Page 2 of Rescuing Sadie

“Thank you.”

“But don’t blame me if Chase calls you up, begging you to take me off his hands.”

Sean smirked at her, as if he knew something she didn’t, but didn’t respond. Instead he enveloped her in his arms and held her tightly for a long moment.

Sadie closed her eyes. Sean was a big man, and Sadie had always loved his hugs. Being in her uncle’s arms made her feel as if nothing could hurt her. He and the others at McKay-Taggart had been worried when she’d up and left for San Antonio without really telling anyone where she was going and for how long. But when she’d called and told them she was going to stay with her friend, Milena, and help her with her toddler, Sean hadn’t read her the riot act, which she appreciated. Sadie hadn’t planned on being involved in a bust at Milena’s workplace, the Bexar County School and Orphanage for Girls, and afterward, she couldn’t leave, not when it was clear Milena might be in danger because of Sadie’s involvement.

Of course, she hadn’t known she was also in danger until it was too late.

The only other time she’d felt this safe was at the school…after Chase had hauled her into his arms.

Sean pulled back and held her at arm’s length. “You know I’m always a phone call away. You need me, you call.” It wasn’t a question, more of a command.

Sadie nodded.

“And if you want a job at the restaurant when you come home, it’s yours.”

“Thanks, Sean,” Sadie said. Her uncle’s restaurant, Top, was one of the most popular restaurants in Dallas. Working there wouldn’t be a pity job either; it would be hectic and busy. If she couldn’t get her job back at McKay-Taggart, it would be a good option for her.

As if Sean could read her mind, he said, “Ian told me that things haven’t been the same since you left. He’s actually gotten his phone messages and can see the top of your desk.”

Sadie chuckled and playfully smacked his arm. “Shut up. I wasn’t that bad.”

Sean simply looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

“Okay, fine. I was. But I got the job done and was damn good at it. Besides…they got the important messages, didn’t they?”

“That they did,” Sean agreed. The grin left his face and he said somberly, “Be safe. You have a lot of people who love you.”

“I will,” Sadie told her uncle.

“I’m prouder of you than I can say. Not many people would stay to try to help a friend they hadn’t seen for a couple of years. Not only that, you were instrumental in getting that child-abuse ring stopped and taking down a lot of sick men who were involved.”

Sadie’s eyes filled with tears. She didn’t realize until right that moment how much she needed her uncle’s praise. She hadn’t thought she’d be in danger when she’d gone down to San Antonio. All she’d wanted to do was visit Milena and her little boy for a while. She’d gotten in over her head, but luckily TJ, Milena’s new fiancé, was not only a badass cop, he was also a former Delta Force sniper who’d been able do what needed to be done when the shit hit the fan.

Hearing her uncle, who was a badass in his own right, tell her he was proud of her, went a long way toward helping Sadie forgive herself for the worry she’d put her family through, and was still putting them through.

“Thanks,” she murmured.

“But if you do anything like that again, I’ll have Ian find a safe house to stash you in or put guards on your ass twenty-four/seven. And I’m not kidding.”

Sadie’s eyes widened and she looked at her uncle in shock. Would he really sic bodyguards on her? Yeah, he totally would.

Before she could respond, even though she had no idea what she might say, Chase Jackson stuck his head into the small room at the police department, where Sean had met them. They had discussed Jonathan and had been updated on the search for him.

Other than the reported sighting of him down in San Antonio, which had prompted Chase’s decision to move her to his friend’s garage apartment, there hadn’t been any other updates. With every meeting, Sadie got more and more frustrated. The man was a master of disappearing into thin air. But she’d thought that before, and it had turned out Jonathan and his now-deceased, equally perverted father, Jeremiah, had been lurking in San Antonio the entire time, waiting for the perfect moment to make their move against Milena and her son, as well as Sadie.

“Everything okay?” Chase asked, obviously having seen her surprise at her uncle’s last words.

Sadie looked over at him.

He was really good-looking. Dark hair and brown eyes that always stared at her with an intensity that made her want to squirm. He filled out his clothes in a way that hinted he was one big muscle underneath them. She wanted to run her hands up and down his body to feel his muscles for herself, but so far had refrained.

Chase was also a couple inches taller than she was. She hadn’t always been attracted to tall men, but spending time around her uncle and his friends had changed that. She always felt protected when they were near. Part of it was because of what they did, but it was also watching them with their wives. They’d tuck their women under their arms, or pull them against their sides, or push them behind their own bodies if they thought there was a threat.

Sadie hadn’t ever had a boy, or man, protect her like that. Then again, she’d never really wanted to be protected. But watching Sean, Alex, Ian, Liam, Jake, and Adam with their wives gradually made her realize she might be missing something. Having someone constantly be looking out for her well-being wouldn’t exactly be a hardship.

And Chase had certainly made her feel protected. The second she’d run into him in the school after escaping Jonathan, she’d gone from being scared out of her mind to being surrounded by Chase’s manly scent, and it had calmed her.