I might be laying it on a little thick, but I fake a gag again and groan. They need to believe that I’m fighting to hold this in.
The driver doesn’t pull over. Instead he speeds up, down a winding back road surrounded by trees. The sun is setting, its fading rays pouring through the woods. It’ll be dark soon, and that’s both good and bad for me. If I can get away, it will make hiding easier. But I won’t know where I’m going either.
Jon said that he was coming. How does he know where I am? I don’t have time to think about it, I just need to trust that he is on his way.
The guy next to me is literally leaning away from me now, eyes glued to my face like I’m going to hurl at any moment. Good.
The van pulls into a long driveway far too fast. At the end of the drive looms a big old-fashioned manor house that looks like it’s been here for a hundred years. The van practically skids to a stop and the guy pulls the door open, getting out of my way as I scramble out and stumble to my knees on the gravel, dry heaving. Georgie is with me, and my hand is around his leash.
I know that I only have a few seconds before they realize that I’m not actually going to throw up, and I’ll thank forever the instinct that made me take off my high heels earlier today. Don’t panic. Stay calm. Stay focused.
Run.
I push off the ground and sprint for the line of trees. Georgie instantly runs with me. He knows, somehow, exactly what I need, running faster and practically pulling me after him.
It’s so sudden that it takes a couple of seconds for the men to react. But behind me there’s suddenly yelling, and the crunch of gravel, and I hold back a scream as there’s a gunshot that hits a tree far too close. Don’t panic, don’t react.
I disappear into the trees, pushing myself hard, ducking behind the trees so they don’t have a direct line of sight to me. I hear crashing, but I’m faster. We crest a hill and I stumble down it. The sound of running water is close. That’s good, it’ll cover my sounds.
A small series of waterfalls are in front of me, and I see what might be a good hiding spot. I can’t outrun them forever, and once it gets dark the adrenaline and fear will be too much. I’ll make stupid mistakes. I’ll make sounds. The best thing to do is stay put and trust that Jon will find me. I drop down the couple feet over an outcropping of rocks.
Water seeps into my sneakers and I lift Georgie down with me. He comes into my arms without any trouble. In the distance I hear sirens. And what might be a gunshot.
My heart is pounding in my ears, and Georgie growls softly.
“Shhh.” I try to keep quieter than the rushing water next to me and push further into the shadows.
The snap of a branch makes me jump, adrenaline surging through me. I hold onto Georgie tighter and get ready to run again if I have to. I’m not giving up this easily.
I move closer to the waterfall, not caring that the water is soaking my clothes, only hoping to be less visible.
“Sadie,” my name is called quietly but firmly.
Everything in me sags in relief. It’s Jon’s voice. I step out from the rocks and see him on the bank. His face is tight, searching. “Jon.”
Putting Georgie down, I scramble up the bank but he’s already there pulling me up and into his arms. He scoops me up and I don’t even have time to kiss him because there’s a click behind us. Georgie growls at my feet.
“Clever,” a voice says. “I didn’t think you’d have the guts to run away, Sadie.”
Jon releases me and pushes me behind him before I can turn and see Jack Singleton pointing a gun at the two of us. “Jack,” he says.
“See, I knew that you would follow her. You’re not stupid. You’d have some kind of way to track her. Back-up plan after back-up plan.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Jon says. “You can walk away.”
Jack laughs. “Are you kidding? After that bitch ruined all my plans? No, Jon. You can walk away. You can choose to survive. You always were a cocky little shit, and I always managed to put you in your place.” He puts his arms out wide. “And as you can see, I’m still five steps ahead of you.”
“How do you think this is going to work?” Jon asks. “She’s a public figure, and she just called you out. You don’t think people are going to link her death directly back to you?”
His smile makes me sick. “Accidents happen. They can’t connect a death to me if she’s never found. I’ve got lots more dogs, and they’re always hungry.” Jack’s eyes flick to me. “Have anything to say?”
“You don’t scare me.”
He chuckles. “Then why are you standing behind Johnny boy here?”
“Because she doesn’t have a choice,” Jon says. “You want her, you’re going to have to go through me. This is a long time coming, Jack. You want to settle this like men?”
“It’s not my fault that you only brought your fighting arms to protect your woman. You may do well in the ring, but your fists aren’t a match for my gun. Bad planning, Jon.”
Just then, Georgie launches himself at Jack and bites him in the leg. He screams and flails, trying to shake the small dog from his leg, but Georgie’s teeth are sunk in, and there’s already blood seeping through his pants. As he tries to free himself from Georgie, the gun goes off. Jon is suddenly on him, executing a perfect kick to the gun and knocking it out of his hand. They go down together, a tangle of limbs and punches.
I can see the gun, and I run for it. Jack can’t get it back. The sun has dipped below the ridge and the woods are getting dark quickly. I can see beams of light lights now, streaming through the trees. People are getting closer, but I have no way of knowing who they are. Are they here to help us or help Jack?
I point the gun at Jack, but I can’t do anything. Fuck. There’s no way that I won’t hit Jon if I pull the trigger. They’re too close together. But Jon doesn’t need the help. He’s unleashed himself and his perfect precision on Jack’s face, and I see the moment he connects.
Jack goes still, but Jon keeps hitting him. Jack’s face is bloody, but he’s unconscious, if not worse. Jon’s going to kill him, and as much as I have no sympathy for this man, I’m not letting Jon go to jail.
“Jon, stop.” He doesn’t. “Stop!”
Suddenly he looks at me and sees the gun, and he registers what he’s done. He stands as lights burst through the trees.
“Police!”
Jon and I raise our hands. “It’s Lawson,” the officer shouts. “Singleton is unconscious.”
I put down the gun, but I move my hands slowly and keep them in front of me. The two cops don’t even seem to pay any attention to me, scooping up the gun and moving to secure Singleton. And then I’m in Jon’s arms, wrapped up so tightly that I can barely breathe.
And I don’t care. If I get to stay in his arms I never have to breathe again. “Are you okay?”
“My hand will hurt tomorrow,” he says. “But other than that, I’m fine.”
“How did you find me?”
He smiles in the darkening light. “There’s a tracker in Georgie’s collar. In all the dog’s collars. They told Ben that they were taking you to a different hotel than what you told me. And Ben and I pieced it together.”
Behind him, the cops have cuffed Singleton, though he is still unconscious on the ground.
Jon tilts my face up and studies me. His fingertips run over my cheeks and down my shoulders, searching for signs of injury. They move frantically with equal parts possession and care. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” I say through chattering teeth. I’m uninjured but I’m wet and cold, and given what could have happened, that’s nothing. Georgie scrabbles for attention at my hip, and I scratch him behind his ears.
“When I realized that he had you,” Jon says, “I was terrified. And the only thing I wanted to do was to tell you that I loved you. Not casually. Not as a slip up that I could brush off or that you could ignore. But truly. To look you in the eyes and tell you I love you. I don’t care if you think it�
�s too soon. It’s not for me. I love you, Sadie.”
“I love you,” I say back. Because of course I do. It’s impossible not to. Something connected us that first night and never let us go. And when I heard his voice, at a time when I was more scared than I’d ever been my entire life, I knew. I just knew. This is the man who is meant for me. Who will love me and protect me no matter what. Yes, we met in the most casual way, and I never intended for any of this, but I can’t deny what’s in front of me, and it’s not something I can ever let go.
He kisses me, and I swear that the entire world could be on fire, and I wouldn’t care, as long as I got to kiss him more. As long as I could stay in his arms forever
In spite of everything, we are going to be okay.
12
Jon
If I thought that people wanted to talk to me about my fight victories, it is nothing compared to the press attention and requests I’m getting after being involved in a kidnapping rescue.
The story about Sadie’s kidnapping and rescue went national. Naturally, Sadie is made for flashy front pages and the evening news, but also the body cam footage from the cops was leaked. It showed me beating the hell out of Singleton as Sadie picked up the gun. It was a moment made for television, and the attention has been pretty intense.
Sadie and I became media sensations over night. Some of the magazine covers have been positively hilarious, making us look like some mercenary couple: guns blazing and looking to put bad guys behind bars. Even if the story has been blown way out of proportion, Sadie’s network is going crazy over the PR and it’s basically assured her that she can have her choice of assignments going forward. Bill is pretty unhappy, and ever the prick, he is treating her worse than ever now that she is on top. But since I’ve started randomly showing up at the studio to surprise Sadie, he’s kept himself in line.
The case against Jack Singleton is clear-cut. He is being charged with kidnapping and assault, as well as the threat against me and the damage to Sadie’s house. Since he was arrested, more witnesses have come forward to confirm the dog fighting ring, so those charges are going to stick, too. He will be going away for a long time.
Of course, not all of our press coverage has been complimentary. There have been some personal stories about our relationship, some implying Sadie is just a rebound for me after being abandoned by Kristy. And of course Kristy gave her own interview and tried to add fuel to that fire. Other stories featured the still from the body cam of us kissing and suggested that love was going to make me unfocused and soft. That my edge is gone and there is no way that I could continue my winning streak. Seriously, the stories have been all over the place.
I managed to stay focused, though, through all the hype and distraction. Mostly because Frank doesn’t give me another choice. And this morning, the front pages will be splashed with news of my decisive win at my fight last night. That’s where I want the focus. Not on my personal life or on Sadie, but on my sport, and I have no plans to change that right now. If anything, I feel more focused and sharper than I’ve ever felt in my life. It seems love has given me more to fight for.
I will never forget how powerless I felt when I thought I was going to lose Sadie before we barely had a chance to get started. So I’m going to fight harder in every aspect of my life to make our lives perfect.
And right now, in this moment, it is perfect. I have a few rest days after major fights, so I don’t have to leave my bed to go running this morning. I get to stay here with Sadie stretched out naked beside me. She’s gorgeous in her sleep, with her hair flying in every direction over her pillow, her face perfectly relaxed.
She basically lives here now. Neither of us wanted to be apart after the incident with Jack, and we fell into it more easily than I expected. All the dogs—especially Georgie—are completely taken with her.
I think I’d be literally in the doghouse if I ever tried to take her away from them. They’re currently piled at the foot of the bed. But given the way the comforter is falling down her back, I’m tempted to kick the dogs out of the room and go for a little morning sex.
Gently, I drag my fingers down her side and watch her shiver. See the goosebumps rise in the dim morning light. God, I need to touch her. I pull her closer and wrap my arms around her.
Sadie stirs but doesn’t wake, smiling softly. Or maybe she is awake because she sighs, her words slurring as she turns to me. “Are you just going to watch me sleep?”
“I love to watch you. I could watch you all day long.”
“Creeper,” she says, smiling a little deeper.
I smile. “I’ve seen you watch me in the gym plenty of times, Miss Crawford.”
Her eyes open. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh? You think I don’t notice when you sneak down to watch Frank beat the hell out of me. Or how your eyes are glued to my sweatpants when I jump rope.”
She cuddles closer and tucks her head under my chin. “You can’t blame a girl, and you’re the one that’s doing the beating most of the time. Besides. We both know you fight better if you have an audience.”
“Is that right?” I ask, rolling us so that she’s underneath me. This is my favorite place to have her. When she’s close, she’s safe. When I can feel every inch of her and know that she’s whole.
“Your muscles like it when I watch,” she says, teasing. “I think they like me.”
“They do like you,” I confirm. “Absolutely.”
She groans. “I don’t want to go to work today.”
“I don’t want that either. I have a completely free schedule today.” I brush my lips across hers. “You could call in sick.”
Sadie raises an eyebrow. “Given that I was perfectly healthy yesterday, and that the whole world knows your training regimen thanks to that Men’s Fitness article, they’re going to figure it out.”
I laugh. “What do you mean? You have a problem with people figuring out that you’re taking a day off for sex?”
“Is that what you think we’ll be doing all day?”
Dragging my lips across her collarbone, I feel her shiver. “I do think that. Here’s my proposal.”
“I’m listening.”
“I’ll let the dogs out, and then I’ll spend some time worshipping your fucking perfect body. Then I’ll make you breakfast,” I say. “After that, we can shower. Together, if you like. Maybe have a little downtime before I eat you for lunch. And dinner. And dessert.”
She groans. “You’re really tempting me.”
“Give in.”
“I can’t. You know I can’t.”
I kiss the bottom of her jaw. “What if I come to the studio with you and fuck you right after you come off the set.”
Sadie bites her lip. “You know when I was supposed to interview you? I had to do research, and I saw the video of one of your fights. I had this fantasy about you in the locker room, high on victory.”
My morning wood turns into a full-on boner. I’ve never been with a woman wo could make me so hard. I know exactly what she means. After winning a fight, you’re filled with adrenaline and endorphins, and there’s nothing that you want more than to just feel like you own the whole world. Fucking her after a win would be the greatest fuck of my life. “Fuck.”
“I have to go to work,” she says softly. “But that doesn’t mean that you can’t fuck me before I go.”
I kiss her, teasing her lips open before edging her legs apart. “Dogs,” she whispers.
Sighing, I pull away from her. “Come on pups,” I call. “Everybody out.”
They go without making a fuss, used to me and Sadie locking them out for periods of time. As soon as I close the door, I’m back with her, drowning her in kisses that are growing more and more fiery and desperate.
“I love you,” I tell her. “So fucking much.”
“Even though I can’t call in sick for sex?”
“Yes,” I laugh. “Even then.”
She arches her body up into
mine, teasing me in the way that she knows drives me crazy. “It’s still early,” she says. “We might be able to have sex and breakfast.”
“If I can’t have you for lunch, then maybe I’ll just have to have you for my breakfast. But I’ll still make you pancakes.”
Sadie laughs, a lovely, bubbling sound. “I love you. Thank you for saving me.”
She’s said that to me a lot since she was taken, and every time I tell her the same thing. “You don’t need me to save you. But I’ll save you every time you need me to.”
“Always?” she asks.
“Always.”
And I kiss her.
Epilogue
Sadie
Six Months Later
The referee lifts Jon’s arm into the air in victory, and the entire crowd goes wild. His winning streak is intact, still undefeated in every fight.
This one was harder than the others, and there were moments when I thought he might go down. But every time he turned the tides, focusing and pulling back until he regained control. It was masterful to watch, and so, so fucking sexy.
Attending fights is something different for me, but I’ve learned to embrace the adrenaline and energy in the arena. It’s sometimes hard to watch him take hits, but he gave more than he took. And watching him win is well worth it. Especially now that the lights in the arena sparkle against the brand-new piece of jewelry that decorates my left hand.
Jon took me back to the glass pavilion on the mountain, which I now know is on property that is owned by Frank. I owe him my life too. He helped orchestrate my rescue with Jon, and now that I am seeing him nearly every day when Jon trains, I know him a lot better. He is a good guy.
Up in the ring, the ref is turning Jon around to every side of the venue. When they face me, he smiles, a huge grin despite the fact that he is clearly out of breath. Exhausted after a hard fight. But I hope that he isn’t too exhausted. Because today I made arrangements to make the fantasy that we both have come true.
Big Man’s Happily Ever After Page 23