Montana SEAL (10 page)

“Is that the way you like it?” She winked. “I can do that.” She got with the program and rocked up and down. Bracing her hands against his chest, she moved with a ferocity and fierceness that rivaled the burning desire inside Hank.

Her breasts bobbed in front of him, and her bottom smacked his thighs. The minor amount of pain in his sore leg was worth it to see the determination in Sadie’s face as she made love to him like she was riding a bucking stallion. When he thought it couldn’t get better, he was catapulted into the stratosphere. He rammed into her and held her hips to keep her from rising. He remained that way until his cock stopped throbbing, and he fell back to earth and consciousness.

Then he gathered her in his arms and held her close, his heart thundering against his ribs, her breasts smashed to his chest. God, he loved this woman more than life.

They lay entwined, connected and warm, until the light of day filtered through the window and reminded them there was a whole world outside the bedroom.

“I could lay like this forever, but I think you might like to breathe.” Sadie lifted herself off him and rolled to the side.

Hank’s stomach rumbled, and he laughed. “I think I might have worked up an appetite.”

Sadie’s tummy gave an answering growl, and she laid a hand across it. “I can cook a mean omelet.”

“I’ll take you up on that omelet.” Hank rolled out of bed and pulled her into his arms. “Ready to face the day?”

She leaned against him and chuckled. “As soon as my legs quit wobbling. Guess I’m out of shape.”

He slid his hands from her waist downward to cup her ass. “From where I’m standing, you’re in perfect shape.” Then he kissed her neck and sniffed. “Something smells funny.”

“Hey!” She leaned back and swatted his arm. “That wasn’t nice.”

Hank set her aside, instinct telling him something wasn’t right. “No, really. I smell gas. As in propane or natural gas.”

“We use propane to heat the house.” She sniffed the air and frowned. “Now that you mention it, I smell it too.” She walked toward the door. “Maybe Fin didn’t turn the burner off on the stove.” As she reached for the doorknob, Hank made a grab for her hand.

“Don’t.”

“I need to turn off the stove, before the house catches on fire.”

“We need to get out of the house.” He pulled her toward the window. “Now.”

“But—” She struggled to free her wrist.

Hank wouldn’t let go. “If there’s enough of a gas smell to reach this bedroom through the door, we’re in trouble.”

“How much trouble.” Sadie grabbed her clothes from the night before, slipped her arms into her shirt and dragged her jeans up over her hips.

“Deep trouble.” Hank unlatched the window and shoved it upward. “Step out on the roof and scoot on your bottom to the trellis. If it’s as sturdy as it was when I climbed it as a teen, it’ll hold you. Get down quickly and run as far from the house as possible.”

She held onto his hand, her brows puckering. “But you’re coming, too.”

“I’ll be right behind you,” he said, shoving his feet into his jeans, and pulled on his cowboy boots.

Sadie turned back toward the bedroom door. “But what about our photo albums and the family bible?”

Hank caught her arms and stared down at her, capturing her gaze. “If you don’t get out now, you won’t be alive to care.”

“I need shoes!” she cried.

“I’ll throw them down. Please, for the love of Mike. Go!”

Sadie sat on the windowsill, ducked her head under and swung her legs out onto the sloping roof. A moment later she’d scooted to the edge, lay on her stomach and found her footing on the trellis. With a thumbs-up, she started down.

Hank darted for Sadie’s boots. A moment later, he shouted, “Watch out!” He sent the boots sailing toward the ground. Then he exited through the window and scooted across the roof. He turned and placed his foot on the first slat of the trellis, when Sadie appeared below him, staring upward. “Get away from the house!” he yelled, waving an arm. “Run!”

She shook her head. “Not without you.”

“Go!”

Sadie turned and ran toward the barn. She tripped, fell, scrambled to her feet and kept running. The farther away she went, the better Hank could breathe.

He’d just placed his foot in the next slat, when the world exploded around him, thrusting him into the air. He flew through the sky and landed on the ground, the air knocked from his lungs, his head bouncing on the hard earth, hard enough he saw stars, then nothing.

S
adie had almost reached
the barn when the house exploded behind her. The force of the blast knocked her off her feet. She slammed onto her belly and slid across the dirt. As debris fell to the ground, she covered the back of her head to protect herself. When the air grew still, she pushed to her feet, and turned back toward the house.

Where was Hank? Oh, God, he wasn’t behind her like he’d said he’d be. She started toward the burning house and stopped when a figure stepped in front of her.

He wore dark, baggy clothes and a black ski mask, and he held a handgun in his gloved hand. “Damn you.”

Sadie recognized the gravelly voice from the night before. This was the same person who’d attacked her outside of the bar, and probably the same person who’d shot at her and hit Lloyd instead.

“You did this.” Rage roiled in Sadie’s belly and erupted upward in her chest. “You shot Lloyd, destroyed my home and…and…Hank.” Sadie took another step forward, desperate to find the man she loved more than her career, her house in LA and more than breathing. He could be injured, possibly dying. She had to get to him.

“He’s dead, and soon you will be, too.” The person in black pointed the gun at Sadie and pulled the trigger.

Sadie’s breath caught. She didn’t have time to move, nor could she dodge fast enough to avoid a bullet. Thankfully, the gun jerked in the attacker’s hand and the bullet went wide, missing Sadie completely.

Sadie dove, rolled and came to her feet, rushing toward the person in black.

“Bitch!” Before the attacker could aim, Sadie hunkered low and plowed into him like a bull into a matador. All her pent-up fury took both of them several feet back, landing in a heap on the ground. The gun bounced out of her assailant’s gloved hand and skidded across the dirt, out of reach.

Sadie landed on top of the attacker and pinned him to the ground. “You bastard! If you’ve killed Hank, I’ll choke the living shit out of you and sling your sorry ass into the house so you’ll burn in hell where you belong.” Furious, she could feel the fire burning inside of her as well in the blaze of her home going up in flames, she was beyond caring if the fiend had another weapon.

The body beneath her struggled, bucked and kicked. It felt too small to be a man and didn’t have the strength to throw Sadie off. Grabbing the ski mask, she yanked it off his head and gasped.

Long, bleached-blond hair spilled out onto the ground, and a familiar face glared up at her.

“Carla?” Sadie shook her head. “You?”

She spit at Sadie and bucked again. “Damn you to hell. You should have died, damn it. You were supposed to fucking die!” Carla swung at Sadie, catching her in the side of the head with a balled fist.

Sadie fumbled for her wrists, dodging the blows. When she finally had both of them, she pinned her to the ground. “You’re family. Why do you want me dead?”

“You’re making money hand over fist, living the good life. While I’m stuck here, buried on a ranch I hate, cleaning up after a man who doesn’t know I exist. Then you waltz back into town, snag the man I dated first in high school, and rub my nose in all your fucking glory. I hate you. I hate this ranch. I hate my husband, and I want you all to die.”

“You’re making no sense. If we die, you’re on your own. No better off than if we lived.”

“Bullshit. If you and Fin die, the ranch comes to me. Me!” She fought again to free her hands. “I’d sell this shit hole. Some Californian with more money than brains would pay top dollar for this little corner of hell, and I’d have enough money to move as far away from Eagle Rock and Montana as I could get.”

“Well, you’re going to get part of your wish,” a deep voice said behind Sadie.

She turned, and her heart squeezed hard in her chest.

Fin’s jaw was tight, his gaze dark and his face ashen. A horse stood behind him, dancing backward, nickering, the flames reflecting in its frightened eyes.

“You knew what you were getting into when you married me.” He took another step forward. “I made no bones about staying in Montana.”

Sadie rolled off Carla and stood.

Carla staggered to her feet, her hair wild about her shoulders and her lip curled in a snarl. “I was a fool to think your four years in the marines would show you there was a whole other world out there. I married you because you’d been somewhere beyond Eagle Rock. I was sure I could change your mind. Make you move. Ha!” Carla spit on the ground at Fin’s feet. “You’re never going to leave this place.”

“Damn right. When I was taking live fire in the hills of Afghanistan, all I could think about was home. Montana. This ranch. I have no desire to go anywhere else in the world.” He flung his arm out. “Why should I? This place is paradise compared to where I’ve been.”

Sadie could feel the pain in Fin’s voice. He’d come back from his four years in the Marine Corps a changed man. Gone was the carefree teenager who’d run wild through the Crazy Mountains. For the first year after he’d returned, Sadie’s parents said he’d jumped at every loud noise and had nightmares where he’d yell so loud, he woke himself and everyone else in the house.

“You can have this place.” Carla stepped away from Sadie. “I’m done. I’m going to move to Reno with my mother.”

“Are you forgetting something?” Sadie crossed her arms over her chest. “You’ve committed a couple of crimes. “Arson and multiple counts of attempted murder.”

Carla’s eyes narrowed. “You won’t turn me over to the sheriff. It will be too much negative publicity for your career.”

“Sweetheart, as a celebrity, any publicity is good for my career.” Sadie jerked her head toward the burning house. “And I’m not the one who started the fire.”

“Sadie won’t have to turn you over to the authorities,” Fin said. “I’ll do it.” He reached for her.

Carla dodged his grasp and dove to the ground.

Before either of them knew what she was going for, she’d grabbed the handgun, rolled to her back and fired.

The bullet hit Fin in the leg and he went down, clutching his thigh. “Damn you.”

“Fin!” Trying not to think about the crazy woman waving the gun, Sadie dropped to her knees beside him. Her hand covered the wound, applying pressure to staunch the flow of blood. Blood leaked through Sadie’s fingers. “I need to stop the bleeding,” she said through chattering teeth.

“My shirt.” Fin sat up shrugged off his coat, then quickly removed his shirt, and handed it to her.

She pressed it against the wound, praying Carla didn’t take the opportunity to shoot her in the back. Sadie needed to get help for Fin and find Hank. The last she’s seen him, he was still on the roof of the house. Had he made it down from the roof before the building exploded? The force of the blast could have thrown him.

Sadie had to assume Hank lay somewhere unconscious, or he’d have been there when Carla pulled the gun on her. She refused to think for a moment he’d fallen into the burning inferno that used to be her family home.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Carla push off the ground, rising to her feet and holding the gun in front of her. “I’m not going to let you condemn me to some stinking Montana jail, while you two go on about your charmed lives. I put up with years of living in this hell. I’ve done my time. Now, it’s time to make you pay.”

“Then do it,” Sadie said. “Shoot us and get it over with.” She glared at the woman, heat from the fire warming her face, anger searing through her soul. “But you won’t get away with murder.”

“Sure I will. You two had a quarrel—a falling out.” She sneered. “I’ll leave the smoking gun in your hand,
sis
, and a note written in your handwriting.”

“Only one flaw in that plan,” Sadie said. “You’re not going to do it. You can’t shoot straight, and you’re too much of a coward.”

“Is that what you think?” Carla held the gun out in front of her. “Just watch me.”

“Hey!” A deep voice called out over the roar of the fire.

Sadie’s heart leaped with joy and then crashed with fear. “Hank! Watch out! She has a gun!”

Carla spun to face Hank, the pistol pointed at his chest. She backed toward where Sadie knelt beside Fin. “Stay back or I’ll shoot Sadie.” Carla stood between Sadie and Hank, the hand holding the weapon shifting between them, pointing at Sadie.

Hank ground to a halt and held up his hands. “Give it up, Carla. It’s over.”

“The hell it is. As long as I have this…” Carla waved the gun at Sadie, “I’m still in the game.” Her eyes narrowed.

A cool wind blasted between the barn and the burning house, lifting the flames higher. The first flakes of snow mixed with falling ash. Sadie shivered, wearing nothing but a shirt and jeans, she was exposed to the chilled air.

Carla reached out and grabbed a handful of Sadie’s hair, pulling her to her feet, while pointing the gun at her head. “Come one step closer to me, and I’ll shoot a hole in her head so big, there won’t be anything left to put back together.”

“Carla,” Fin said. “Put down the gun. You can’t shoot us all. One of us will get to you before you finish the job. You’ll go to jail for murder.”

“I’m not going to jail for anything. I’m leaving, and Sadie’s my ticket out of here.” Holding onto Sadie’s hair, she shoved her toward the front of the house where the cars stood in the light of the fire. Carla leaned close to Sadie. “And if you’re thinking of tripping me or making a break for it…know this: I’ll shoot Hank first, and then I’ll finish off Fin. You can run, but you won’t have anyone left to come home to. Got it?”

“Sadie,” Hank said. “Do what you have to do. Don’t worry about us.”

“Shut up!” Carla jerked the gun toward Hank, and fired off a round.

Taking a chance, Sadie twisted, and slammed into Carla, hoping to knock her over. But, Sadie couldn’t get enough leverage, and Carla still had a hand in her hair.

“Bitch!” Carla screamed.

She pulled so hard, Sadie’s head snapped backward and her eyes filled with tears of pain, temporarily blinding her. She couldn’t see if Hank or Fin had been hit. The snow was now coming down in earnest, and the house fire raged on. Carla shoved and pushed her forward, kicking her shins and kneeing her in the sides. “Move!”

When they were close to Carla’s car, the woman let go of Sadie’s hair.

Sadie twisted around, flinging out an arm hoping to catch Carla’s hand holding the gun.

Carla was ready for her to fight back and got in the first hit, knocking Sadie in the temple with the butt of the pistol.

Sadie staggered backward, pain knifing through her eye. Out of the corner of her uninjured eye, Sadie saw Carla’s trunk pop open. Before she realized what Carla had in mind, she was shoved. She lost her balance, and fell backward, the trunk catching her beneath her bottom. Sadie threw her arms in the air, flailing for purchase, finding none.

Another shove sent her falling into the trunk, her legs shoved in after.

“No!” Sadie grabbed the edges and tried to pull herself out, but the trunk lid was slammed downward. She had less than a second to pull her fingers back before the lid crashed down and crushed them.

Complete darkness enveloped her.

The muffled sound of Carla yelling came to Sadie through the metal surrounding her, “Come near me, and I’ll fire into the trunk. I swear I’ll kill her now.”

The engine revved. Shots were fired, and the vehicle jerked backward, spinning around. Then they were moving forward.

Shivering, her eye aching, the tissue around it swelling, and her sockless feet so cold she could barely feel them, Sadie refused to give up. Her only saving grace was Carla was a lousy shot with a pistol. Hopefully, she’d missed Hank and Fin. She prayed Hank would stay with Fin and make sure he was all right before attempting to do anything about finding her.

Carla’s vehicle lurched along the gravel drive leading out of the ranch, driving faster than was advisable on the sloping road. She slowed slightly, bumped over the metal cattle guard at the entrance and veered sharply, the tires sliding across pavement as she turned onto the highway, heading away from Eagle Rock.

Sadie felt along the darkened interior of the trunk, searching for release catches on the rear seats. Didn’t most new vehicles allow the seats to fold down to get long items into the trunk, stretching into the back seat? She worked her fingers around what she assumed was the back seat, searching for a hard plastic button, and prayed she’d find one. Finally, she located a plastic button and pushed it. Nothing happened. She mashed the button again and shoved as hard as she could. Half of the rear seat flopped forward at the same time as the car made a sharp turn off the road and bounced down another gravel road, going so fast, it skidded sideways, throwing Sadie across the trunk. Doing her best to brace herself against the trunk lid, she grabbed the side of the seat still standing and pulled herself through the opening.

She glanced toward the windows. The snow had thickened into near whiteout conditions.

Carla leaned forward in the driver’s seat, peering through the windshield, the wipers working overtime to keep up with the developing storm. She was concentrating so hard on the road in front of her, she didn’t hear Sadie, or see her in the rearview mirror until Sadie reached around the back of her seat and wrapped her arms around her neck. “Park it, Carla,” she said.

Carla screamed and slammed on the brakes.

Sadie lurched forward, but held onto the seat and kept one arm tight against Carla’s throat.

Carla clawed at her arm with one hand. “Let go of me,” she gasped, “or I’ll crash the car and we’ll both die.”

“Don’t do it, Carla. You don’t want to die anymore than I do. Just park it and let’s talk this over.”

Instead, Carla jammed her foot onto the accelerator, and the car leaped forward. The road ahead was little more than a trail, climbing up into the Crazy Mountains, twisting and turning. “I’d rather die than go to jail,” she said, pushing the car faster and faster up the mountain.

Soon the road grew narrower, and the sides fell away, plunging down jagged slopes.

Sadie loosened her hold and rested her hands on the other woman’s shoulders. “Carla, please stop the car. We can talk this over.”