

I spun around to face Rae, who looked like she was about to faint. Something was wrong—she had to get to a hospital or a doctor or something.

Just as I thought we had a chance, a third man tackled me from behind, knocking the wind out of me.

I struggled, my vision blurring as he pinned me to the ground. Rae’s voice echoed in my ears, her cries of fear driving me to push harder. But the man was strong, and I was losing ground. Fuck, I should have looked back first, not let my love for Rae, my worry about her safety, distract me.

Vito had always told me love was a weakness.

He’d never understood how it could be a strength.

Out of nowhere, a figure emerged from the trees and launched over me. I expected a hit, the final blow, for them to whisk Rae away and probably kill me.

But this guy tackled my assailant instead, and they started fighting. The figure was a blur at first, moving with fluid grace, military training evident in every calculated strike. He took down the man pinning me with a swift, decisive blow.

“Bear?” I gasped, struggling to my feet when the old mountain man turned to me and grinned through his beard. “What are you doing here?”

He glanced at Rae and shrugged. She stumbled into me, and I held onto her so that she wouldn’t fall.

“Found some files in the forest,” Bear said, looking at Rae when he did. “Looked like the storm dislodged them and washed them in my direction. They looked important, so I did some research. Put two and two together when I saw your full name.” He glanced back at me again. “I was going to come talk to you when I saw you heading after Rae and followed. Saw her getting taken and tracked the license plate.”

Rae looked at him, confused. I couldn’t believe it, either. I’d always been alone, battling shit on my own because it was safer.

At least, that was what I’d believed. But on my own, I would have been a goner for sure. Bear had saved me.

“That’s some sensitive information you got in those files,” Bear said to Rae. “I’m assuming that’s what all this is about.” He waved a hand at the warehouse.

“Did you show anyone else?” she asked.

“Your secrets are safe with me, Rae,” he said gravely. “But we should get you to safety, too.” His voice was gentle when he talked to her and his eyes warm. He was such a great guy. I owed so much to him. Even more now.

“Thank you,” Rae breathed.

“No time for thanks,” Bear said, scanning the area. “We need to move.”

We turned, but like bees out of a hive, a whole bunch of henchmen poured from the warehouse.

Damn it, how many people had this guy brought to take out one woman?

Bear and I fought the attackers as they reached us, our movements like a dance. We moved with our backs to each other so that no one could take us by surprise.

A thug lunged at me with a knife, and I sidestepped, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back with a horrible crack. He cried out, dropping the knife, and I kicked it away before punching him in the jaw, sending him to the ground.

Bear was a blur of motion next to me. He disarmed one attacker with an easy sweep of his leg, then spun and delivered a crushing blow to another’s solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. Another man rushed at Bear, but I stepped up and landed a series of punches to his torso before slamming my elbow into his temple, knocking him out.

The forest echoed with the sounds of our fighting—the grunts of exertion, the thuds of bodies hitting the ground, the sharp intakes of breath. Despite the hell we were in, we kept fighting. Each man we took down seemed to make room for another one, but I wasn’t going to give in, and Bear didn’t look like he wanted to surrender, either.

Bear took down another guy with a jab to the throat and then a knee to the stomach. I glanced over just in time to see a thug sneaking up behind him with a metal pipe. I grabbed a fallen branch and swung it with everything I had, connecting with a shoulder and knocking him off balance. Bear finished him with a kick to the head.

But then, everything seemed to slow down. In the middle of the chaos, I saw Jethro coming out of the shadows, his eyes wild. Before I could do something, he grabbed Rae, yanking her against his body and pressed a gun to her temple. My heart stopped, terror flooding my veins.

“Stop!” Jethro shouted, his voice echoing all around us. “Or I’ll kill her.”

Bear and I froze, our breaths coming in ragged gasps as we stared at him. Rae’s eyes were wide with fear, her face pale, and tears rolled over her cheeks. A cold sweat broke out across my skin, the weight of the situation crashing down on me. I couldn’t lose her.

Not now.

Not ever.

“Let her go, Jethro,” I demanded, my voice trembling, and I hated how weak I sounded. “Leave her out of it.”

Jethro laughed, a cruel, merciless sound. “She made her choice when she took those files.”

Rae winced as Jethro tightened his grip, the gun pressing harder against her temple, biting into her skin. Jethro’s finger was on the trigger. It would take less than a breath and she would be dead.

My mind raced, trying to think of a way to save her, to get us all out of this alive. But every second that ticked by felt like an eternity, the fear of losing her paralyzing me.

The sound of police sirens sliced through the air. Relief and dread washed over me at the same time. The authorities were finally here, but would they arrive in time to save Rae?

Jethro’s eyes flickered with uncertainty as the sirens grew louder, closing in on our location. He glanced around, realizing that his time was running out. For a moment, his grip on Rae loosened slightly, and I saw a flicker of hope in her eyes.

But Jethro pulled her tighter again.

“If you run now, you can still get out of here,” Bear said coolly. “But if you kill her, we’ll get our hands on you before they do, and trust me, you’re not going to like any of what will follow.”

Jethro glanced over his shoulder.

“Run,” Bear said in a low voice.

Jethro did just that. He let go of Rae, turned around and high-tailed it into the trees like the pussy he was. Rae sank to the ground, and I grabbed her, pulling her into my arms. “Rae,” I said. “Stay with me.”

She nodded, tears streaming down her face. “I’m okay,” she whispered, but her pupils were too dilated. At least help was on the way.

I looked at Bear. “We owe you.”

He nodded, his expression softening slightly. “Take care of her.”

Then, he disappeared into the trees.

We made our way to the police cars in the road, some of the officers already heading into the trees.

“Tanner.” Sheriff Caleb Johnson looked at me and then at Rae. “We were just about to look for you.”

“The guy you’re looking for is up there, somewhere. But I have a feeling if you sit tight, Bear might bring him to you.”

Sheriff Johnson grinned, his blue eyes settling on Rae. “You doing okay?”

“Just fine,” she said, but she sagged against me, her knees buckling.

“We need an ambulance.”

Paramedics arrived as if on cue, and they took Rae away. I let her go—she was safe now.

“How did you know where to find us?” I asked.

“We got an anonymous tip about something happening up at the old warehouse, and then we heard gunshots. So, here we are. Looks like we were just in time, too.” He rubbed his hand over his neatly trimmed beard.

He had no idea. I frowned. There had never been any gunshots that I’d heard, but maybe Bear—who undoubtedly left the tip—had arranged for something like that to spur the police on.

“Come on, Tanner,” Sheriff Johnson said. “Let’s get out of this cold. It’s a bitch up here in winter.”

I nodded, grateful that I’d found Rae, and we headed toward the cop cars and the ambulance.

The danger was averted, and somehow, it felt like even the danger from my past was gone. By choosing Rae, I’d defeated the demons that had kept chasing me, and for the first time since escaping Vito, I felt like I was truly free.

“How are you feeling?” I asked Rae when I got to the ambulance where they were doing a checkup.

“She has a concussion,” one paramedic said to me. “I’m surprised she was able to function the way she has until now.”

“My back hurts,” Rae said.

The paramedic doing the checkup frowned and pressed his fingers against her skin, looking for bruises or signs of a break of some kind, but there was nothing.

“It’s really bad,” Rae whispered.

“Is there anything we should know about?”

“I’m pregnant,” Rae said, glancing at me.

The paramedic nodded and they jumped into action, getting Rae on a gurney, and the sirens were suddenly on.

“What’s happening?” I asked, the sudden panic out of place after we’d just won.

“We’re taking her to the clinic for a checkup. If it’s something they can’t fix there, we might take her to Kalispell.” That was the closest town with a full hospital.

God, I hoped it didn’t come to that.

“Is she going to lose the baby?”

“Let’s hope not,” the paramedic said. “You can ride with her.”

I got into the ambulance and took Rae’s hand, settling on a seat.

“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” I said. “I’m here, no matter what.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who should be sorry. For everything. But I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere. Ever.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, and I held her hand in both of mine.

“I love you,” she breathed.

“I love you, too,” I said.

Fuck, she had no idea.