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Boom!
The fire was becoming more intense, the heat oppressive. The smoke was thicker, but I could hear sirens coming from all directions. That still didn’t mean they’d be able provide any assistance in time. The roar as the flames drew closer echoed in my ears. I stumbled forward, Thunder continuously whinnying and snorting to try to get me to follow.
When I heard another noise, I rushed forward, dropping to the ground. The broken and nearly collapsed roof helped bring in a stream of light, barely making it through the horrific haze but enough I could make out what appeared to be a body on the floor.
Dropping down, I was forced to toss debris out of the way to get to the person. Her long red hair gave her away. Oh, dear God. As I rolled her over, I could see a gash on her temple, blood trickling down one side of her face. I knew exactly what had happened. She’d been hit, knocked unconscious. “Oh, God, baby. Let’s get you out of here.”
Two more beams came crashing down, terrifying Thunder.
“I need your help, buddy,” I managed as I slipped my arms under her, lifting her carefully, fighting the feeling of suffocation. I was already lightheaded, which wasn’t a good sign. It wouldn’t be long until I passed out. As I held her limp body close to my chest, she didn’t move and was barely breathing.
But at least she was still alive.
When I was fully upright, my body continued to sway. I almost tripped twice as I tried to carry her toward Thunder. Another wall of debris crashed down all around us. “Come on, buddy. I need you. I need you.” The majestic creature didn’t move a muscle as I struggled to get to him, allowing me to ease her gently over his saddle. “Just stay with me.” As I planted my hand in the stirrup, Thunder tossed his head in my direction, snorting as he’d done the only time I’d ridden him.
He was telling me to be careful. I could feel it.
“I know, buddy. I know. Just help me out here.” While the fireman was already at work, the rush of water creating steam, the loss of oxygen was significant. I fought to climb on the horse, failing twice before finally managing to swing my leg over. There was something magical about being on the back of a horse. No, this horse in particular. It was almost as if I’d never left the ranch all those years ago.
“Come on, boy. We can do this.” I pressed my knees against his flanks, leaning over Jessie to protect her body from the flames. “Go, boy. Go. Go. Go!” Lights flashed in front of my eyes, various images of her forming in the forefront. My chest ached, heaving as it struggled to get enough air. Fuck. I was ready to pass out. No. It couldn’t happen. I refused to allow it to happen.
Thunder took off running, easily maneuvering through the smoke. I wrapped my hand around the thick leather reins, doing everything I could to hold on.
When he was maybe twenty feet from the main door, the cracking sound was more horrific than before. I didn’t need to look up to know a huge chunk of the ceiling was coming down, heading straight for us.
As I roared, certain Thunder was going to pull up short, something miraculous happened, the horse leaping into the air.
Yet as he came down, I couldn’t hold onto the woman I loved.
“No!”
CHAPTER 27
Four days later…
Sebastian
I’d always considered myself a bad man and I was. I’d done some terrible things in my life, although to date I hadn’t murdered anyone in cold blood. The thought hadn’t been far from my mind as the pieces had fallen into place.
The thought of selling the ranch after everything we’d been through weighed heavily on my mind.
I stared out the passenger window of Jackson’s rental car, the man refusing to allow me to drive. He knew how I got when I was beyond angry, my rage often pushing me into destroying pretty things. Right now, I was ready to break bones and smash faces of a few select people.
“You need to stop sulking,” he said a few seconds later. “You saved the life of the woman you love. Without you, she would have died in that fire, Thunder too. With the millions you managed to get that pissant of a human being to provide, she can live a fantastic life with her daughter, providing her with everything she needs. And you can handle business once again.”
“She wouldn’t have been in that goddamn barn, attacked from behind if I hadn’t gone off the deep end. My temper and accusations almost got her killed.”
“But they didn’t, brother. You solved the riddle.”
Huffing, I turned toward him. “It had nothing to do with me.” I’d been so convinced I could use force and intimidation as a method of solving the puzzle that I’d lost sight of almost everything, including what was most important to me.
Jessica Logan, aka Big Red. She’d awakened my world, soothing the savage beast. And she’d almost died. I couldn’t get it out of my mind.
“You would have done the same for me,” Jackson said quietly after a full minute had passed. “You’re certain you want to do this?”
“It’s the only thing I can do.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
