Page 41 of Billionaire Dragon King’s Rejected Mate

Chance saw the cloth before it reached her face. The second attacker quickly covered Randi’s face with the material.

He was close but still too far away when he saw the way her body tensed and her head jerked as she struggled to turn away. The moment it pressed over her mouth and nose, her movements began to falter and her strength drained with terrifying speed as panic gave way to disorientation.

A muted sound escaped before her knees buckled and she went slack.

Chance moved in without warning. The second man didn’t even see him coming before Chance drove into him with controlled force and slammed him off balance. With one move he grabbed the guy’s head and smashed it into the concrete.

The other guy let Randi fall to the ground. Her weight dropped heavily as she crumpled into a ball and then didn’t move. The sight of her unconscious and unresponsive sharpened everything in Chance’s fury.

The attacker lunged, but Chance struck with the kind of precision that came not only from anger but also from necessity. Each movement was efficient and deliberate as he blocked, countered, and drove the man back with enough force to take him down hard.

They were well trained. He could tell that much immediately, but so was he, even if it had been a while. And unlike them, he had something at stake that made hesitation impossible.

The fight didn’t last long. But even with both men unconscious, the danger wasn’t over. Chance heard the low, heavy rumble of an engine approaching too fast. When he looked up, the sight of the van cutting sharply into the lot across the street confirmed that this wasn’t over.

The side door slid open before the vehicle had fully stopped and revealed more men already moving. Their timing was too precise to be anything but coordinated, and the realization landed with a cold, undeniable weight.

His father had found him. Worse than that, his father had reached past him and went for someone he cared about.

Chance lifted Randi off the sidewalk and tightened his hold on her. He pulled her closer against him as though he could shield her from something that had already happened.

“No, you son of a bitch,” he muttered under his breath. “Not her.”

He didn’t stay to fight because this wasn’t about standing his ground. This was about getting her out. He turned and ran as adrenaline surged. The sounds of pursuit broke out behind him in sharp commands and pounding footsteps, but he was already ahead. He reached his car and pulled the door open in one fluid motion.

He got her into the passenger seat and slid behind the wheel without thinking. A hand struck the side of the car just as he got the door shut.

The engine roared to life and Chance didn’t hesitate. He floored it hard enough to send the tires screaming against the pavement as he shot out of the parking lot. He cut into traffic with reckless precision and forced space where there wasn’t any as horns blared and brakes screeched in response.

He didn’t look back until they were long gone and he saw no signs of being followed. They hadn’t expected him to be there to interfere, so that gave him a good enough head start to make a clean break.

Randi didn’t move.

Chance glanced at her and his grip tightened on the steering wheel as his chest constricted at the sight of her pale, still face. Her breathing was steady but far too quiet for his comfort.

“This is on me,” he said under his breath. “All of it.”

There was only one place he could take her. His beach house was far from the crowded coastline and tucked along a quieter stretch of the Gulf. The property was hidden behind layers of misdirected deeds and trusts that eventually led back to Eddie instead of him. It was a precaution he had once considered excessive but now was relieved he had taken the trouble, because if his father’s men were already in Tampa, then anything tied directly to him was no longer safe.

By the time he carried her inside, the sun had begun to dip and cast long streaks of gold across the water. The rhythmic sound of the Gulf filtered through the open door in a way that felt almost surreal after the chaos they had just escaped.

He lowered Randi carefully onto the couch. Every movement was controlled despite the tension still running through him, and for a moment, he didn’t step away. His gaze fixed on her as if making sure she was still there and still alive.

“You’re okay,” he murmured, though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than her. “You’re okay.”

She didn’t respond, nor did she move.

Chance dragged a hand through his hair and paced once before stopping again, unable and unwilling to put any real distance between them. The weight of everything settled heavily on his shoulders.

“I should’ve listened,” he said quietly, the admission coming without resistance this time. “They warned me.”

And he hadn’t just ignored their words and dismissed them.

Randi stirred then with a movement that was slight but unmistakable. Her brow tightened as consciousness returned, and Chance was at her side instantly. The tension in his chest eased just enough to let him breathe again.

“Hey,” he said, softer now as he crouched beside her. “Easy. You’re safe.”

Her eyes opened gradually, confusion clouding them at first before recognition began to settle in. That was followed quickly by something else that included fear. “What happened?”