by Ruby Madden
Fucking hell. Lou was still behind her. Still coming after her.
Why couldn’t he just leave her alone?
Panic clawed at her insides. She had to get out of the car now and keep moving.
She snapped open the seat belt and pulled on the door handle. Nothing happened. She tried again and pushed against the door at the same time. It refused to budge.
Knowing time was of the essence, she climbed across the center console and tried the passenger-side door. It flung open and she tumbled out onto the muddy forest floor. Rain pelted her skin and soaked her to the bone in a matter of seconds. She glanced up the incline and spotted Lou descending the bank.
She struggled to her feet and ran.
“Stop,” Lou shouted above the racket of wind and rain.
Sophie ran faster. Her feet sank into the mud and the rain half-blinded her, but nothing short of a lightning bolt was going to stop her.
“Goddamn it, I said stop,” Lou screamed.
There was a loud bang and then bark on a nearby tree exploded and rained down on her. Sophie gasped and ducked. Crouching, she glanced over her shoulder and saw Lou advancing toward her with a pistol clutched in his right hand.
Holy shit. She darted behind the huge base of the nearest tree. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. Running wouldn’t work. While she might be able to outpace Lou, she couldn’t outrun a bullet. Her best chance of survival was to hide, but where? A frantic glance at her surroundings only revealed trees and low-lying shrubbery. Even if she could find a good tree to climb, Lou would most likely see her doing it and just aim at her from the ground.
If she wanted to survive the night, she was going to have to fight back. There was no other option.
Scanning the ground, she looked for a makeshift weapon and found a good-sized tree limb she could use as a club. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. Maybe if she had the element of surprise on her side she could gain the upper hand.
She darted from one tree to another, using the bushes for cover when she could, and circled back around toward Lou instead of away from him. Once she’d found the right spot, she stayed put and waited.
She didn’t have to wait long. Lou obviously didn’t think he needed to worry about stealth. He sounded like an elephant clomping toward her.
The second his footsteps sounded close enough, she raised her makeshift club and swung with all her might. The wood bucked in her hands as it glanced off Lou’s shoulder and struck him against the side of his face and neck. The impact reverberated up her arms and into her shoulders so strongly she almost dropped the tree limb. Lou shouted in surprise and pain and pulled the trigger. The bullet sliced through her upper arm, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.
“You’ll pay for that, bitch,” he hissed.
“Leave me alone!”
She ignored the pain and swung again, hitting him upside the head. The second strike did the trick. Lou fell back into the mud and remained still.
Sophie dropped the branch and ran like hell.
Chapter Three
Rick looked up from the book he was reading on his laptop and cocked his head to the side. “Did you hear that?”
Toby paused his video game. “Hear what?”
“I’m not sure. It sounded like a gunshot.” The noise had been low, too far off in the distance to identify with any certainty.
Toby leaned back against the couch cushions. “You sure it wasn’t the game?”
“No.” He wasn’t sure of anything. “I guess it could have been the game. Sounded like it came from outside though.”
“I didn’t hear anything.” Toby shrugged and restarted his game.
Rick closed his laptop and set it on the coffee table. “I’m going outside to check the land.” He owned over a hundred acres, all of which backed up into National Forest property. Since it wasn’t hunting season and no one had permission to hunt on his land, there was no reason for anyone to be firing off a weapon within hearing distance of his property, and his gut was urging him to check it out. He wouldn’t be able to rest until he’d reassured his bear that their territory was safe.
“It’s raining outside,” Toby helpfully provided.
“I’m aware of that,” Rick answered, rising to his feet. “Don’t worry. I won’t melt.”
“More like float away.” Toby snickered.
Rick rolled his eyes. “There’s only one little shit in this house and it isn’t me.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Toby kept his gaze glued on the TV screen. “Enjoy your stroll in the rain.”
Rick didn’t bother replying. Toby wasn’t paying attention to anything he said anyway. The kid was lost in the la-la land of whatever shoot-‘em-up game he was addicted to this week.
He stepped out onto the covered front porch, stripped off his clothes, and set them on the seat of one of the two wooden rocking chairs flanking the door. He trotted down the stairs, inhaled, and called his bear to the surface. The change came over him, swift and absolute, and he trotted off into the woods to inspect his territory.
The rain slowed to a light drizzle by the time he reached the southeast edge of his property. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he rounded the perimeter and headed north in the direction of the highway. Halfway between his cabin and the highway, he caught a whiff of something unusual. He stopped and lifted his head, breathing deeply.
What the hell? He smelled blood and the sweet honeyed scent of the woman who’d run into him at the store earlier in the week. His mate. He didn’t know why she’d be on his land, potentially hurt or worse, but the implications scared the hell out of him.
He took off with a roar, gaining speed with every step. He followed her scent until he found her huddled against the base of a tree, shivering and holding her face in her hands. By the way her shoulders shook, he could tell she was crying.
He kept his distance, unsure of how to approach her. He didn’t want to remain in his bear form and scare her, but he didn’t think being approached by a naked man in the middle of the woods would be much more comforting.
Before he could make up his mind, the decision was taken out of his hands. The woman lifted her head and looked right at him. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open.
She shook her head and started to laugh. “Oh God. This is just my luck. I actually manage to escape my piece of shit ex, only to be eaten by a bear. Fuck my life.”
The woman’s high-pitched laughter took a deeper turn and became great racking sobs. Her entire body jerked beneath the force of her sorrow.
Rick couldn’t stand another second of her anguish. Better she be freaked out by a naked man than think his bear was going to attack her. He closed his eyes and forced his bear to recede, ignoring the internal rumble of distress from an animal being forced to leave his potential mate. Once completed, he stood naked and vulnerable to the elements. The cool rain misted on his overheated flesh and made him shiver in the cool night air.
His mate had paled considerably more and was on the verge of hyperventilating. He held both hands up, palms facing outward toward her. “It's okay. I'm not here to hurt you. I only want to help.”
She scrambled to her feet. “You're naked.”
“I'm sorry. I can't help that. All my clothes are back at the house, which is a few miles that way.” He pointed over is shoulder in the direction toward the cabin. “I can shift back into my bear, if it'll make you more comfortable.”
“No! I mean, please don't. I've had enough excitement for one night.”
“Okay. What do you say we get you inside, where it’s warm and dry, and then you can fill me in on what’s happening. How does that sound?” He wasn’t sure what was going on, but his instincts were screaming at him to take her somewhere safe where he could coddle and protect her.
“I’m not sure…” She glanced over her shoulder and shuddered. “Yeah, okay. Anything’s better than staying out here. Let’s go.”
Rick’s fingers itched to reach out and comfort her. He tamped down his urges, knowing they wouldn’t be welcome. She was clearly shaken up and mistrustful of his motives. “Just follow me.”
On the way back to the cabin, he took his time so she could keep up with him and tried to keep an eye on her without seeming obtrusive. He noticed she was limping. If that wasn’t concerning enough, blood seeped through the sleeve of her blouse and stained her right upper arm. Despite not being able to see the wound, he could tell it was more than a scratch.
Toby was waiting on the porch when they arrived. He glanced from Rick, to their guest, and back again. “What’s going on, Rick? Who’s she?”
“This is…” Rick paused, realizing he didn’t even know her name.
“Sophie,” the woman supplied. “My name is Sophie.”
“Come on,” Rick said. “Let’s go inside. We can talk more there.”
With a frown, Toby turned and opened the door.
Rick waved the woman ahead of him, while he grabbed his jeans off the rocking chair and stepped into them. “Hey Toby. Would you run into the bathroom and grab the first aid kit, please?”
Toby nodded. “Sure.”
Rick ushered Sophie over to the sofa and sat beside her. “That last thing I want to do is cause you any more pain after everything you’ve been through tonight, but your arm obviously needs a little attention.”
She looked down at her sleeve and touched the outer edge of the wound. “He tried to shoot me. Did shoot me, I guess.” She winced and dropped her hand back into her lap. “I think the bullet just grazed my arm. I was lucky.”
Lucky wasn’t a word he would use to describe her circumstances tonight. “Do you know who tried to shoot you? Was it your ex? You mentioned him outside.”
“Yeah. I don’t know how he did it, but he somehow managed to track me down. I tried to get away from him, but he rammed his car into mine and forced me off the road. When I ran, he chased me through the woods and shot at me. What kind of crazy person does that? I think he was really trying to kill me this time.”
Pure, unadulterated rage consumed him. “He’s hurt you before?”
She gave a stiff nod and looked away.
“Where is he now?” Because Rick was going to track that SOB down and fuck him up. Someone needed to teach him a lesson he would never forget.
“I don’t know. I picked up the biggest limb I could find and hit him with it. He might still be lying out there somewhere. I might’ve even killed him. I hit him pretty hard.”
A fast death was too good for some asshole who abused women. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you get everything straightened out. The important thing is you’re safe now. Nobody can hurt you while you’re here. You have my word on that.”
“Thank you. I don’t know why you’re helping me or being so nice, but I’m grateful.” She gazed up at him with eyes like limpid pools of the deepest crystalline water and he wanted nothing more than to drown in her.
He resisted the urge to lean in and wrap his arms around her. “You don’t need to thank me. I’m only doing what any responsible person would do.”
“You’d be surprised how little most people will do if it means sticking their neck out for a stranger.”
Toby reentered the room with the first aid kit. “Sorry I took so long. I don’t know when we last restocked this thing, but it was almost empty. I had to scrounge up some new supplies.” He handed the box to Rick and sat on the coffee table in front of them. “So… are you okay? What happened to you?”
Sophie sighed and curled her shoulders inward. “My ex attacked me.”
“Holy shit,” Toby exclaimed. “Why’d he attack you?”
“That’s enough.” Rick shot Toby a dirty look and hoped he took the hint to shut up. He popped open the kit and rifled through the contents for what he needed. “Sophie, I need to roll up your sleeve so I can see the wound. Is that okay?”
She nodded. “Go ahead.”
As carefully as he could, he rolled her short sleeve all the way up to her shoulder. The wound looked like a deep scrape and stretched a little over two inches long. The skin around the injury was already starting to purple and would be one hell of an impressive bruise come morning.
“All right. It isn’t as bad as I expected. It needs to be cleaned out—which will probably sting like hell—and then I’ll apply some antibiotic cream and dress the wound.”
“Go ahead,” she said. “I can take it.”
“Okay. Here we go.” Rick gently cleaned the area and covered it in antibiotic ointment. He pulled out a roll of gauze and some medical tape and wrapped her arm. “All done.”
“Thank you.” Sophie fingered the edge of the bandage. “I appreciate the help.”
“It’s no problem. I’m happy to help.” Rick put the unused supplies back in the box and snapped the lid closed. “Now that you’re settled, I’m going to go out and have a look around and see if your ex is still lurking in the forest.”
“No.” She shook her head and the smell of fear exuded from her pores. “You don’t want to do that. You don’t know Lou. If he’s still out there, then he has a gun and he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot you.”
“Believe me, I can take care of myself. However, if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll get Toby to call the sheriff and have him meet me down by the highway. After we look around, I’ll bring the sheriff back here so you can report what happened.”
“Filing a report won’t stop him. It never has before. You know…” She smiled without humor. “The funny thing is, I was on the way to the police station when he ran me off the road. I planned to turn him in for violating my restraining order, but I never made it there.”
“You were on your way to the station?”
“Yeah. I was afraid to go home, so I figured going to the police was my best option.”
“Where were you coming from?” There wasn’t much beyond his property except National Forest land.
“Town. I was on my way home from work at the library.”
“I hate to tell you this, but the station is on the opposite side of town from my land. You must have been driving in the wrong direction.”
Sophie groaned and shook her head. “You know, that figures. My sense of direction sucks. I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag without a GPS.”
“If it makes you feel any better, a lot of people get lost around here. We’re so rural that GPS units tend to lose signals.”
“Not really, but thanks for trying.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sophie shivered, drawing his attention to her damp clothing. He looked over at Toby. “Could you go get a pair of your sweats and a T-shirt for Sophie? I’d give her mine, but they would swallow her.” Despite her lush curves, he knew his clothes would fall right off of her.
“That really isn’t necessary,” she said. “I’m fine. Although I wouldn’t say no to a blanket right now if you have any handy.”
“No problem.” Toby got up and went to fetch a blanket.
“Are you sure you don’t want to change?”
She shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but I’d just as soon face the sheriff in my own clothes.”
“Okay. Well, I’m going to leave you here in Toby’s very capable hands while I go and check things out. If you need anything at all, just let him know. In the meantime, please make yourself at home and relax. You’re safe here.” Unable to completely resist the urge to comfort her in some small way, he patted her hands where they rested in her lap. It wasn’t the hug he wanted to give her, but it was better than nothing.
She grabbed his hand between both of her own and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up tonight.”
“I have no doubt you would have thought of something, but I’m glad I was able to help.”
Toby came back into the room carrying a large blue afghan. “Here you go.”
/> Sophie accepted the afghan and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Thanks.”
“I’m headed out, Toby. Would you mind staying here with Sophie and making a phone call to the sheriff for me?”
“Sure.” Toby nodded. “I’ll hold down the fort until you get back.”
Rick got up. “Thanks. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Sophie met his gaze and held it. “Be careful out there.”
Her genuine concern warmed him from the inside out and soothed the savage beast within that balked at leaving her behind.
Chapter Four
“So,” Sophie said, drawing a blank as to what to say. After the night she’d had, small talk just wasn’t in her wheelhouse.
“So,” Toby repeated. “Do you want something to drink? Rick hides the good Scotch, but I know where it is.”
She looked him over, from the messy bedhead to his bare feet, taking in the ragged university T-shirt and lounge pants decorated with cartoon characters which covered his lanky frame. “Are you even old enough to drink?”
“Sure I am.” He winked at her and rose to his feet.
“Mm-hmm.” She seriously doubted that.
Toby strode across the large open space and squatted to dig through a cabinet beneath the bar separating the living room and kitchen area. He made a quiet ah-ha noise and pulled out a crystal decanter filled with amber liquid. He held the bottle up like a prize and grinned at her. “Found it. Now how about that drink?”
“Why not? Make mine a double.” After the nightmare her life had turned into tonight, she deserved a little libation.
“Now you’re talking.” Toby splashed a couple of fingers’ worth of liquor into two vintage jelly glasses and carried them over to the couch. He sat beside her and passed one to her.
She took the offering and smelled the contents, which reminded her a bit of damp peat and midnight campfires. She pulled a big swig into her mouth, not expecting the alcohol to hit her taste buds like fireworks on the fourth of July. She forced herself to swallow the vile liquor and gasped at the burning sensation in her nose. “Oh my God. Why would anyone want to drink this stuff?”