Page 40 of Rescuing Sadie

“But you’re bleeding!” Rayne said with wide eyes. “Bro, you need to come with us.” She tugged at his sleeve, not letting go, and looking up at him with such concern and fright, he wanted to scoop her up and tell her that everything was fine. But he didn’t have time.

“Annie? Is she with them?” Emily asked urgently.

“No, but she’s fine. I saw her myself. She’s headed for the neighbor’s house. Go. Please.”

Without a word, Emily took off running across the yard in the direction Chase said he’d seen her go.

Chase stared at his sister. Her eyes were wide and she had dirt smeared across her forehead. “Go, sis. I got this.”

She took a deep breath, then nodded. “Okay, but if you die, I’ll never forgive you.” And with that, she turned and fled across the yard toward where he’d left Ghost and Fletch.

Chase wanted to smile at his sister’s words but couldn’t. His side hurt like a bitch, he was starting to feel dizzy from blood loss, and the woman he loved was in danger. He knew it as easily as he knew his own name.

He peeked around the corner of the house—and was on the move before his brain told his feet to move.

Sadie was kneeling next to a car up against the garage. It was lying upside down and the back end had flames coming from it. She was tugging at someone’s arm, trying to pull them out of the wreckage.

But that wasn’t what had him running after her as fast as he could go. It was the man walking up behind her. Jonathan.

Chase had known all along Jonathan had been behind whatever had hit the house, but seeing him there, walking toward the woman he loved as if he didn’t have a care in the world, flipped a switch inside Chase. After hearing what the man had already done to Sadie, there was no way he was going to let him get his hands on her again. No fucking way.

When he got close enough, Chase could hear Sadie saying, “Uncle Sean, are you all right?” as she tugged on his arm, trying to pull him free of the wreckage. He was conscious, and the swear words coming from his mouth would’ve impressed Chase if he wasn’t focused on Jonathan.

“Sadie, look out!” Sean said, but it was too late.

Jonathan walked up behind her and easily pulled her away from the car and her uncle.

Without thinking, Chase didn’t even slow down. No one had seen him yet, and he used that to his advantage. He plowed right into Jonathan’s side.

All three of them went flying, and Chase did his best to keep from falling on top of Sadie.

They landed in the dirt with loud thumps and Chase’s vision went dark briefly when he landed right on his injured side. His hesitation when they fell was enough for Jonathan to get the upper hand.

He rolled and straddled Chase. Both hands went to Chase’s throat and he squeezed.

“She’s mine,” Jonathan hissed. “You can’t have her!”

Chase tried to gasp for air, but he couldn’t get any. The hands around his throat were too tight. He bucked under the other man, but nothing he did made any difference. His side no longer hurt, in fact he didn’t feel much of anything. The need for oxygen overrode everything but the sight of the woman he loved more than life itself.

He saw her struggle to stand behind Jonathan.

Refusing to look into the blue eyes filled with hate above him, he kept his eyes on Sadie. She looked like a Valkyrie. Her red hair swirled around her head as if it had a mind of its own. Her hazel eyes sparked with determination. He lost sight of her for a moment, but as soon as he began to panic, she reappeared.

Chase watched with huge eyes as she lifted something above her head.

She brought it down swiftly on Jonathan’s back and he immediately let go of Chase’s throat.

Chase rolled to the side, away from the man who was trying to kill him, and told his limbs to move. To do something to protect Sadie…

But he didn’t need to worry. Sean Taggart rose from the wrecked car next to his niece. He took what Chase could now see was a tire iron from Sadie, and as Jonathan started to stand, Sean swung the iron rod like a baseball bat.

Jonathan’s head literally exploded from the impact.

No one said a word for long seconds. Then Sadie cried, “Chase!”

Chase’s head thunked back onto the ground and he stared up at the clear night sky, trying to catch his breath. For some reason, he couldn’t. Even though Jonathan no longer had hold of his throat, he couldn’t get air into his lungs.

Sadie’s face appeared above his, her red hair brushing against his cheek. “Chase?”