Page 105 of Montana Memory

“There is no money,” I gasped between waves of agony. “Alan tricked you. He lied to everyone—to me, to you. He used me just like he used you.”

Kelly released my wrist, shoving me backward so hard I stumbled against the chest.

“Wrong answer,” he said, bending to retrieve the knife I’d dropped. “I don’t even care about the money anymore. This is personal now.”

The blade glinted as he raised it. I pressed back against the wall, cradling my broken wrist against my chest.

“You’re going to die screaming,” Kelly promised, his voice eerily calm as he stepped toward me.

I searched desperately for any escape route, any weapon, any miracle—but found nothing. This was it. I closed my eyes, thinking of Hunter, wishing I could tell him just once that I loved him.

I braced for the burning slash of the knife.

Instead, the lights went out.

Total, impenetrable darkness engulfed the room.

“What the—” Kelly’s voice cut through the blackness.

I froze, not daring to breathe, not knowing if this unexpected darkness was salvation or just another form of nightmare. And I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to waste it. My heart slammed against my ribs as I dropped to my knees and began crawling, cradling my wrist against my chest. Every movement shot pain up my arm, but I kept going. I had to get to the side door. Hunter had used it once, said it was the easiest exit if you didn’t want to be seen.

I’d barely made it a few feet before beams of light cut through the black. Johnson and Kelly were using the flashlights on their phones.

I ducked my head and tried to curl into a shadow, but it was no use. The light swept over me like a spotlight, and Kelly’s voice rang out, raw and pissed. “Got you. You’re going to die, bitch.”

I whimpered and kept crawling.

“Thought you were smart?” he snapped. “You’re not. You’re just a stupid girl who’s about to bleed out on this damn floor.”

He reached for me. I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for the slice of the knife. Part of me hoped it would be fast. Not that I thought either of them had the decency for that.

Then, before my eyes, a shadow detached itself from the darkness behind the two men, and suddenly, Johnson was airborne, thrown across the kitchen with shocking force. The crash as he hit the far wall seemed to shake the entire house.

Kelly whirled, his flashlight beam dancing wildly through the darkness. “What the?—”

The light caught a glimpse of Hunter’s face—hard as granite, eyes burning with a barely contained fury I’d never seen before. My heart leaped into my throat.

“Get away from her,” Hunter growled, his voice deadly quiet.

Kelly dropped the flashlight and lunged at Hunter with the knife. The beam spun crazily across the floor, casting grotesque shadows as the men fought. Hunter moved with the lethal precision of a predator, each strike calculated and devastating. He caught Kelly’s knife hand in mid-thrust, twisting until I heard bones crack.

Kelly screamed as the knife clattered to the floor. Hunter’s fist connected with his jaw in a sickening crunch, and Kelly crumpled.

A second beam of light clicked on from the hallway, revealing Lucas restraining a dazed Johnson while Lachlan covered them both with his service weapon.

But Hunter didn’t even glance their way. He was already dropping to his knees beside me, his fierce warrior demeanorinstantly softening. His hands cradled my face, his eyes skimming down my body to assess the damage.

“I’m here,” he whispered, voice shaking. “I’ve got you.”

I didn’t even realize I was crying until I saw the look on his face.

“I thought—” I choked. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

He picked me up and, careful of my wrist, set me down on his lap. “I’ve got you,” he murmured into my hair. “I’ve got you now.”

I buried my face in his chest, unable to even get words out. But I didn’t have to. Hunter was here. He would keep me safe.

“You’ll never be alone again,” he said into my hair. “Not on my watch.”

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