by Elle James
Reggie could wiggle a toe, and then another. Her fingers tingled and moved.
One thousand and ten. One thousand and eleven.
The Master shoved the key into the lock and flung open the door to a dark, dank, earthen cell.
As if a veil lifted on her muscles, Reggie could feel when the paralysis lifted, and her legs would answer her brain’s command to move. She kicked out, slamming her feet against the doorframe. She pushed so hard it took the Master off balance. The arm he’d had clamped around her legs loosened enough she twisted and fell out of his grip, crashing to the floor.
The Master reached for the door and tried to swing it closed.
Reggie rolled to her knees, bunched her legs beneath her and rushed him like a linebacker going for the quarterback. Her shoulder hit him in the gut, sending him flying backward. He landed hard on the floor. Without the use of her arms and hands, Reggie couldn’t slow her momentum and crashed to the floor on top of him.
He lay for a moment, the wind knocked out of him, unmoving.
Reggie rolled off him, pushed to her feet and raced up the stairs.
“Bitch!” he yelled and came after her, clomping up the stairs in his boots.
Thankfully, the door was still open.
Reggie ran through and straight for the window she’d broken out. It was her only hope. He wouldn’t have time to reload the taser. If she could get to the window first, she’d make it.
Down the hallway, into the empty room and across rotting wooden floor she flew. She didn’t care that she would be going through the window headfirst or that she had no way of breaking her fall. All she knew was that she had to get away from him, or she’d die. She didn’t slow but kept moving, using all her momentum to throw herself through the opening. Her body sailed through. And as if in slow motion she saw the windowsill pass by. Her head ploughed through an overgrown bush, and her legs had almost cleared the room. She was almost free when a hand reached out and snagged her ankle.
Her flight came to an abrupt halt, and she crashed down into the bush, the hand on her ankle feeling like an iron shackle.
Reggie kicked at it, but another hand captured her other foot, making it impossible for her to fight his hold. She was slowly dragged over the branches and the windowsill, back toward the house and into the room. Her only hope left was that Sam and the Brotherhood Protectors would find her. She drew in a deep breath and screamed as long and loud as she could.
Sam had the windows down in his pickup as he turned down the rutted path leading to the location where the green light designated on the GPS tracking device. When the ramshackle house came into view, he heard a piercing scream.
Rather than slow his truck, he raced toward the house and skidded to a stop at the foot of the rotted steps leading up to a front door. He drew his weapon from his shoulder holster, threw open the truck’s door, leaped out and ran up to the front door of the dilapidated house. Boards had been nailed across the entrance. It would take him too long to pull them free. By then, Reggie would be dead. He ran around the corner to where a covered shed had been built, butting up against the side of the house. A dark sedan had been parked beneath the rickety shed.
Another scream sounded from inside the house.
“Sam, you copy?” Bear’s voice sounded in his headset.
“Roger.” He slipped between the car and the house. A door stood open, the window busted out of it.
“Taz is on the other side of the house. Our bogey just pulled Reggie in through a window. He’s coming in from that direction. I just made it around the perimeter to the side with the shed. I’m coming in behind you. Don’t shoot me.”
“Roger. Going in.”
“I’d say wait for backup,” Bear said, “but it sounds like she’s in trouble. Go!”
Sam stepped through the door. Glass crunched beneath his boots, but he didn’t slow. Sounds of a struggle came from a room deeper inside the house. He hurried forward, his pistol in front of him.
He found his way through a kitchen and a sitting room, what little light left in the sky barely making it through the grimy windows. When he emerged into a hallway, he found Reggie, her arms trapped behind her, her back pressed up against a man wearing a ski mask who held a pistol pointed at her head.
“Come one step closer, and I’ll shoot the bitch,” the man warned.
Reggie’s gaze was wild and piercing. “Sam. Don’t listen. Shoot him. He’s going to kill me anyway.”
“You don’t want me to kill her,” the Master said, his mouth drawing up on one side beneath his mask in a sneer. “I saw you two together in the tavern. You’re sweet on her. You don’t want her pretty face splattered all over your hands.”
“Sam,” Reggie said, her tone calm, insistent, resigned. “Shoot him. If you don’t, he’ll kill the others.”
Sam’s heart pinched in his chest. “I can’t. I risk hitting you.”
She sighed and gave him a weak smile. “Please, Sam. You have to do it for the others. For me. I promised I’d get them out. And you can’t let him get away.”
“Shut the hell up,” the man said and poked her temple hard with the tip of his pistol. “You’ve been nothin’ but trouble. You weren’t even that good to screw. Why, I should…”
“Shoot her?” Sam said, leveling his gun at the man’s chest. He couldn’t pull the trigger yet. If he did, the bullet would pass through Reggie before it hit the man in the heart. But he could be ready. If anything changed…if Reggie were to get away from him…he’d take that shot. The man had to die. He was pure evil. He didn’t deserve to live, much less to breathe the same air as Reggie. “You know if you shoot her, you’re a dead man. I’ll take great pleasure in filling you with holes. But I’d hit you where it hurt a lot before you died. I’d make you feel every bit as much pain as you’ve inflicted on the women you’ve abused.”
Sam’s anger took him a step closer. “Men who prey on women aren’t men. They’re cowards who can’t find a woman to love them because they’re too weak and pathetic.”
“Shut the fuck up,” the man bit out. “Do you think I care if she dies? I don’t. She means nothing to me. Go ahead, like she said and shoot me. You’re not going to let me live anyway. Think I care if I die?” He snorted. “I’m tired of hiding. Tired of living where people treat me like shit. Go ahead and shoot me. Go ahead.” He tightened his hold on Reggie, his finger shaking on the trigger. “But I’m taking her with me.”
Reggie shook her head. “You bastard. You don’t deserve to get off that easy.”
Just then, he saw Reggie shift. Sam wasn’t sure what she was doing, but she dipped slightly, her arm flexing behind her.
The man behind her squealed and hunched over, the barrel of his weapon moving from the side of her head.
At the same time, Reggie bent in half, giving Sam the opening he needed to take the shot.
He did, hitting the man in the shoulder of the arm holding the gun. His arm jerked back, the weapon flying from his fingers to skitter across the floor.
Reggie let go of her captor’s balls that she’d been squeezing and staggered forward into Sam’s chest. He circled his free arm around her, his gun held steady on the man in the ski mask.
The Master grabbed his arm and dropped to his knees. “Go ahead. Kill me. You know you want to.”
Sam felt his frame tremble. The urge to do just that was strong. “Oh, man, I do. But I want to see you suffer more. What’s the going sentence for someone who has held a woman captive and raped her on multiple occasions? Multiply that by the number of women you’ve done that to.” Sam snorted. “You’ll be in prison until you die. And maybe someone there will use you as his bitch and rape you, too.”
Bear entered the room, his gun drawn. “I see you got everything under control. Want me to take over?”
“Please,” Sam said. “Reggie and I have more to do.” He nodded toward the man in the mask. “Let’s see who the bastard is who had to hide behind a mask to feel like a man.”
Bear reached over and plucked the ski mask from the man’s head.
The guy beneath had salt and pepper hair and appeared to be in his mid-forties.
Hank entered the room from the hallway, his gun drawn, followed by Taz, Molly, Kujo and Six. “I see you’ve found Timothy Thomas. I believe you’ve not only committed multiple violent crimes, but you’ve also violated the hell out of your parole.” Hank holstered his weapon. “The sheriff is on his way out to collect his prisoner. Have you found the women? Are they alive?”
Reggie turned. “If you’ll get me out of this, I’ll lead the way.”
Sam pulled his pocket knife out of his jeans and sliced through the plastic.
“First, give me your jackets,” Reggie said.
The men stripped out of their jackets and handed them to Reggie. She motioned for Molly. “They’ll be more comfortable seeing women first.”
Molly nodded.
Reggie bent and ripped the keychain off Thomas then led the way down the stairs into the cellar, opening the doors one at a time.
The women inside fell into her arms, crying. Their naked bodies were bruised and dirty, but they were alive.
Sam watched as Reggie and Molly wrapped each one in a jacket and passed them over to the Brotherhood Protectors to carry out of the basement and the house, up into the fresh air.
Ambulances arrived along with several sheriffs’ vehicles.
The ladies were loaded into the ambulances first and carried off to Bozeman, where they’d be evaluated, have rape kits run on them and be treated. Their families would be notified, and they’d start the long road to recovering from the horror they’d endured at the hands of their captor.
“You, too,” Sam said, nodding toward the ambulance. “You need to be checked over by a doctor and have a rape kit done on you as well. Every voice needs to be heard. All the evidence needs to be collected. That man needs to stay in prison for the rest of his life.”
“I’ll go, but I’d rather you took me,” she said. “That’s if you don’t mind.”
“Sweetheart, if you wanted to ride in the ambulance, I’d ride with you.” He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I don’t want to let you out of my sight ever again.”
She laughed, feeling better by the minute. Then a thought occurred to her. “Grunt. What happened to Grunt?”
The sheriff chose that moment to walk up to Sam and Reggie. “You must be Sam Franklin, Hank’s new agent. I’m Sheriff Barron.”
Sam shook the man’s hand.
The sheriff turned to Reggie, his smile as gentle as the hand he held out to her. “And you must be Reggie McDonald. From what Hank tells me, you’re quite the hero.” He held her hand in his and patted it softly. “I’m sorry you had to go through what you did. But I’m glad you had the chutzpah to get yourself out of it and bring us to the others. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Thank you,” Reggie said, her eyes suspiciously bright. A single tear slid down her cheek. “I don’t see myself as a hero, though. I only did what I had to.”
“Well, you did a hell of a job.” He let go of her hand and turned back to Sam. “I just got word from one of my deputies who knows the veterinarian. Your German Shepherd was stunned by a blow to the head, but he’ll live. He’s got him resting at his office until you can collect him. No hurry, if you want to see this amazing woman to Bozeman for a checkup.”
Sam let go of the breath he’d been holding, a rush of emotion filling his chest. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Reggie slipped an around his waist and leaned her cheek against his chest. “We should go. I want to be back in Eagle Rock before it gets too late. Grunt needs you.”
Sam chuckled and held her close. “I came to Montana to start living my life and maybe find someone I cared enough about to share it with me, someone who might care enough about me to consider being a part of my life.” He gave her gentle smile. “Here it’s been less than a week, hell less than a few days, and I think I’ve found the woman of my dreams.” He tipped her head up and stared down into her eyes. “Don’t let me scare you off. I’m willing to wait until you’re healed and ready to think about dating. But I hope I can be first in line when you decide you’re up for it.”
She laughed. “I’ll pencil you in on my calendar.” Reggie leaned up on her toes. “I wouldn’t want to miss out on my very own hero.”
“Oh, baby, you’ve got that all wrong.” Sam shook his head. “The sheriff nailed it. Sweetheart, you’re the hero. I was just along for the ride.”
“Well, take me to the doctor. I want to know I’m okay physically.” She cupped his cheeks in her palms and brushed her lips across his. “I’m thinking I might be recovering sooner rather than later.”
“Darlin’, no rush. I’ll be ready whenever you are.” He slipped her into the crook of his arm and escorted her to his pickup.
As they drove away from the house, Reggie looked back at the structure and shivered. “To think, someone used to call that home a long time ago.”
“It’s a shame that Thomas used it like he did. The best thing that could happen would be for someone to bulldoze it and plant a tree in its place.”
Reggie turned to face the front. “That’s how I will think of it. As if someone planted a tree there. No more looking back. The future is in front of me. I’m not giving another minute of my thoughts and memories to the past.”
Sam reached across the console for her hand and held it on the hour-long drive to Bozeman.
He knew it would take more than a promise to let go of the past. Reggie would be plagued by flashbacks and bad dreams until they faded. But knowing her tormentor was locked away for good would bring a measure of closure to that chapter of her life and allow her to build a future.
Sam realized it was the same for him. He’d come to Montana weighed down with grief and regret over his last mission that had gone so badly.
Reggie was right. The future was in front of him. He couldn’t change the past, and he wouldn’t wallow in it. And if he had to wait a month or a year or two for Reggie to recover enough from what she’d gone through, he would. She was worth it. The woman would risk her life to help others, including him. The least he could do would be to help her find a new normal. Hopefully, with him.
Chapter 16
“Sam? Are you ready? Everyone is waiting in the van.” Reggie stood inside the front door of the big old, drafty house they’d bought for a song three years ago and yelled up the stairs to her husband. She shifted her six-month-old baby girl to her other hip.
“I’m coming. I can’t believe you wanted me to wear this old thing.” He came down the steps dressed in his formal dress blues with colorful ribbons covering his left chest and a shiny gold trident flying above them.
Reggie’s heart fluttered as it always did when she saw her husband coming toward her. He was as handsome now as the day he’d pulled her out of the river. And he was such a good father to their eight children.
He stopped in front of her and let her tug at his necktie.
“You know you wanted to wear it,” she teased. “Abe’s never seen you in your dress blues. He’ll be so proud to have you there when he swears into the Navy.”
“He should have gone into the Air Force,” Sam muttered.
Reggie snorted. “As if you’d let him.”
“It’s not as hard.”
“Abe’s up for it.” Reggie smiled. “He’s going to be amazing at whatever he does. He’s had you as a role model.”
“That boy had it in him before he met me. We just gave him the opportunities he needed.” Sam kissed the top of her head. “Did you hear from Hank?”
“Sadie called. They left fifteen minutes ago. They’ll be in Butte before us, if we don’t get a move on.”
“Anyone else coming?” he asked.
“Swede, Bear, Boomer, Chuck, Trevor, Gavin. Hell, it would be easier to ask who’s not coming.” Reggie smiled up at him. “They’re all so proud of Abe and want to give hi
m a good sendoff.”
“Well, let’s get going. We wouldn’t want Abe to be late for his swearing in.” He reached for his daughter.
Reggie backed away with her. “No way. She’ll burp up milk all over your jacket.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“No, you’ll drive,” she said.
“You know, you’re a lot easier to get along with when you’re naked.” He swept her into his arms and planted a long, satisfying kiss on her lips.
“Sam! You’re impossible.” She laughed and swatted at his arm.
Samantha hooked her daddy’s arm and made the transition to him like a little monkey.
Reggie shook her head, giving up. She could never be mad at Sam. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a friend, lover and husband. They’d been in perfect agreement over adopting Abe and his six siblings when they’d finally found out that their mother had died of an overdose, leaving them orphaned. The state had had one condition—Sam and Reggie had to be married in order to adopt all seven of the children.
That hadn’t been a problem at all. The Brotherhood Protectors had experience putting on weddings and were quick to pull it together. The wedding had been perfect with the children participating in the ceremony and agreeing to love honor and cherish each other for life.
With Timothy Thomas safely ensconced in jail for the rest of his life, and the women he’d terrorized free and recovering, life had only gotten better.
Abe had graduated from high school at the top of his class. He’d preferred to defer college in lieu of following his adopted father’s footsteps into the Navy. He’d even been training seven days a week to Navy standards, borrowing the pool at Hank’s to build his swimming skills and strength.
Sam was so proud. The rest of the Brotherhood Protectors had taken a personal interest in Abe’s training, all volunteering to run, swim or weightlift with him.
Lacey was in her last year of high school and already had a full ride scholarship to Montana State University.
The other children had taken to Sam and Reggie as if they’d been starved for love and attention. And they’d all been ecstatic when baby Samantha had come along.