Page 80 of Relentless Hearts
Cal was on his feet instantly, reaching for something on the table. A rifle.
Decker’s training took over.
Then Willow’s sharp cry came from his right.
But Cal already had Decker in his sights and his finger on the trigger.
Red fury hazed his vision. In that second, he almost shot the bastard between the eyes. But he couldn’t predict what Cal would do. He couldn’t risk her taking a bullet.
In three strides, Decker rushed Cal, knocking him off-balance. He slammed his pistol into his nose and heard bone crack, then used the momentum to shove him face-first into the floor.
“I should put a fucking bullet in your brain.” The words came out like gravel, like violence barely contained.
“Decker.” Willow’s voice, weak but alive, wobbled.
Every instinct screamed at him to go to her, to gather her up and make sure she was okay. But his number one priority was neutralizing the threat. If Cal got free, if he had a weapon they’d missed, Willow would be in more danger.
He drove his knee into Cal’s spine, keeping him pinned while Carson moved in with zip ties.
Cal struggled, legs flailing.
“Keep moving and you die,” Decker rasped. “And I will make it slow.”
Only when Cal was secured with his hands and feet bound, and Colt had the weapon cleared, did Decker allow himself to look at Willow.
She was chained to the floor, her ankle raw and bleeding, her face white as a sheet. But she was alive. Breathing. Watching him with those gray eyes that had haunted his waking nightmares all night.
He rushed to her side and his knees hit the floor. Carefully, he reached for her, aware that she could be so deep in her mind that she could push him away.
“D-Decker.”
He let out a puff of air and gathered her gently to his chest. “I’ve got you.”
She clasped onto his shirt and clung to him. Her ankle was a mess. Jostling the chain at all would cause her more pain.
He cupped Willow’s beautiful face. “Theo? That son of a bitch have a key on him?”
“Be happy to check.” A few thumps sounded as her brother roughed up the bastard who’d kidnapped their sister. After a few grunts and groans, they located a key in Cal’s pocket, and Theo held it out to Decker.
As efficiently as possible with his hands shaking, he worked the lock on the chain.
“I knew you’d come,” she whispered.
“Always.” The word was a vow, a promise he’d keep for the rest of his life.
Theo and Colt hauled Cal out to the truck while Carson called the police. Decker lifted Willow in his arms and carried her out of that nightmarish cabin into the clean mountain air.
Her truck was where he’d seen it, hidden under the tarp in the carport. How Cal got it here after kidnapping Willow was still a mystery to be determined. Whether he used an ATV or walked all the way to town to fetch the vehicle didn’t matter.
Her brothers could take care of the truck. Right now, all that mattered was getting Willow home.
The drive back to the ranch was silent except for Willow’s occasional shaky breath. Decker kept one hand on her the entire time, needing the physical contact to ground him, to prove that she was safe.
They arrived at the house to shock and cries from all the women. Aspen rushed out of the room for the first-aid kit, and Shiloh darted off to collect extra blankets.
When they reached their room, he set Willow down gently on the bed and started checking her over with clinical precision—the same way he’d assessed injuries in the field, except this time his hands were shaking.
Her stare was fixed on his face, watching every nuance of his expression. “I’m okay. Decker, I’m okay.”
