6. Walker

6

WALKER

I hang up the phone and turn to Dylan. “Did you get it? Where is she at?”

“They’re close, Walker. They’re in the mountains. We’ll need the ATVs.”

Dylan holds up a map on his electronic tablet. He zooms out. “Here’s where we are.” He moves the map down to show the northern region, where the mountains are. “Here’s where they’re holding her. I’m pretty sure that’s the old Crawford line cabin. Nobody’s been there in years.”

I move the map with my fingers. “Until now.”

“There’s no roads.”

Dylan shakes his head. “No. They probably drove so far and then either had ATVs to take her the rest of the way or they carried her.”

“How long?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes.”

I grab all the sets of keys that are hanging on the wall. “All right, let’s go.” I nod, already running through the building. Bear and Logan are both with me, and I holler for Dylan to send me the coordinates. He’s the tech guy, and he’ll stay behind to keep us all informed with air and land support.

The rest of the guys all follow behind, and we cart up in the ATVs, side by sides and the off-terrain Hummer. “What’s the plan, boss?” John hollers at me over the roar of the engines coming to life.

“We go get her. There’s three of them. He’s giving us thirty minutes, and we’re down to twenty-five.”

I drive the ATV out of the warehouse and toward the mountain. I have the gas pushed down as far as it will go. The need to get to her, to hold her in my arms is almost overwhelming. I won’t survive it if something happens to her. I know I won’t.

The guys are all behind me when I hit the trail on the side of the mountain. I go across rocks and unlevel terrain, but I don’t slow down. I can’t.

I make a motion with my hand for the others to go around to come at the cabin on the other side. I don’t stop until the cabin is in sight. I’m off with my gun drawn before the ATV comes to a complete stop. I know there are tactics and strategies to this, but I also know that right now, I can take on three men. I kick in the door, ready to start shooting, but all I see is Brook, head down and not moving. I rush to her as John, Logan, and the others come running in.

I put my gun away and with my fingers on the pulse at her neck, I beg her. “Brook, baby. Look at me. Open your eyes for me.”

She blinks and looks up at me. She’s dazed and disoriented. “Walker?”

“Yeah, baby. I’m so sorry. We’re going to get them.”

She lifts her arms, showing me the duct tape. I pull out the knife from my pocket and work on getting her wrists and ankles free. “They got a call as soon as you hung up. Someone warned them that you knew their location. They left.” She sobs. “They got away.”

“We’ll get them. All that matters is you’re safe. Where are you hurt?”

She takes a deep breath and winces. “Just my ribs.”

“And your face,” I tell her, running my fingers across her cheek and pushing her hair back.

She nods. “And my face.”

She starts to stand up, and I put one arm at her back and the other behind her knees, picking her up and holding her to my chest. The guys are all watching us, and the fierce way they’re looking at Brook, I have no doubt they’ll get the men that did this to her. Sam approaches us. “Brook, are you okay?” she asks worriedly.

Brook looks between Sam and me, and pain etches her face. “Yes, yes. I’m fine. Walker, put me down, I can walk.”

I bury my face on the top of her head. “No, I’m carrying you. You’ll be lucky if I ever put you down.”

She gasps, and I try to loosen my hold on her without dropping her. I know I’m squeezing her too tight. I need to rein it in. “Bear.”

Bear walks up to me, his gaze worried as he looks at Brook. “What do you need?”

“Get us outta here. Have the others find the men that did this and tell Logan to meet me at my house.”

He hesitates for only a minute and does as I ask. I know he was expecting me to ask him to carry her out of here. Bear is huge, and he’s carried victims for miles without any trouble in the past. But there’s no way I’m handing Brook over, not even to Bear.

Bear issues the order, and I walk out behind him. He’s on high alert, and I know I should be too, but all I can focus on is Brook. Bear gets into the front of the side by side, and I get into the back, settling Brook on my lap. She resists, but I don’t let her move. “I’m not letting you go, Brook.”

She settles into my arms, and her head pops up instantly. “My sister. I need to call my sister.”

Bear is going slowly down the side of the mountain, trying to avoid all the bumps and notches on the trail. I reach into my pocket and pull my phone out, handing it to her. “The code is 0717.”

Her eyes, although hooded, snap to mine. “That’s my birthday.”

I nod, staring into her brown, wounded eyes. “I know.”

She’s confused, but there’s no way I can explain it now. She unlocks the phone and dials her sister. “Cassie,” she says, and I can hear her sister screaming into the phone.

Brook smiles and winces at the pull on her cut lip. “Yes, it’s me. I’m fine.”

There’s silence for just a second. “Yeah, that was smart to call Walker. He found me.”

More silence, and then Brook tells her, “I don’t know. I’ll probably have to be debriefed or something, but I’ll get someone to bring me to your house later.”

I shake my head, and Brook looks up to me. “What?”

“You’re staying with me.”

“No, I can go to Cassie’s. I’ll be safe there.”

I shake my head and hold my hand out. She gives me the phone. “Cassie, this is Walker. Brook is going to be staying with me until the men that did this are found.”

“But...”

“I will keep her safe. I’ll have patrolmen stationed outside your house. It’s only a precaution.”

She laughs. “There’s no need. Baker can handle it. Just take care of my sister.”

“With my life,” I tell her before handing the phone over to Brook.

They talk a few more minutes, and she tells her she loves her before hanging up. I pocket my phone and hold Brook tightly the rest of the way down. As soon as we get to the warehouse, I put her in the front seat of my SUV and take her to my house. It’s a short drive, but I take it slow. My hands are itching to have Brook in my arms again, but there are so many questions and so many things we need to talk about first.

I pull into my driveway and hit the garage door opener on my visor. I pull in and close the door before shutting off the SUV. I’m out and around to the passenger side before she opens her door. I crowd her, stopping her from getting out. I slide one hand under her and the other behind her.

She holds her hand up. “I can walk, Walker. At least I think I can, if you’ll just let me try.”

I move my face in front of hers, searching her eyes. “I can carry you. I want to carry you.”

She shakes her head. “I need to walk.” She sighs and mutters, “Please.”

I step back and hold my hands out to catch her in case she needs me. She winces when her feet touch the ground, but she sucks in a breath and straightens her spine. She grabs on to my arm. “I’m fine.” But her grip tightens, and I walk her gingerly into the house.

I disarm alarms, open doors, turn on lights, and she stops at the living room. “Do you want to do this at the table?”

I look at the kitchen table and want to kick myself at the thoughts in my head. No matter how badly I want her or how long I’ve waited for her, I can’t think about that now. “Do what?” I ask her, clearing my throat.

“Debriefing.”

I put my hands on her shoulders. “Is that why you thought I brought you here? To debrief you?” She nods, and I shake my head. “I brought you here to make sure you’re all right and to keep you safe. I don’t need to know anything else tonight but that.”

“Those men...”

“Won’t get far. The guys and Sam won’t let them. Those men and whatever they’re after is the least of my worries. All I care about is you, Brook.”

Shock. That’s the only way I can describe her face. She puts her hand to her head. “I think I need to lie down.”

Without asking, I pick her up and carry her down the hall. I take her straight to my room and into the master bathroom. I set her down on the toilet and then go back to turn on the light. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”

I grab a T-shirt out of the drawer and walk back into the bathroom. She’s still sitting, but her head is resting on the counter. My phone rings, and I answer it. “Hello.”

“Bear said for me to come check on Brook.”

“Use your code and come in. I’m going to give her a quick shower. Wait in the living room.”

Brook looks up at me when I hang up. “Did I just hear you say you’re going to give me a quick shower?”

I nod as I turn on the nozzle in the shower and hold my hand under it to test the water. As soon as it gets warm, I kick off my shoes and undress down to my underwear. She’s staring at me, her mouth hanging open. Be professional. She’s been through hell, Walker. Don’t fuck this up. I keep saying it over and over, trying to convince myself I can do it.

She stands up. “Walker, I can’t... you can’t see me... like that.”

I gently tilt her chin up and look at her, searching her eyes. “Please let me do this, baby. I need to know you’re okay, and I know you want the filth off you. Let me do this.”

She bites on to her lower lip and nods.

I don’t wait for her to change her mind. I help her take off her clothes until all she has left is her bra and panties. Her face is flushed, and I’m doing everything I possibly can to ignore the way her nipples are puckered against her bra and the soft curves of her waist and thighs. Her hands are gripping my forearms, and she stops me from walking into the shower. “Walker.”

I turn back to her. “This is so embarrassing, but is it okay if I take these off? I need to be able to put them on again, and I don’t want them wet. I know Logan’s going to need to check my ribs, and I don’t want him to see... you know.”

I gulp and lose all train of thought. Don’t look, don’t look, I tell myself.

She reaches behind to unsnap her bra, wincing from the movement. I stop her and turn her around. I help her undo the bra and then help her step out of her panties. Her ass is right next to my face, and right now, I want nothing more than to put my lips to her skin and taste her. I jerk up, standing next to her. I’m panting as if I’ve ran a race as I help her into the shower. I follow her in, knowing I can’t just leave her on her own.

Her back is to me, and I reach for the shampoo. “I’m sorry. I only have men’s shampoo and conditioner.”

Her voice is husky. “It’s okay. I don’t care, Walker. I just need to be clean.”

I knew it. I knew what she needed. This is always the first thing someone wants to do when they’ve been through something like this.

I take my time and wash her hair first, rubbing my fingers through her scalp. Her moan is my undoing, and my cock is hard between my legs. It’s fine, I tell myself. It’s an honest reaction, but I’m not going to act on it. I push my hips away from her and wash down her back, her butt, and her legs. I do my best to be professional and not let my hands linger along the way. I stand up and prepare myself for what comes next. “Turn around,” I tell her.

She does, slowly, and when she’s facing me, her eyes wide, I know she’s reacting to my touch. The pulse at her neck is thumping so hard. Her body is trembling even in the warmth of the heated water.

I grab another washcloth and wash her face first, gently swiping across her face where her bruises and cuts are. I then move to her neck when her hand goes over mine. “I can do it.”

I swallow thickly. I know I should let her. I’m only supposed to be in here to make sure she doesn’t fall. But I need this, and I think she does too. “Please let me, Brook.”

She doesn’t understand, but she doesn’t stop me. She nods, and then I continue washing her, across her chest, down her stomach, between her thighs, and down her legs. My stroke is soft but thorough. I inspect her ribs, and already there is bruising and swelling. Her thighs and legs are covered in bruises, and I swear there is a handprint on her hip. I shudder inside, wanting to know what happened, but unable to word it. Not yet.

I rinse her off and reach outside the shower for two towels. My cock is hard, painfully hard, but I ignore it. I know she sees it, but I continue on as if there’s nothing happening. I wrap the towel around my waist and then dry her off from head to toe. I pick up the T-shirt I grabbed for her earlier and slide it over her head and down her body and then help her step into her panties.

“I’m sorry, I only have a comb,” I tell her as I pull it through the strands of her hair.

“Isn’t Logan waiting for us?”

I shrug. “He can wait.”

I finish her hair and then help her to my bed, pulling back the covers for her to get in.

“No, I can sleep on the couch.”

“You can sleep here,” I tell her, leaving out the part that I’ll be joining her later. I need her in my arms tonight.

She sits on the bed and then lies back. I pull the covers over her body. “Rest. I’m going to get an update, and then I’ll bring Logan in.”

She can barely hold her eyes open, and I know she’s about to fall asleep. I should probably have Logan check her out, but I know she doesn’t have a concussion, so I’m going to let her rest for a bit. She’s been through a lot for the night, and I want her to breathe for a minute.

I lean down and kiss her forehead. “I’ll be back. Holler if you need me.”

She nods and is drifting to sleep before I get dressed and get to the door.