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Eloise hesitated. Her panicked gaze darted from Snow to the commotion at the door and back.
“It’s over,” Snow said. She took a step toward Eloise, her hands outstretched. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
A swift kick and a grunt sounded. The door burst open behind her, splintering the wood. Taking advantage of the distraction, Snow reached for the gun and pried it from Eloise’s hands. Kassie fell to the ground with a cry, and then Hunter was there.
“Daddy!” Kassie burst into tears and threw her arms around him. Snow’s knees gave out. Gun in hand, she lost the strength to stand and collapsed to a heap on the floor.
To Snow’s surprise, Preston was at her side in seconds, helping her to her feet. She peered around to find not only Preston, but Clayton, Marcos, and Carter too. Eric was confronting Tys, socking him with a punch in the nose. Judd caught Tys and shoved him against the wall. She wasn’t sure where Hannah had gone.
“No,” Eloise cried. But Clayton guided her to the couch, her gun in his hand. Judd brought Tys there as well, and the two sat under Judd and Clayton’s watch.
“It’s over,” Hunter said to her, smoothing a hand over Kassie’s braids. He took her face in his hands. “Are you okay?”
Kassie’s lower lip was mashed, but she nodded through her tears. “You got here in time.”
“In time for what?” he asked.
“They claimed to have sold us online,” Snow said, body trembling. She leaned into Preston, wrapping her arms around him, grateful he was there.
Preston called Tys a dirty name and tightened his hold on her. “That’s sick.”
“The police outside will take care of whoever they are when they get here,” Hunter said.
Relief so stark clouded Snow’s eyes and expanded her chest. In spite of herself, she released a small cry and brought her hands to her mouth, not bothering to stop the tense tears from falling.
The guys swarmed around her, checking after her wellbeing. Several of them clustered around Kassie as well.
Snow was overcome. She swept her grateful gaze across each of their beloved, handsome faces. “You all came,” she said, lost for words. “You—”
“Course we did,” Judd said. “You’re our girl. And we couldn’t let nothin’ happen to Hunter’s girl either.”
A weary laugh eked out. Snow quivered and trembled, hardly able to believe this had happened. Snow tried freeing herself from Preston’s support, but she had no strength left. She was a rag doll as Hunter turned to her. He thanked Preston, slipped his warm, steady hands beneath her arms and legs, and lifted her.
Cocooned against his chest, Snow had never felt safer. She nestled against him, fisting a hand in his shirt and breathing everything in—Hunter, the bachelors, their narrow escape.
“I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come,” she said.
“Are you okay?” he asked. She could have swam in his voice. In its tender concern and the fury lining it as well. Snow crumpled against him, allowing the tears she’d kept at bay to pour down her cheeks. She gripped his shoulders, weeping like a small child. And he held her, just held her.
“You were right,” she said once her tears slowed. “It was Tys. And Eloise’s daughter—she has a daughter. Thank you,” she said, attempting to calm herself and wiping her eyes. She pulled back enough to meet his fearsomely gentle obsidian eyes. “How did you find us?”
“I just had a gut feeling to check here again. It was all I had to go on.”
Snow smeared her hand across her cheek and stared at him. “I’m glad you did.”
“Me too.”
She rested her head against him. “Thank you. I can’t say it enough. They were talking about listing our pictures online. They were talking about—”
“If they had, they would have lived to regret it,” Hunter said. “That’s all something you can tell the police. Sounds like they’re coming now.”
Sure enough, more footsteps pounded, and several officers poured in. It didn’t take long for Tys and Eloise to be cuffed and escorted outside. Hunter lowered Snow to the ground. She found herself wrapped in another massive group hug, hemmed in by her handsome bachelors.
“Come on,” Hunter said once the embrace ended. He held Kassie’s hand in his and peered down at his daughter. “Let’s get you out of here.”
Together, the group of them followed the police as they escorted Eloise and Tys out into a messy living room area, up a set of basement stairs, and out the house’s front door.
26
