Page 42 of Resisting Temptation (Men of Honor 3)
Sawyer looks back at me with a grin. “You don’t need to tell me that. He’s the best fucked-up guy I’ve ever known.” We both chuckle then he glances at his watch. “I need to go get Grace.” I nod with a smile. He slings an arm around me and walks me to my door. “Hang in there, Country. I have a feeling shit’s going to start falling into place for all of us.”
Giving me one last squeeze he heads down my stairs. “Sawyer!” He stops and turns back to me. “Thank you. For not only coming here tonight to say that, but for also helping save my life. I’ll never be able to repay any of you.”
He gives me a small smile. “You don’t need to. Like I said, it’s a choice we made that we won’t ever regret.” I return his smile with tears stinging my eyes again. Giving me a small wave, he gets into his truck and takes off.
I walk into the house, lock up and turn off all the lights but one, then crawl into bed. And as I lay in my dimly lit room, I think about everything Sawyer told me tonight.
Could I have been wrong all this time? Was it none of the reasons I thought, as to why he stayed away from me? But if it isn’t that, then why? Letting out a tired breath I close my eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. Hopefully, one day I will be strong enough to ask him.
CHAPTER 12
Cade
I knew it was only going to be a matter of time until the nightmares came back after seeing her, and tonight it had to be the mother of all nightmares: the night we escaped.
Our cell is filled with the sound of heavy boots, treading down the dark, dank cement hall toward us, the air reeking of impending death. Only, if everything goes to plan it will be their deaths and not ours. Thanks to the boy’s mother’s prior visit we just might get out of this fucking place alive.
“Where are you taking me?” Even though I expected to hear it, the sound of Faith’s terrified voice has a fierce fire spreading through my chest.
Keeping to the plan, I stay slack and appear weak. Which isn’t hard. They did a real fucking number on me after I broke that motherfucker’s neck. It’s obviously the reason they stopped giving us drugs. They figure we are weak enough, but what they don’t know is what I have always kept hidden inside of me, and I know it is going to give me the strength I need to get all of us the fuck out of here.
I hear the sound of our cell door opening, and as hard as I try to keep my head down, I can’t. Because after the longest fucking week of my life, I’m finally going to see her.
Two guards walk in first, both with smug smiles on their faces as they carry weapons that look like wooden baseball bats, but have small metal spikes on the ends of them that tear out every piece of flesh it hits.
When they split apart, my gaze lands on her, and I suck in a sharp breath at the sight of her. She’s dragged in by another two guards, one of them being the kid’s father. Wearing a long, black, silk nightgown, her face is pale with fear and swollen from abuse. Every inch of her smooth bare skin that’s exposed is marred and bruised. My darkness rises to the surface, hot and fast, threatening to erupt like a fucking volcano.
As soon as she sees me, pain like I have never seen on someone, washes over her, “Oh my god, Cade? Oh god, oh no.” Ripping away from the bastards who have a hold on her, she runs to me and drops on her knees in front of me. Her hands run along my blood-soaked body, and an agonized sob rips from her throat before she wraps her arms around my neck. “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, Cade!”
My chest begins to heave rapidly as I struggle to hold in my pain at feeling her trembling body against me. I run my nose across her battered cheek and bring my mouth to her ear, “Be ready, Red. We’re getting the fuck out of here.” I say it quietly enough that only she can hear.
Leaning back, she looks at me and realization dawns in her expression before a stark pain hits her beautiful green eyes. “They killed him,” she sobs, telling me what I already know about the kid. “He tried to save me and they killed him.”
Her agony has me feeling like someone is gutting me from the inside out. I’m just about to tell her everything will be okay but I don’t get the chance. One of the motherfuckers, who dragged her in here, grabs her by her hair and rips her away from me.
“AHHHH! No, let go of me!” She kicks and fights against him, trying to get away. The asshole turns around and backhands her, knocking her to the ground.
My fury ignites to a whole new level, and an enraged roar tears through the air as I fight against the chains that shackle me to the wall. “I’m going to fucking kill you,” I threaten through clenched teeth, “every single one of you motherfuckers are dead!”
I hear Sawyer’s curse, warning me to keep my cool, but I’m beyond that now. The kid’s father starts laughing. “Is that so, Soldier?” Walking up to me, he gets down in my face, his taunting smile coming into view. “I can’t wait until you see what I have in store for you. I am going to fucking break you!”
I give him a lethal smile of my own and look him dead in the eyes. “You can’t break something that’s already broken.” I hear Faith let out another sob, and a flicker of surprise flashes in his eyes before he quickly hides it.
