Loch slammed his fist into Riker’s face as he tugged the other man off Ainsley’s body. He hoped to hell that he’d been quick enough, that he and his brothers had found the place in time.
It had been Fox who found the abandoned farmhouse. Because the place wasn’t within Whiskey lines, the town hadn’t known that someone had called in to complain about a light being on at the old farm that shouldn’t have anyone in it. He and his brothers had told the police about it, and the authorities were on their way, but Loch and his brothers had been closer. They’d come first, knowing they’d get yelled at, but Loch didn’t give a shit. He’d needed to make sure Ainsley was okay, needed to make sure she was safe.
Dare was in the water, tugging Ainsley up and out of the creek as Fox tried to get a signal to tell the police exactly where they were since they were off the trail from the house. He couldn’t tell if Ainsley was moving, couldn’t see if she was even breathing, but he was the only one of his brothers who could take down Riker without killing him, and he didn’t want the other man to die. He wanted him to live, rotting in a cell, feeling pain for the rest of his life.
“You fucking bastard,” Riker spat, blood dripping down his chin and from his side. Someone, probably Ainsley, had stabbed the asshole, and Loch was proud of her—and scared shitless at the same time. What exactly had this man done to her when Loch had been too far away, unable to help her because he hadn’t been fast enough?
Loch swallowed down the bile in his throat and swung out, trying to subdue Riker. He wanted the man out of the way and not able to hurt anyone else he loved until the cops arrived. He’d even take their help right then, anything so he could get Ainsley into his arms and out of the way of Riker’s insane plans—whatever the hell those were.
When he and his brothers had gotten to the farmhouse, he’d almost thrown up. There had been water everywhere, and wet towels that he had a feeling had gone over Ainsley’s face when they’d fucking waterboarded her. There had been blood on the floor, and her jacket ripped to shreds near some tattered rope. He’d followed her trail, including some of what had to be hers or Riker’s blood until they found Jeff’s unconscious body. Loch had quickly used the zip ties he’d brought with him to keep the man down, then had kept going to the creek where he’d found Riker trying to drown Ainsley.
The fucker had almost done it, too.
But from the way Ainsley was coughing in Dare’s arms to the right of Loch, she was breathing.
He let that relief slide over him as he growled low, ducking out of the way of Riker’s fist. “We’re done, Riker. You’re done. You lost. This is over. Do you get it? You’re unarmed, and there are three of us to one of you. Jeff’s down for the count, and I don’t want to kill you, but if you come near me and mine, I will. Do you get me? It’s over. Don’t lose your life because you’re a selfish asshole.”
“Four,” Ainsley coughed, but Loch didn’t look over at her, just kept his eyes on Riker. “There are four of us. Fuck. You. Riker.”
Then Loch grinned, his love for the woman to his right so fierce, he almost asked her to marry him right then. Because, why the hell not? Nothing else made sense today. Not even a little bit.
Riker screamed and turned toward Ainsley, and Loch was suddenly done. He tackled the other man to the ground, hitting him over and over in the face until he knew Riker’s nose was broken and the other man was finally unconscious—not dead, but close enough that he knew it would take a while for the bastard to heal.
Good.
Then he tied him up as the authorities slid through the trees, Shannon and Renkle leading the way. They looked at the five of them, brows raised, then came to help. Loch was already up and away from Riker, leaving the other man to the police and whoever else wanted jurisdiction since they weren’t technically in Whiskey. Fox and Dare surrounded him as he held Ainsley close, kissing her cold lips and hoping to hell she was okay.
“Baby,” he whispered.
“I’m okay,” she said, her whole body shaking, her lips blue. “I’m okay.” She repeated it over and over again, and Fox called out for the paramedics to come over. Loch knew the others were saying things, asking questions, but right then, he could only focus on the woman in his arms.
“Is Misty…?” Ainsley coughed before she could finish her question, and he knew he’d have to let her go soon, but he wanted to keep her in his arms and warm for as long as possible.
“She’s fine. Safe. Scared, but safe. You saved her, Ainsley. You saved her.” He kissed her again. “And you saved yourself.” He knew she’d fought for her life, and though he’d been the one to end things with Riker, he knew he would have been too late if she hadn’t fought as hard as she did.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I know.” She leaned into him, and he shook her a bit to make sure she didn’t go to sleep as the paramedics came closer, getting out their equipment as they started to take her vitals, even with her still in his arms.
“You hated that line in that movie,” he growled, trying to keep her smiling, even if it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Well, I get it now,” she said, her voice a little drowsy, so he hugged her tighter as the paramedics wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Dare was wearing one as well since he’d gone into the water, but his brother was on the phone with Kenzie, giving the family the updates he could.
“Seriously?” he asked, moving out of the way slightly so the EMTs could work on her bloody hands. He held back a growl at the sight of them, knowing her injuries could have been far worse…though he didn’t know the full extent of them yet.
She looked up at him, a light in her eyes he was afraid he’d never see again. “Okay, fine. I love you.”
“I’ll take that.”
Then he held her close as everyone started talking at once, doing what they needed to for the scene, for Ainsley’s health, and even for Loch’s knuckles. He knew there would be more questions to come, more answers they needed that he might not have, but for now, he just held Ainsley close to him, knowing his brothers had his back like always. There would be more time to talk later.
There will be more time, he repeated to himself.
More time because Ainsley had fought to save her life, and Loch and his brothers had been just fast enough for an outcome that didn’t mean more death.
And in the end, that had to count for something.