Ranger Redemption (Brotherhood Protectors Colorado Book 3)

by Elle James

  Knowing she’d been tased, she knew her muscles could take up to fifteen minutes to fully recover. If she wanted to get away from Nathan, she had to regain control of her own body first.

  She willed strength into her fingers and toes. Little by little, she could move them and then her arms and legs. But not enough to fight off a man who weighed at least a hundred pounds more than her.

  When he finally pulled to a stop, she was blinded by the glare of sunshine off the surface of the clear mountain lake she used to picnic beside with RJ and JoJo.

  “Here’s where the trail ends.” Nathan climbed out of the ATV and came around to unbuckle her seatbelt.

  It hadn’t been a full fifteen minutes, but enough time had elapsed that Emily had control of her muscles. But she didn’t want him to know it until she was in a position to get away.

  Once again, he grabbed one of her arms, dragged her out of the ATV and bent to throw her over his shoulder again. When he lowered his head, she raised her knee sharply, aiming for his nose.

  She heard a sharp crack.

  Nathan yelled, staggered backward and clutched a hand to his nose as blood ran down his face.

  Emily scrambled to her feet and ran. Her legs were wobbly. She tried but couldn’t move fast enough to get away before Nathan hit her again with the stun gun.

  This time, he held it against her. Pain shot through her, and she fell to the ground.

  “Why did you have to go and do that?” he said. “I only want to be with you. And I will have you, despite the fact you’ve been sleeping with another man.”

  He didn’t lift her and carry her this time. Instead, he grabbed both of her wrists and dragged her across the gravel toward the lake.

  Her head spun, and her thoughts were scrambled. What was he doing? Why was he dragging her toward the water?

  “You’re the only woman who ever listened to me. I know you love me, not that other guy. He’ll never love you like I do. Never.”

  He slowed and came to a stop on the shore. “Don’t you see? You belong to me. You and I were meant to be together. I gave you roses. I gave you my heart.” He pulled something from his pocket and held it over her head. “I carried a part of you with me.”

  It was a pair of her lace panties he’d stolen from her apartment.

  “Now, we will always be together. You and me forever. No one will find us and keep us apart.”

  He left her on the shore, went back to the ATV and drove it to the edge of the trail, climbed out and gave it a hard shove.

  The vehicle disappeared down a steep incline, making a loud crashing noise down below.

  Emily’s head stopped spinning as the effects of the stun gun waned. She still couldn’t move her muscles enough to run.

  Nathan returned, took her wrists in his hands and walked into the lake, pulling her along with him.

  The icy water wrapped around her, dragging at her clothes, sucking her downward.

  Nathan didn’t stop until he stood in water up to his chest. He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “The cold quits hurting when your body goes numb,” he whispered, his teeth chattering. “It won’t be long, and I’ll have you to myself forever.”

  Nathan moved deeper, until the water was up to his neck.

  Emily floated along with him, unable to move from the effects of the stun gun and, now, the freezing cold numbing her limbs.

  Was this how it would end? Would she drown with a deranged man, never to see Cage again?

  Nathan moved another step, taking her under with him.

  Chapter 17

  Cage arrived in the kitchen to find it empty. He looked in the pantry and still couldn’t find her. Knowing Emily, if she had glanced out the back door and seen the smoke coming up behind the barn, she would have gone out to help.

  Cage burst through the back door about the time the band stopped playing.

  The sound of a small engine caught his attention, and he looked out across the yard to where a gate stood open. He caught a glimpse of a two-seater ATV heading across a pasture into the tree line. His gut told him Emily was in that ATV, and she hadn’t gotten in of her own free will.

  His heart in his throat, Cage raced for the barn, threw open the door and ran inside to where the four-wheelers were parked in the far corner. Smoke drifted through the cracks in the wood, but the fire wasn’t inside the barn, but behind it.

  He jumped on one of the four-wheelers, started the engine and raced toward the door.

  RJ appeared in front of him.

  He swerved to miss her and nearly ran into a wall.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “It’s Emily.” Cage struggled to point the ATV toward the door. “Someone’s taken her.”

  “Where?” RJ called out.

  “Through the gate behind the lodge,” he said.

  “That doesn’t lead to a road. All the trails leading out of that pasture go up to a lake.”

  “Then there’s no time to lose. We have to get to her.”

  RJ ran for the back at the barn and jumped on one of the four wheelers. “Wait for me. I know the shortest route.”

  “Catch up with me. I’m not waiting.” Cage hit the throttle and raced out of the barn.

  Jake waved at him as he went by. “Where are you going?”

  “Emily,” he called out and leaned forward on the ATV, aiming for the back of the lodge and the open gate leading into the pasture.

  RJ caught up, passed him and led the way into the trees where a trail wound up the side of the mountain.

  As they neared the top, movement caught Cage’s eye.

  The ATV he’d seen leaving the back of the lodge pitched over the ridge ahead.

  RJ had to dodge the vehicle as it crashed down the side of the hill into the trees.

  Cage’s heart leaped in his chest until he realized the seats had been empty. He gunned the throttle and flew up the reminder of the trail, shooting over the top to a flat area where a lake spread before him.

  Something dark bobbed in the water, and then sank below the surface.

  Cage didn’t hesitate, he drove straight for the lake. When he reached the edge of the lake, he dove off the ATV and into the water. The cold hit him like a bolt of electricity, shocking his body with its intensity.

  He powered past the pain and swam out to where he’d last seen something on the surface. Sucking in a deep breath, he dove down, reaching ahead of him with his hand. When he touched something, he grabbed it and pulled it to the surface with him.

  As he came up, a strong arm wrapped around his leg and yanked him under.

  He kicked and fought his way free. But his other leg was captured, and he was dragged down again.

  This time when Cage surfaced, he gulped air and dove down, fighting off the man who was keeping him from getting to Emily.

  He gripped the man’s arm, pulled him up, wrapped his arm around his neck and snapped his head to one side.

  The man went limp.

  Cage shoved him to the side, gulped more air and dove to the bottom of the lake. The silt at the bottom was stirred up, making it too murky to see clearly. He had to feel his way along the bottom, praying he would find Emily before it was too late.

  When his fingers tangled in hair, he grabbed a handful and shot for the surface. Once there, he floated her onto her back.

  It was Emily, and she wasn’t breathing.

  Cage knew he had to get her out of the cold water before she succumbed to hypothermia. As it was, his limbs were numbing and not working at full potential. He swam for the shore.

  RJ had waded in up to her hips. She grabbed Emily under her arms and dragged her through the water. When they reached the shore, Cage lifted her legs. They laid her out on dry land and rolled her onto her stomach.

  Cage straddled her hips and pushed the water out of her lungs.

  “She’s still not breathing on her own,” RJ said.

  Cage flipped her onto her back, pinched her nose and breathed into
her mouth. He did it again and again.

  RJ felt Emily’s neck. “I have pulse. Weak, but there.”

  Suddenly, Emily coughed and spit out water.

  Cage sat her up and pulled her into his arms. But he was as wet as she was and couldn’t give her the warmth she needed.

  Two four-wheelers and one two-seater shot over the top of the trail and came to a stop a few feet away.

  Jake and Max leaped off their ATVs, stripping out of their shirts.

  Gunny came up behind them, handing over his shirt and the T-shirt he’d had on beneath it. “We need to get her back to the lodge and bring her body temperature back up ASAP.”

  His body shaking from the cold, Cage lifted Emily from the ground and carried her to the two-seater.

  “You can’t hold her all the way,” Jake said. “You’re too cold.”

  Cage didn’t want to let go of Emily, but Jake was right.

  Jake sat in the passenger seat. Cage laid Emily in his lap and Gunny slid in behind the steering wheel.

  Emily reached for Cage. “You found me.”

  “Damn right, I did,” he said. “I’ll see you at the lodge.” He looked to Gunny. “Go.”

  Cage mounted his four-wheeler and followed Emily all the way to the bottom of the trail. Then he sped ahead of the two-seater, arriving at the lodge before they did.

  He had JoJo running for blankets and heating pads and Sadie drawing a bathtub full of warm water.

  When Emily was brought into the lodge, Jake carried her straight up the stairs to the bathroom where he settled her into the bathtub, clothes and all.

  Cage knelt on the floor beside her, shivering and holding her hand.

  Emily smiled up at him, her teeth chattering. “You’re cold, too.”

  He nodded.

  RJ wrapped a towel around his shoulders. “The sheriff is on his way to deal with the body. I’ll leave you two alone.” She exited the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

  “Get in,” Emily slid to the side as much as she could.

  “No,” he said. “Not until your body temperature is back to normal.”

  “What about yours?”

  “I’ll be fine. I wasn’t the one who almost drowned.”

  She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. “He hit me with a stun gun. I couldn’t move a single muscle to save myself.”

  “That bastard.” He felt no remorse for snapping the man’s neck.

  She opened her eyes and reached for his hand. “All I thought about was the fact I wouldn’t get to see you again.”

  He chuckled though he felt more like crying. “You scared ten years off my life.”

  “We had it wrong,” she said.

  “What did we have wrong?” he said, holding her hand beneath the warm water.

  “Nathan Small was a junior.”

  Cage frowned. “That was his name?”

  Emily nodded. “Nathan Small, Jr.”

  “JR was for junior?” Cage squeezed her hand. “He set up Jimmy with the bat and panties.”

  Emily nodded.

  “That doesn’t excuse what Jimmy did to you,” Cage said.

  “No, but he wasn’t the stalker. Nathan was.”

  “And he will never threaten you again.”

  Emily frowned. “He won’t.”

  Cage met her gaze. “Never.”

  Emily sighed. “I should feel bad, but I don’t. I believe I’ll need to schedule an appointment for myself to work through PTSD for almost drowning.” She shook her head. “I never want to go through that again. Even this tub full of water is giving me the heebie-jeebies.”

  “I promise not to let you drown, but you have to stay until you’re warm.”

  “I’m warm,” she said. “And I’m ready to snuggle in bed with lots of blankets and you.”

  He grinned. “That can be arranged.”

  Cage helped her out of the water, stripped her wet clothes off and dried her off with a couple of big fluffy towels. Then he carried her into his room, wrapped her in a dozen blankets and laid her in the bed.

  “I’ll be back in a flash.” He left her long enough to duck into the bathroom to get a hot shower and dry off. Two minutes later, he was back across the hall, wearing a towel and a smile.

  RJ caught him going into his room. “Is Emily warmer?”

  “She is, and about to get even warmer.” He winked, stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

  He settled in the blankets, wrapping his arms around her. “For the record, I love you.”

  “For the record,” she said, “ditto.”

  Epilogue

  Cage stood with the box holding Ryan’s ashes at the edge of the summit of Pikes Peak.

  The sun shone down on them from a bright, beautiful Colorado sky. At 14,111 feet, the air was cool, the wind brisk and the view seemingly endless.

  “Well, Ryan, you’d be happy to know, I’m well on my way to fulfilling our dreams. I finished the Pikes Peak Marathon, I found the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, and someday soon, I hope to have a couple of kids with her. If we have a son, we’ve agreed to name him after a military hero. I voted for Patton.”

  “Don’t listen to him, Ryan,” Emily said as she stood beside Cage, the wind whipping her auburn curls around her cheeks.

  “Just kidding, buddy,” Cage said. “His name will be Ryan, after the best friend a guy could have ever had. I miss you, but it helps to know you’re finally going to learn to fly.” He glanced toward Emily. “Are we all clear?”

  Emily looked back toward the visitors’ center. “There are half a dozen tourists taking pictures in front of the sign. None of them are looking this way. Now would be a good time…if you’re ready.”

  Cage knelt on the ground, opened the box and let the wind do the rest.

  Emily knelt beside him and wrapped her arm around his waist. “I would have liked Ryan,” she said.

  “He would have loved you.” Tears slid down Cage’s face as he said a silent goodbye to his friend. His brother. His family.

  He rose to his feet, helped Emily to hers and stuffed the empty box into his backpack. They stood for a long moment, watching the ashes lift and float away in the wind.

  Then Cage turned Emily in his arms. “Ready?”

  She nodded, leaned up on her toes and kissed his lips. “I’m ready for whatever the future will hold for us.”

  He nodded, his heart swelling with the love he felt for this woman. “As long as we’re together.”

  Afterword

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  Breaking Hearts

  DELTA FORCE STRONG BOOK #5

  New York Times & USA Today

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  ELLE JAMES

  Chapter 1

  “What are you doing behind the bar?” Jim “Sarge” Walker emerged from the kitchen of the Salty Dog Saloon, carrying a tray loaded with hamburgers and fries. Sweat pebbled his bald brow as he frowned in her direction.

  Sophia Phillips grinned. “Looked like you could use a little help. Where’s Mags?”

  Sarge grimaced. “She’s running late. Today is her day to get her nails done. You know how that goes.”

  Sophia shook her head. Mags’s number one priority was to look good. At fifty-one years old, she wasn’t growing old without a fight.

  Sarge put up with her being late because she was good at what she did. Mags was an excellent waitress, and she kept things running smoothly in the saloon.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Sarge said as he strode by with the tray of food.

  “I thought I’d help myself to a drink while waiting for my friends.”

  “While you’re there, you can help me with a couple mugs of beers from the tap for the two men at table six.”

  Sophia chuckled. “Gotcha.” She positioned a mug beneath the tap and pulled the handle forward. After
that mug filled, she set another beneath the tap and filled it as well. When both mugs were full, she carried them to table six.

  “Hey, Red, when are you gonna marry me?” asked one of the two men.

  Sophia’s lips twisted. “What would your wife have to say, Joe?”

  Joe grinned. “What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

  “Yeah.” Sophia pressed her lips together. “Don’t be a dumbass. Becky’s the best thing that ever happened to you.”

  “Yeah, but she isn’t a redhead like you,” Joe said.

  “Be nice to her,” Sophia said. “She might take off with a better man and leave you in her dust.”

  “I’m not married,” the other man said. “When are you gonna marry me?”

  “Never in a million years, Randy.”

  “You cut me to the core,” Randy said, clutching his heart.

  She collected their empties and loaded her tray. “I’m sure the bleeding will stop soon.” Sophia turned as a woman with sandy-blond hair and blue eyes entered the saloon, wearing blue medical scrubs.

  Sophia smiled. “Hey, Beth.”

  Beth pulled a rubber band out of her hair, smiled and waved at her across the room. “Hey, Sophia. I thought you weren’t working tonight.”

  “I’m not,” Sophia said. “I’m just filling the gap until Mags gets here.”

  “Good, because we’re celebrating.” Beth stretched her arms over her head and arched her back. “I could use a Painkiller, if you want to mix one up for me.”

  “I heard the guys were back from deployment.” A thrill of excitement rippled through Sophia’s body.

  “When did they get in?” Beth asked.

  “Last night. I heard Blade’s truck door slam after I went to bed.”

  “And did you run out to see him?” Beth asked with a teasing grin.

  Sophia shook her head. “I was already in bed, or I might have. I figured we’d see them tonight. I know Nora and Layla are probably beside themselves.”