AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She seemed more anxious about whatever she needed to take care of. I asked if she was okay as she was getting out of the car, and she simply said, ‘I will be.’”
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath. “I know what she’s doing. Her father must have somehow found out she was here, or maybe–”
Wilder claps a hand on my shoulder, stopping me mid-spiral. He’s always been good at that. “We can get the full story from Jordan after you go get her and make sure she’s safe. That’s the priority.”
“Right,” I say, nodding along with him.
Wilder squeezes my shoulder and steps while Cassian tosses me the keys to one of the main trucks we share.
“Go get your girl,” Cassian says, a hint of a grin on his lips. Can’t say I’ve seen that in over a decade. Maybe his heart isn’t made of stone after all.
“Aria will want a double date soon!” Wilder calls out as I hop in the truck.
I don’t respond to either of them before peeling out and rushing down the mountain. I’m all adrenaline right now, which is something I haven’t felt since retiring from the Rangers. I use all my energy to focus on my target: Jordan’s house.
I reach Rock Bottom in less than half the time it usually takes to get there. It’s still not fast enough, in my opinion.
Pulling into the familiar parking lot of Gregg’s Hardware, I remember Jordan telling me she lives in the house next door. Taking a deep breath, I roll out my shoulders and try to formulate a plan. Without knowing any specifics, I’m basically going in blind. Then again, I’m sure whoever is in there won’t be expecting me, so I still have the element of surprise on my side.
Without overthinking it, I hop out of the truck and walk up to the front door of the small ranch-style house, proverbial guns blazing. I bang on the door, rattling the damn thing on its hinges.
“Who the fuck…” I hear from inside as someone shuffles around.
I bang on the door again, ready to kick it down if he doesn’t open it in the next ten seconds.
“Okay! Jesus, I heard you.”
The door flies open, and the man I recognize from the hardware store as Jordan’s dad stands there, staring up at me. His mottled red face, labored breathing, and sweaty forehead indicate this rather robust man has been exerting himself recently. That’s a red flag, especially since I don’t see or hear Jordan anywhere.
I push past him, walking into the house and looking around for my woman.
“Excuse me, who the hell do you think you are to barge in here and–”
I turn and clock this motherfucker in the face. Was it impulsive and not the wisest move? Maybe. Did it feel incredible? Fuck yeah, it did.
“Fuck!” he bellows, covering his nose and mouth with his hands as blood pours down his face. “Assault! Assault!” he gurgles through the pain and blood.
“Jordan!” I yell as I step over Gregg’s crumpled-up body. “Jordan, talk to me, baby. Where are you?”
“Huxley?” comes the sweetest sound in the entire fucking world.
“I’m coming,” I assure her, tearing down the hall and stopping in front of a door with a keypad lock on the outside and a bar wedged in the door frame to ensure it won’t open. Fucking hell, he locked her in her room?
I rip the bar from the frame, then back up slightly to give myself some room.
“Stand back from the door, okay, Jordan? I’m going to kick it in.”
“Okay,” comes her muffled response. God, it’s killing me, but I’m so close. I’ll have her in my arms soon.
I count down in my head and launch myself forward, stomp-kicking the door with enough force to break it into splinters.
“Jordan,” I say, my voice ragged as I stumble toward her. I notice an open wound on the side of her forehead, along with a bright red spot on her cheek that’s sure to form a bruise later. “Jordan,” I repeat, though it’s barely a whisper.
She collapses in my arms, and I draw her close, holding my sweet, broken angel while she sobs it all out. I have a million questions, but all that matters right now is getting my precious girl home. I notice her clothes appear to be ripped, and is that one of my shirts hanging off one shoulder and arm?
A deep well of rage boils up from the pit of my stomach as the scene starts to come together in my mind’s eye. She came home to confront her father, and he lost his shit when he saw her in my shirt. I can’t let my anger show right now, however. I need to get Jordan out of here, and we’ll discuss the details later.
I kiss the top of Jordan’s head, whispering that she’s safe and I won’t let him touch her ever again. She shivers when I step away from her, and I grab a blanket off her bed, wrapping it around her shoulders.
