Page 20 of Rescuing Sadie

Chase didn’t know what to say to that, so he said nothing as the other man continued.

“All I’m asking is that you treat Sadie right. Being married to a military man is never easy, but someone like you, who isn’t exactly Special Forces but still works with the worst of the worst, and could still be targeted by terrorists, doesn’t exactly have a life filled with sunshine and roses. But I know my niece. She’s tough. And loyal. Very loyal. Look at what happened with Milena. Even when the shit hit the fan with the school, she didn’t leave. She stayed to help and offer moral support. And instead of saving her own ass when things went to shit after they were snatched, she did what she could to help Milena. All I’m saying is that I’m glad she found a man like you.”

Chase’s chin fell to his chest in relief. It wasn’t that he needed Sean’s approval, but he sure was glad he had it. “Thanks. Means a lot.”

“But if you hurt her, there’s nowhere on this planet you can hide from me or my brothers,” Sean concluded.

Chase couldn’t help it. He chuckled. That was what he’d expected Sean to say when he claimed Sadie as his. “Right. Glad we got that out of the way.”

“You need an extra set of eyes or ears?”

Chase wanted to say no, but when it came to protecting Sadie, he’d never turn down a former Special Forces soldier. “If you’ve got someone, it would help.”

“Me and Ian’ll be down tomorrow.”

Chase blinked. He’d sorta expected Sean to send one of the younger members of the McKay-Taggart group. Or even one of the unattached men. But when he thought about it, he wasn’t surprised. If it was Rayne who was in trouble, or one of her children, he wouldn’t trust anyone else to keep her safe. “We’ll be at Fletch’s. We’re having a small get-together tonight. We were going to barbeque outside, but now we’ll keep everyone hunkered down inside.”

“Jonathan won’t try to burn the place down with all you in it, will he? You don’t want to make it easier for him to take you all out.”

Chase had thought about that too. “If you want my opinion, whatever happened inside that room has made him even more focused on Sadie. Yeah, he’s not happy with me. Enough to fucking try to kill me instead of Sadie, but I really don’t think anyone else is in danger. He’s a coward at heart. Showing up and confronting more than just Sadie isn’t his style. When the shit hit the fan at the school, he and his father ran. I’m fairly certain he’ll wait and try to ambush me and steal Sadie when we least expect it. Just like he did at that nightclub when he got his hands on Milena and Sadie.”

“I agree. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious,” Sean warned.

“Which is why we’re staying inside tonight, and why me and Sadie will stay at Fletch’s house rather than in the apartment over his garage,” Chase shot back. “When it comes to Jonathan, there’s safety in numbers.”

With what sounded like respect, Sean said, “Right. I’ll see you first thing tomorrow then. Tell Sadie her aunt and I love her.”

“Will do.”

“Later.”

“Bye.”

Chase clicked off his phone, closed his eyes, and rested his head on the headrest.

“Sean Taggart is coming down?” Ghost asked.

“And his brother, Ian,” Chase told him.

Ghost grinned. “I’ve always wanted to work with those guys.”

Chase huffed out a laugh but didn’t open his eyes. Leave it to Ghost to get excited about working with some of the most notorious badasses in the country. He wouldn’t be surprised if the Taggarts tried to recruit members of the Delta Force team at some point in the future.

Opening his eyes when he felt the vehicle slow, Chase saw that they were pulling into Fletch’s driveway. The Highlander Fletch drove the women home in was nowhere to be seen, but Chase wasn’t worried. He knew he and Ghost would’ve been notified if something went wrong with the trip home.

Ghost pulled up next to the garage, turned off the engine, and got out. Chase followed suit.

They were walking toward the house when the front door flew open.

Sadie ran out of the house, and Chase frowned. He didn’t like that she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. He did like that he seemed to be the object of her attention at the moment, but he needed her to be more self-aware. Jonathan would wait for a moment just like this one to strike.

He opened his mouth to tell her to get back inside when she stopped in her tracks. They were about ten feet apart and she stood stock still, her mouth open, her face paling.

It wasn’t until she swayed on her feet that Chase realized something was wrong. He rushed toward her and heard her say, “Your arm,” before her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out, falling to the ground in a heap before Chase could get to her.

Chapter Seven

Sadie shifted on the bed, not understanding why her mattress was so lumpy. She opened her eyes and winced at the bright light. She turned her head to the side—and froze.