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I walk to my truck and climb in, frowning in confusion when Django and Brutus jump in over my lap as well. Even Brutus! He hates car rides, but he understands our mission. He understands what’s important here. I quickly pat him on the head before starting the car and tearing out.
I speed down the dirt road, hoping to catch up with the car that left my home before I lose it on the main road. I catch sight of it just as it’s entering the highway. They’re hauling ass though, breaking almost as many traffic laws as myself as they zip past other cars.
They don’t seem to notice me following them as hours pass. When they pull through a town and stop right in front of a mansion, I figure it’s about time I met the man behind all this. I park down the lane slip out of the car. Django and Brutus are hot on my heels, heads up and gazes keen as we slip past the gate before it closes. It’s obvious that whoever’s ordered the kidnapping is a rich man from the landscaping and the house, but I don’t pay the lavish setting any mind as I strut up the driveway.
I can hear raised voices before the sound of a loud smack stops me in my tracks. My blood curdles at the thought of anything happening to Melissa.
A second slap echoes and that’s all I can do to keep myself calm and focused. Django and Brutus break away and sprint off as I follow up the drive. A handful of figures come into view, but my eyes stay on the familiar, half-naked and barefoot woman on her knees before the tallest of the men.
My blood boils as I step towards them, shotgun raised and at the ready. I don’t care that what I am doing could get me arrested. Nothing at this moment matters to me more than getting Melissa back safely in my arms.
“Who the fuck are you and what do you want?” growls the tall, imposing man standing in front of Melissa. He looks just enough like her that I can only assume this man is her father. I hate him already, but I hate him more when I see that one of her cheeks is red and beginning to swell. I’m thankful as I watch Brutus place himself between him and Melissa, his ears back as he bares his teeth. Django stands behind her, glowering at the other men around.
“Hands where I can see them, dirtbags. I hate it when people trespass into my home and take something that belongs to me.”
The man raises an eyebrow at my words but there isn’t much he can do as I am the one with a shotgun pointed at his chest. He and the rest of his goons raise their hands up. If I aimed a little higher, I could blow his head off right here right now, just to save Melissa the trouble of ever having to deal with him again, but that seems messy. I can’t do that to her.
“Melissa is my daughter, and I can well do—”
“Daughter? Pathetic,” I spit, staring at the man in disgust before stepping over to Melissa and reaching for her hand to help her up. “I’ll leave you to decide, old man. You leave her alone and I won’t have to dig up dirt on you and end your miserable career. But if you step into my fucking property again, they’ll have to scrape up whatever’s left of you with a shovel.”
Melissa leans into my side once she’s standing. I grit my teeth when I notice the bruised skin on her legs and hands. It makes me revisit my personal debate whether or not to finish the old man right here and now, but Melissa draws my attention back to her.
“Are you serious? I can leave with you?”
“Go pack your stuff, sweetheart. I’m getting you out of here.”
“But what about…” she turns her head to her father, who is still glaring at me, his hands up in surrender like the rest of his goons. He glances nervously between the dogs and my shotgun but makes no attempts to move.
“He won’t come after you again, I’ll make sure of it,” I promise.
And I mean it. I’ll use every last bit of my resources, dig as much dirt as I can on the man to make sure he stays as far away from my bride as possible. I know a lot of dangerous people, and many of them owe me favors. It’d be almost too easy to make this man’s life hell, or even make him conveniently disappear.
“But what if hedoes?” Melissa insists.
“Listen to me, baby,” I whisper, cradling her cheeks with my hands to meet her gorgeous green eyes. “You’re safe with me. You can go back to studying and following your dream. As long as you’ll have me, I’ll protect you from men like him. Nothing will stop me from doing that.”
She blinks up at me, tears pooling in her eyes at my words. “Okay.”
“Good,” I whisper, drawing her into my arms.
When her father meets my gaze, he grows pale. He has no one to blame for this but himself. Forcing her into a marriage is what made her escape into the arms of a man like me. If he weren’t fucking scum, maybe I’d thank him for the chain of events that led Melissa to me. Regardless of that, I don’t easily let go of what comes to me. I take them in as my own.
Melissa’s mine now, just like I’m hers.
Epilogue
Melissa
Seven years later …
I’m running late, again.
It’s seemingly hard to keep time these days, when no one is where they’re supposed to be. I stayed up all night last night, taking care of Andy. He was running a fever but now he’s not in bed where he’s supposed to be and neither is his sister, who woke me up a while ago, complaining of a headache. I still need to make it to the next property over to vaccinate the horses, but I can’t leave without seeing to my little brats.
I close my eyes and take a moment to center myself, before opening them once more. The only living thing within my sight is Django, who, despite his aloof attitude, always stays by my side.
“I guess you’ve never forgiven me for confusing you for Brutus, huh?” That was seven years ago and he’s still keeping a grudge. Wow, just wow.
