Page 99 of Entangled with a Mountain Man

But I'm facing an enemy I can't see, can't fight. And it's tearing me apart.

But as I turn to head back inside, ready to throw myself into the search once more, I promise Kenzie and our unborn child that we'll have that future. All of it and more.

I will find you. I will bring you home. And when I do, I'm never letting you go again.

With renewed determination, I stride back into the house. My team looks up expectantly, waiting for orders.

The team's already assembled, their faces grim and focused. Axton, Owen, Callum, and Jace stand at attention. And as we gear up, I catch my reflection in the window.

The man staring back at me isn't the cold, calculating soldier. But a man scared out of his mind for the woman he loves.

Because I do love her. God help me. I love her more than I thought possible.

Once we're suited, I turn to my team, my brothers in arms, and give the order that will change everything…

"Find my woman."

22

GHOST

KENZIE

I can't see a damn thing. The blindfold's so tight it's digging into my skin. My wrists burn from the rope, and my shoulders ache from being tied to this chair for God knows how long. But none of that compares to the fear churning in my gut as I listen to Paige and Ian argue.

"You ruined everything!" Paige screams, her voice shrill and unhinged. "Our marriage, our life, all of it!"

"Paige, please," Ian begs. "This isn't the way. Let Kenzie go."

"Let her go?" Paige laughs, but it's a harsh, bitter sound. "So you can run off with her? I don't think so."

My heart races. I need to say something, anything, to defuse this situation. "Paige," I call out, trying to keep my voice steady. "I swear to you, nothing happened between Ian and me. We never?—"

"Shut up!" Paige shrieks. Something crashes nearby, making me flinch. "You lying whore! I know all about your little affair."

"It wasn't her," Ian says, his voice low and desperate. "Paige, listen to me. Kenzie's not the one I was with. It was someone else. She's innocent in all this."

The silence that follows is deafening. I hold my breath, praying that Ian's words will get through to her. But then I hear Paige's footsteps, slow and deliberate, coming towards me.

"Innocent?" she hisses, her breath hot on my face. "There's nothing innocent about you, is there, Kenzie? Coming to our town, trying to steal my husband..."

"I didn't—" I start, but she cuts me off with a stinging slap across my face.

"Paige!" Ian shouts. "Stop it!"

I taste blood in my mouth, but I force myself to stay calm.

Everett will come.

I picture his face, and my heart wants him here now.

He'll find me. He has to.

"You want to know what innocence looks like?" Paige's voice drips with venom. "It's me, believing every lie this bastard told me. It's me, thinking we could have a real family. And then you show up, and suddenly he's sneaking around, making phone calls, acting like a lovesick teenager."

"That wasn't because of Kenzie," Ian insists. "I told you, I was?—"

"Dealing with some business," Paige mimics. "Yeah, I've heard that one before. Well, I'm done hearing your excuses. Both of you can rot in hell."

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