Chapter 27
Grace
“You don’t remember me, Grace?” He took a step closer and I backed away, trying to think about how to get the hell out of here.
“You brought the dog here.” Oh, I remembered him, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of disrupting my life, then or now.
“I knew you couldn’t resist and that allowed me to spend some time with you. Just like old times.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” It had to be well after seven at this point. I knew Viper. He wouldn’t leave me alone for long.
When the man took off his hat, I resisted reacting even though I was utterly petrified. Mike Jenson. My father had kept a file on the single boy who’d almost ruined my life. He’d attacked other women, thinking he deserved to take whatever he wanted.
He’d worn a skull cap before that made him appear as if he was losing his hair. There was no mistaking the man who was standing in front of me. How had my skin not crawled the first time he’d stepped foot near me? No wonder Viper hadn’t appreciated the man’s presence. If only I’d listened to him.
“Mike. Long time, no see.” I had to keep him talking to find a way to escape or until someone came to find me.
“You do remember. I didn’t think you could forget about me.” Even in the dim light, I could see the evil glint in his eyes.
“What do you want?”
He was trying to corner me, pushing me deeper into the barn. When he stopped moving, cocking his head and a smile crossing his face, I sensed the level of danger I was in. “Isn’t that obvious. Or did that bastard of a father not tell you?” His calm demeanor was already cracking.
So was mine.
“You killed my parents. You killed those other people and set the fire on the mountain. Let me guess. You even shot that poor animal just so you could get close to me.”
His laugh was horrifying, as promising as it was ominous. “Why, yes, I did. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do to be with the woman he loves.”
Oh, my fucking God.
“Why? Why would you do that?”
“Because you ruined my life. You and that bastard of a father of yours. That’s okay. I’m back and taking what I want.”
God, I couldn’t stand his horrible laugh. I was losing patience as the terror erased all rational thoughts.
“Yes, my father did everything he could to protect me, including taking out a restraining order on you. On you!” I pointed at him and could tell I was infuriating him. A shovel. I remembered the mucking shovel was near Thor’s stall. “Because you’re a rapist.”
“I’m no such thing,” he said, acting as if I’d offended him. “However, your fucking father didn’t learn to keep his place. He had to be taught a lesson. Then you had to come back. You almost spoiled everything. Asking questions about the lighter.”
Mike was losing it. That much I could clearly tell. The horses were spooked, already moving in their stalls. They could smell evil.
While he was obviously in the throes of whatever mania his mind suffered from, I moved closer to the shovel.
“I had no idea you owned it.”
“You had to talk. You had to come back. The one woman I always wanted.” When he took a step closer, his eyes swept me with enough heat that even in the waning light, I knew what was on his mind. “Then you had to take up with that fucking convict. Imagine that.”
Viper. “He’s a hero. You’re not. And he’ll be here any second.”
“No, he won’t.” The statement was made with such confidence, I was thrown.
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think I’d allow that motherfucker to touch what belongs to me? He faced his death with grace. Grace.”
Tears immediately flooded my eyes, stinging in a way that had nothing to do with the salt content. Viper was dead? That wasn’t possible. “You’re lying.”
“Am I? I guess you’ll never find out.”
I could tell he was ready to break so I had to react. With a giant step, I managed to grab the handle, using all the force I had to swing the metal toward his head.
The brutal clanging sound matched his shocked cry. I lunged for the door but he was too quick for me, grabbing my leg and tackling me to the ground.
Agony tore through every muscle, jarring my bones. I kicked with my other foot, slamming it into his face several times. When he finally let go, I crawled several feet, almost standing up, but was pitched forward again. This time, I couldn’t move so quickly, completely out of breath.
As soon as I tried to reach the shovel, it was kicked away and I was turned over, the bastard jumping on top of me and ripping at my clothes.
“Time to finish what we started,” Mike threw out, his tone completely unrecognizable. “Just for old times’ sake.”
As soon as he shifted to unfasten his belt, I managed to jam my palm under his chin, tossing him back enough that I was able to slam my foot into his groin.
He howled in pain, but managed to jerk me to my feet, issuing a brutal punch just as sirens could be heard in the distance. I tumbled to the ground, the wind completely knocked out of me. Stars floated in front of my eyes and I couldn’t see anything in front of me.
“Fuck. Fuck!” He scrambled to his feet, backing toward the barn door. “I guess we’re going to need to cut our time short. What a shame.”
The hard slam of the doors closing forced me to fight so I could get to my feet. Woozy, I stumbled forward, making it to the door just as I heard a lock of some kind put in place.
“Let me out!”
I backed away, immediately trying to run to the closed back door. He’d already locked it. Fury tore through me and I smashed my hands against the wood. The sirens had to mean the police were headed to my ranch. But what if they weren’t?
Grabbing the shovel, I beat on the doors until I smelled something.
What the hell was that?
Something pungent and oily.
A few seconds later, I took giant steps backward. Smoke was rolling under the barn door.
* * *
Viper
There was no time to waste.
I couldn’t care less that I was going in excess of eighty miles per hour, swerving around one vehicle after another. Let the motherfuckers arrest me.
All I could think about was getting to her.
Grace.
“Grace. Pick up the phone. Come on, honey.”
“Hi, this is Grace. I’m unavailable to come to the phone so please—”
I ended the call, tossing the phone onto the seat.
With both hands on the steering wheel, I took another sharp curve, doing everything I could to concentrate on the road.
Damn it. Why hadn’t I gone home when my instinct had told me? Why? The fucker had heard about the event. He’d known he might be able to catch her alone.
I smashed my hand on the steering wheel until I finally felt an ache.
Then I almost spun out when I turned onto the road leading to the ranch. I was less than a half mile out when I noticed a plume of smoke curling over the trees.
Thick black, oily smoke like a fire cause by kerosene.
My baby was running out of time. The fucker had trapped her. Oh, God. Please. I couldn’t lose her. Not the woman I loved. Not now. Not ever.
The son of a bitch would die by my hands. So fucking help me God.
I made a sharp turn rolling into her driveway, the sight of the flames licking from the roof of the barn creating spots in front of my eyes.
Crazed from rage, I jumped out, rushing toward the building. The fucker had padlocked her in. Sirens were everywhere, the screaming sound filling the twilight sky.
The fire was burning hot, so much so one side of the building was completely ablaze, flames coming from the roof.
“Grace! Are you in there?”
The horses were going nuts. From the sounds of it, they were charging the stalls.
Smoke rolled from the building, thick and acrid.
Fuck. I didn’t hear anything.
Backing away, I tried to think about how the fuck to get in. Think. Fucking think.
The hatchet.
I rushed back to the truck, grabbing my go bag, digging inside until I felt the handle. I also grabbed a flashlight, darkness rolling across the horizon. By the time I approached the building once again, there were several trucks rolling down the driveway.
Smokejumpers.
They’d gotten here before the fire department.
“Move. Move. Move!” Steel yelled above the roar of engines.
I couldn’t wait for the cavalry, taking a solid swing at the padlock.
Embers fell from the sky, raining down just like a few nights before. The fire was hot as shit and while the horses inside were still making noise, I could tell how much distress they were in.
“Hold on, Grace. Hold on, baby.”
“What can we do?” Axe roared as soon as he was beside me.
“Get whatever you have. Anything. We need to break in. My Grace is in there.” I wasn’t interested in waiting, hitting the lock with strike after strike. When the goddamn thing was taking too long to break, I moved to the wood.
There was a flurry of activity around me, men calling out and sirens coming closer.
They were fighting with the fire using everything they could find.
All I could and would concentrate on was getting inside.
With every swing, I chipped away at the wood until there was a space big enough to get inside.
“Wait for the fire department,” one of the jumpers yelled.
“Not a fucking chance.” Nothing would stop me from getting to her. One single kick and I could get through.
So I went in, immediately turning on the light.
The walls and ceiling were creaking, debris falling.
The horses were skittish, kicking their stalls.
I could hear other more distant sounds, the jumpers breaking through the walls, sirens blasting.
Men yelling. But everything faded as I swept the beam across the floor, finding her covered in debris.
I rushed forward, still feeling as if everything was in slow motion, ripping the boards away.
I was frantic, tossing one after the other, my hands seared from the heat.
Nothing would stop me.
Breathe, baby. I’ll get you out.
The last board was lifted, exposing her almost lifeless body.
“Grace,” I yelled as I gathered her into my arms.