The asshole managed to shift his arm from beneath him, his weapon still firmly planted in his hand. As I wrestled the bastard, huffing as I tried to grab his gun, he managed to push me off. I slammed my body against his a second time, but as he elevated himself to his knees, he used the power of his upper muscles, snapping his arm against my head. I straddled his lower torso, pinning him to the ground, taking gasping breaths as I continued to fight him.
The sound of voices erupted behind us, booming against the quietness of the early morning. Nothing was going to stop me. I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, digging my fingers in and slamming his head into the snow several times.
Every grunt I made was like music to my ears.
Die, you asshole. Die.
When he stopped moving altogether, only then did I ease away, dragging him onto his back.
“The sheriff arrived.”
The sound of Mustang’s voice did little to calm my nerves or my anger. “So the fuck what?” I shoved the Glock under his chin, still trying to control my breathing.
“Go ahead. Pull the trigger, Marine. That’s what you want to do. Isn’t it?” Dante laughed and even in the slender amount of light, I could see the look of contempt on his face. “You’ll be the one arrested.”
“You’re a piece of trash,” I growled, rising onto my knees.
“Don’t do it, Reaper. He’s not worth it.” This time it was Scorpion’s voice, the tone almost pleading with me.
I didn’t give a shit.
This asshole wasn’t going to torture another human being. Not for any reason. Not on any level.
“Let him go, Nash.”
This time, the voice of the sheriff was pleading with me. And the fucker was still laughing. I thought about Mitch, the crap she’d been forced to endure and what was likely to happen in the future.
“Yeah? Not this time.”
Pop!
One week later
“I think we have all we need, Ms. Donovan. At least for now. We appreciate your cooperation.”
I could tell by the look on Mitch’s face that she was exhausted, her eyes glassing over. She held out her hand to the FBI agent, shaking it in earnest even though she remained tense.
“Thank you. I’m glad I could help,” Mitch said, her tone full of bitterness.
Everything had been a whirlwind, days turning into nights.
Agent Wells turned his attention in my direction. “I will guess we’re going to have additional questions for both of you at some point as the investigation continues, but you’re free to go. We know how to contact you.”
Additional questions. What the hell else did they need from us? We’d spent almost a week answering hundreds of questions from multiple jurisdictions, including federal agents. The press had camped outside of the sheriff’s office for three days in hopes of obtaining a piece of breaking news.
I’d seen my face on various news stories more than I could count and every time, it pissed me off.
Just like allowing the bastard to live had.
She’d been far too quiet, although we’d been able to spend a certain amount of quality time together. I knew Mitch was attempting to handle the kind of feelings that she had no understanding of how to deal with.
“We’ll be available if necessary, Agent Wells, but do me a favor. Try not to need anything else. It’s been one fuck of a week. The asshole was lucky. If for any reason the system doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, trust me, he won’t get a second chance.” My words were gruff, more so than I knew the guy was prepared for.
But I didn’t give a shit.
Agent Wells opened his eyes wide, his gaze falling to my boots and holding for a solid twenty seconds before returning. “I understand, Nash. I really do. I assure you that Dante Giordani is going away for a long time.”
Uh-huh. I wasn’t in the mood to fight him on his statement, but I knew better than to think the guy would stay in prison for long. He had a shark for an attorney, the jerkoff getting him out of lockup after the first night. We’d sequestered at Hawk’s during that time, a half dozen of Hawk’s ranch hands keeping watch as well as several feds assigned to protection detail. That wasn’t living.
That was merely waiting to die.
I had no intention of spending the rest of my life that way.
“You’ll be happy to know that Giordani was caught attempting to leave the jurisdiction. He’s being held without bond this time and he’ll be returned to Chicago by the end of the day.” Agent Wells had a twinkle in his eyes after issuing the statement.
That would provide some sense of relief.
As well as freedom.
I took her by the hand, leading her out of the building and toward the borrowed truck. Soon I’d have to find a damn vehicle of my own, and another place to live.
Mitch glanced up at the mountains, taking a deep breath. The bright sun was a welcome relief to the gray and cold days we’d been experiencing.
“You feel like going for a ride?” I asked as I leaned against the side of the truck.
“Where ya thinking about, cowboy?”
Shrugging, I slid a strand of hair from her face as I thought about why I wanted to take her somewhere I hadn’t intended on visiting. At least not for a few weeks, maybe months. “Somewhere that will help you understand what I’m made of.”
A smile curled across her lips, her eyes lighting up. “I’d like that.”
She remained quiet on the drive, but in truth, I had nothing I wanted to say. I’d spent far too much time reminiscing over the past, details of events that I couldn’t change. Peace. That’s what Hawk and Scorpion had tried to tell me I needed. Maybe they were right and I was just too hardheaded to accept that none of us were to blame for what had occurred.
As I
