Chapter 54
Blazeand his team had listened to Ethan’s plan then piled into Blaze’s truck and headed for Church Road and the Refuge. They’d parked just inside the entry so they could move on foot.
After donning their assault vests and night vision gear, they’d miked up and crept into the forest.
They didn’t want Simon to hear them coming, though they’d banked on him not being as quiet as he should be for complete stealth. Not only that, but there was the scent from his car engine so recently driven down the dirt track that didn’t belong. They followed that and followed their ears, picking up on sounds that weren’t made by the creatures who lived in the forest.
They’d gone about a mile into the Refuge when they got their break. Light flashed in the darkness as someone used it to see where they were going.
The team found Simon’s SUV around a bend in the track. Not too far from the road, two shapes moved. Blaze could see Emma with her wrists cuffed together stumbling through the roots and leaves.
And then she tripped and Simon kicked her. Blaze’s blood boiled.
They could have shot him from this distance, but they’d agreed it wasn’t the smartest choice considering they were supposed to stay under the radar. They would only take the shot if there was no other choice, if Simon was about to shoot his hostages or one of them. Otherwise, they were taking him alive and turning him in.
NotBlaze’s first choice but the right one. Simon, whoever he was, would never be free to harass Emma again.
Simon reached for Emma to drag her to her feet, but she kicked out, hitting him in the leg. Blaze’s heart was in his throat as Simon grabbed her by the neck and punched her.
He gave the signal to his team.
They erupted, dragging Simon’s attention from Emma long enough to distract him. Blaze sprinted toward him, prepared to tackle him to the ground and beat the living shit out of him, when he saw a flash of steel at Simon’s waist.
But it wasn’t Simon who’d pulled the knife. It was Emma.
Simon turned to grab her, but Emma braced both hands on the hilt and drove the hunting knife into the center of his belly. Simon’s eyes went wide as blood poured from the wound. Then he toppled to the side like a house of cards. Emma kicked him away and crawled toward Blaze.
That was the moment he realized he’d called out to her.
He skidded to a halt, dropped to his knees, and dragged her into his arms, his heart pounding like he’d run ten miles instead of a few yards. “I’ve got you, Sunshine. I’ve got you.”
She fisted his sleeve, her body shaking as if she’d been thrust into a freezer for an hour. But then she pushed back and tried to stand.
“Rory. I have to give her an insulin shot. There’s a medical kit in Simon’s car.”
Chance emerged from the tent, his eyes wild. “Need a fucking key to unchain Rory. Where is it?”
“His pocket,” Emma said, nodding toward Simon as Blaze helped her to her feet.
Ghost was the one who retrieved the keys. He unlocked Emma first, then took the keys to Chance, who ducked inside the tent and back out again with Rory in his arms.
Kane brought the medical kit from the Santa Fe. Ethan shone a light on the area and Emma dug into the kit while Kane held it, searching for what she needed. She was splattered with Simon’s blood, her split lip was bleeding, and her eye was swelling where he’d punched her.
But damn, she was the most beautiful thing Blaze had ever seen. Emma Grace Sutton had nerves of steel when she needed them. She could have been an operator if she wasn’t so dedicated to saving lives.
Chance had carried Rory over, but he didn’t put her down as Emma pushed up her sweatshirt and inserted the needle in her belly.
“This will make you feel better,” Emma said.
Rory smiled. “I know. You’re the best, Idgy.”
Blaze thought she slurred a little when she spoke.
“We have to get her to the hospital. She’s in the early stages of ketoacidosis, and she’ll need to be monitored.”
“Theo,” Rory rasped.
“He’s alive,” Chance told her. “We found him and called an ambulance.”
“Oh thank God,” Emma breathed.
“We should probably get one for that asshole,” Seth said, jerking his chin toward where Simon lay.
“He won’t be needing it,” Emma replied. She looked at her hands as if noticing the blood for the first time. “I drove that knife into his heart.”
Blaze tugged her against him as she turned and put her face in his chest. She started to cry as the adrenaline drained away.
“You did what you had to do,” Blaze told her, stroking her hair. “You had no choice.”
She lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes were watery, her cheeks streaked with tears. “I could have incapacitated him. But he hurt Theo, hurt Rory, and he killed at least one person that we know of. All I wanted was for him to never hurt anyone again.”
“Honey, you tried to stop him when you kicked, but you missed. What if you’d aimed that knife somewhere else and missed again? What if it wasn’t enough to stop him and he used the opportunity to kill you? You did what you had to do. You didn’t do the wrong thing.”
She stared at him for a moment. Then she nodded and pressed her face to his chest again. He bent to kiss her head, her temple, squeezing her to him as if he’d never let go.
“Let’s get you out of here, get Rory to the hospital.”
“Yes, please.” She stepped back, intending to walk, but Blaze wasn’t having it. He scooped her into his arms and carried her, same as Chance carried Rory.
Rory’s head was against Chance’s shoulder, her arms around his neck. She didn’t argue with him for once. It made Blaze think she was sicker than she looked.
Emma started groping along Blaze’s neck, around to his shoulders, down his chest. Then she felt his face, the helmet, the NVGs.
“What’s going on, Blaze? What are you involved in?”
“Nothing but a group of friends with some military training who decided we weren’t letting that fucker take you away from me.”
It was true, but so much more than that. “You guys just happened to keep all this stuff when you left the military?”
“Nah, we bought our own. We run a range and training facility, babe. Talking about providing some survival training in the future, so we got this stuff to practice.”
He thought he heard Ghost snort. Well, sure, it was a bad lie, but what the hell else was he supposed to say?
“Okay, babe,” Emma said, laying her head against his shoulder. “Whatever you say. But when I get cleaned up and we’re home again, I’m gonna need to hear some more about this new training thing you’ve got going.”
He thought that was it, but she continued.
“Oh, and how you managed to find us in the dark while dressed like commandos and making no sound until you wanted to. Seems like a really interesting story.”
“Not that interesting at all,” Blaze said lightly.
Ghost snorted again.
“Come on, honey,” Blaze said, setting her on her feet beside Simon’s car. “Get in so we can take you both to the hospital and check on Theo.”
Chance opened the door to put Rory in the back seat. Emma still hadn’t moved to climb into the passenger seat. She was so small standing against the side of the car, her body slight compared to his, her limbs delicate. Simon could have snapped her bones if he’d wanted to.
“I want to touch you,” she said. “But I’ve got Simon’s blood on me. And I want to say something, but not like this.”
“We’ll talk, Sunshine. Soon as we get you and Rory seen, okay?”
She nodded. “I knew you’d find me, Blaze. I never doubted you. I-I thought you might not find me in time, but I knew you were looking.”
He wanted to kiss her, but he settled for kissing her forehead since her lip was split and she was in pain. “I’ll always find you, Emma. Always.”
Her breath hitched in. “Always sounds like a mighty long time, Blaze.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And it’s what you meant to say?”
He nodded. “Never been more certain of anything. Now get in the car so we can get on with the rest of our lives.”