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Prologue
THEO
One Year Ago . . .
The day I saw her, I didn’t realize she’d change my world in such a magnificent way in such a short time. Doesn’t matter that she’s Christian’s sister or the age difference. She’s mine. I’d be a fool if I didn’t claim Blake.
Finding out Blake’s parents want to sell her to someone nearly has me seeing red all over again. It’s bad enough I can’t get the sight of that blade at her throat out of my mind. I nearly lost her to the assholes who would enslave and break her.
When it comes to those dirty bags, I’m not stupid. I know exactly how they’d attempt to break Blake, and I can’t allow that to happen. She means too fucking much to me.
When I step into the cabin and see the man holding a knife to her throat, I see red. No other thoughts cross my mind but getting the edge of that blade away from her beautiful skin. That and killing the motherfucker.
Maybe I shouldn’t have killed him in front of Blake, but at the time, I didn’t care.
After assuring myself Blake was good, we raced out to the ATVs, where Leo and Christian were waiting. Christian takes Blue on his while I have my woman climb up behind me and wrap her arms tight. Zipping through the trees, and by sheer luck, I avoid slamming into them while the three of us speed down the snowy mountain terrain as quickly as I can.
I regret not making sure she didn’t have anything warmer on before leaving, but time is of the essence to get her to safety. Once we get to town and the waiting SUV, I’ll be sure to warm her up until we get to where we’re going.
Takes us nearly an hour to make it down the terrain before we finally start to slow and pull out onto the road leading into town. Spotting the waiting SUV, I pull up a few spaces away and park the ATV.
Blake stiffens against my back when she sees two of our men, Nicolo and Diego, step out of the SUV and make their way toward us. I tap my hand against hers and tilt my head slightly to glance back at her. “Easy, Snowflake, these men are ours. Let’s get you into the SUV. We’re still not out of the woods yet.”
Blake seems apprehensive but nods. She releases her tight grip around my waist and allows me to scoop her into my arms when I climb off. “Shit, tell me the heat is cranking, and we have blankets in there,” I snap. I tighten my arms around her, feeling how cold she is. She’s freezing cold—like ice—and I’m worried hypothermia may set in. I hope my body heat will help warm her up.
“Yes, sir,” Nicolo says, nodding and stepping back to open the back door of the SUV.
Nodding myself, I glance over to Christian and Leo before stalking toward the vehicle. The SUV has three sections. I climb in without letting Blake go and take the farthest back one. There’re a few blankets already on the seat, and I use them all to wrap my woman in their warmth.
Christian and Leo climb into the one in front of us with Blue as Nicolo and Diego get in the front. The moment all the doors are closed, we’re moving, backing out of the spot and heading down the road. With the weather being dreadful as it is, the ride is far too slow for my liking, but we at least now have men with us. Glancing behind me, I take in the other SUV following, knowing it holds no less than five of our men in there.
“Any new info?” Leo demands, regaining my attention. I also want to hear if they’ve got anything else.
“None, sir. David is following them,” Diego says from the driver’s seat.
“The cabin’s compromised,” Christian states, curling his lip in anger and frustration as he runs a hand through his wind-blown hair.
“We have a rat somewhere in our midst,” Nicolo grumbles, twisting in the passenger seat to glance back at us. His words are something I’ve already thought of, and when I find the weasel, I’ll gut them.
“Exactly, but who?” Leo demands, snarling. “When I find them, I’ll be sure to kill them myself for going against us.”
I feel the way Blake shivers in my arms, and I’m sure she’s freaking out even more now, having heard what she did. “Let’s speak of this when we get to the hotel and Blake’s in my room resting,” I suggest, not wanting her to fear any of us. She’s been thrown in the deep end and doesn’t need to be overwhelmed with everything all at once.
“Yeah, we’ll hold off,” Christian says, glancing back, his eyes on his little sister. “You did good, baby girl, and just look at the bright side. You’re not being controlled by your parents anymore. You’re free to do as you wish.”
Christian’s words sink in, and with the way Blake relaxes further into me, I’m sure she’s relieved by them.
And I vow right then and there, I won’t allow anything to happen to her again. Hell will freeze over beforehand.
Blake’s broken through to my frozen heart with a mere touch, and it refuses to thaw for anyone but her.
ChapterOne
BLAKE
Present Day . . .
“Snowflake, time to wake up,” Theo says huskily into my ear and nips it.
