“Shit, I slipped,” Wilson said, straightening. He shrugged as he moved to the side to allow Xander to pass. “Don’t worry, though, the fucker’s still breathing.”
Xander rushed past and quickly scanned the small room. His breath left in a painful whoosh when he spotted her. His Freya.
She was seated in a recliner, her wrists and ankles shackled. Her shirt was torn open, split down the center. There were ahandful of small cuts along her arms and chest, but only a small amount of blood dotted her skin. Blood streamed down both sides of her face, and her left eye was swelling shut.
He’d never seen a more beautiful sight in his goddamn life.
“You’re here,” she said, her voice a raspy whisper. “You found me.”
He was beside her in an instant. “I’ll always find you, baby. No matter what. I’d never stop looking for you. Ever.”
He went to press a kiss to her lips, but she quickly turned her head, and his lips met her cheek. “Baby?”
“I threw up all over myself. He was going to cut me up and...” A sob tore through her.
His heart ached. No matter what, he’d help her work through this.
Taking care, he wrapped his arms around her as best he could. “It’s okay, Frey. I’ve got you.” He glanced down at Alpha Five—Carmichael—who’d just unlocked her ankle shackles. “How much longer?”
His friend glanced up and gave Freya’s knee a gentle pat. “We’ve all got you, darlin’. Just give me a couple more seconds, and I’ll get your hands free.”
Less than a minute later, the shackles hit the ground. Carmichael straightened and pulled an emergency blanket from one of his pockets. “Here, man.”
“Thanks, brother,” he said, his attention never leaving Freya.
“Xander?”
Her scratchy voice killed him. “Yeah, baby?”
“My head hurts. I think I have a concussion.”
He ran his hand softly over her shoulder, afraid to hurt her any more than she was. “I think you do too.” He opened the foil emergency blanket and draped it over her front. “I’m going to carry you out of here, okay? There’s an ambulance waiting.”
“No.” She groaned. “I don’t want to throw up on you.”
“Freya, sweetheart, you can puke all over me if you need to. I don’t care about that. I love you no matter what.”
She let out a tiny gasp, and her eyes flew open. “Really?”
He met her slightly unfocused gaze. “Really. Now close your eyes again, because I’m gonna lift you up. You might get dizzy.”
“M’kay, but only if you’re sure.”
Gently lifting her out of the recliner, he pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m absolutely sure I love you.”
He smiled as she tucked her head against his neck and sighed. “Just so you know, concussion or not, I love you too.”
His soul settled, and everything clicked into place. This woman was his everything. And he was never letting her go.
EPILOGUE
New Year’s Eve
It was five thirty on New Year’s Eve, and she’d finished her last style of the day. It seemed as though every single guest had been through the salon over the last two days, getting their hair done just so for tonight’s big New Year’s Eve party. The resort usually only allowed guests and staff to the exclusive event, but this year, they’d extended the invite to the Hudson Security group.
She’d been looking forward to going with Xander, but truth be told, she was exhausted. Her feet ached, and right now, soaking in the hot tub sounded better than a party that would be going until past two in the morning. Luckily, she hadn’t moved back into her apartment after the incident, so the drive to Xander’s place—theirplace—was a quick one.
Oh, theincident. . .
