She was full of questions, and rightfully so, but before he got into the details, there was somebody she needed to see. “You’ll understand everything in a second,” he told her. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Chapter 43
Isabelle had no idea what was going on, but she was exceptionally grateful to the man who had come to rescue her. After Quincy had taken Sarah away, the men had gotten much more violent with her, and she was pretty sure that she would be dead soon.
She followed the stranger. He had promised her answers, but he also said he had a surprise waiting for her. She wasn’t sure if she liked the idea of a surprise, but so far, she got the feeling that he was one of the good guys. She really hoped that he was.
“What’s your name?” she asked as they made their way out of the cave.
“You can call me Deadshot,” he replied.
That was an awfully strange name, one that belonged to an outlaw or a bounty hunter, not a normal man. “Deadshot,” she repeated. She liked the way it sounded on her tongue.
Isabelle could see the front door as they approached it. She hadn’t been out of that small room in months, and she was finally going to be free. She had thought that she would die in that room, but now maybe she got to live. She wasn’t so sure whether life would be worth living anymore, though. She had no idea where Sarah was. She had no idea whether Rider was even still alive, and her husband had been murdered. How would she even carry on with her life?
“Come on, I’ll keep you safe,” Deadshot said as he stepped outside and waited for her.
He was being very caring, and it felt so different from how the men who had kept her hostage had treated her. Isabelle stepped out of the cave and into the fresh night air. She inhaled deeply as tears stung her eyes. These weren’t tears of sadness but tears of happiness. She had never thought that fresh air would be so precious to her.
Deadshot continued walking, leading her away from the mountain. “It’s not far,” he said.
Isabelle didn’t really care how far she had to walk; as long as it was away from that cave and those men, she would walk. Even if she never had to see or hear any of them again.
Deadshot led her to a few boulders, and when they got close enough, he spoke a name that brought her to a sudden stop, her heart nearly ripping right out of her chest.
“Rider,” he called. “Come on out and see who I found.”
Stepping out from behind the boulder was none other than her son. Isabelle couldn’t believe her eyes. She had honestly thought that she would never see her son again.
“Ma!” he cried as he ran to her and threw his arms around her.
“Oh, baby,” she whispered as she hugged him tightly to her.
Isabelle couldn’t believe that it was really Rider, but it was. Her son was alive and with her.
“How did you know I was here?” she asked, taking a step back and holding his face between her hands.
Rider was crying too. It wasn’t something she had seen often in her life, and it warmed her heart even more. “I didn’t,” he replied. “Deadshot helped me find you.”
Isabelle looked at the big man standing beside her. She had no idea who he was or how Rider had gotten him to help him, but she had never been so thankful before in her life. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for saving me and for taking care of my son.”
“You are most welcome,” Deadshot replied with a smile that warmed her heart.
She was still so incredibly confused about what was actually going on. “What now?” she asked, looking between Deadshot and Rider.
“I don’t know,” Rider replied, focusing his attention on Deadshot. “Where’s Sarah, and what happened to Quincy?”
Deadshot shook his head and placed his hand on Rider’s shoulder. “Sorry, kid, but we don’t know where your sister is.”
“Quincy took her away,” Isabelle explained. “But she was here with me.”
Isabelle could see the worry on Rider’s face, and she wished there was something she could do to ease his mind. She and Sarah had been gone for such a long time, and she could only imagine what he had been through. He must have thought they were dead. How did he even know that Quincy had taken them, and how had he found Deadshot? She had so many questions, but they would have to wait for later.
“We should probably get out of here,” she said, turning to Deadshot.
“Definitely,” he agreed. “The further we get away from the cave, the better. But first, I need to go back in there and make sure that I killed all of those bastards.”
“I’ll help,” Rider offered, and Isabelle noticed him reaching for the pistol on his hip.
