“I’ve got this!” Xavier yelled back at the two men, stopping them in their tracks. He had to be the one to bring an end to this, no matter what.
A few years ago, he might have been tempted to just let it go. But now, things were different.Hewas different. He had a woman he loved and who loved him back, and a life he wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
Xavier flew at Sampson again, both landing hard on the dirt. Grappling around, Xavier finally got the upper hand and rolled on top of Sampson, grabbing Sampson’s head with his hands and slamming it down into the hard earth.
Sampson let out a long groan and tried to scramble out from underneath Xavier, but Xavier had Sampson right where he wanted him.
He landed hit after hit, until there was no more fight left in him. Sampson lay there on the ground, blood leaking from his mouth and nose, eyes hazy with pain.
Xavier got to his feet, wiping the sweat from his brow and took a deep breath centering himself again. All at once they heard new voices echoing in the trees. Bailey and the other deputies were here. He stepped back and looked for Hannah, who was standing off to the side with Lawson, his arm wrapped around her like he was trying to hold her back.
Cade and Aaron rushed up to stand watch over Sampson, waiting for Bailey and the deputies with her to make their way down to them.
“Looks like we missed all the fun,” Bailey quipped as she pulled out cuffs and slapped them on Sampson’s wrists. Xavier looked to the side and noticed Jed being picked up off the ground by another deputy from where Aaron had left him. Jed’s face was bloody, too, so he and Aaron must have gone a few rounds before Aaron subdued him.
All at once, Xavier heard someone rushing toward him. He turned just in time to catch Hannah as she launched herself into his arms, wrapping herself around him and clinging on for dear life.
“Xavier!” Her cry was muffled from pressing her face into his neck.
He tightened his hold. “We’re okay, Hannah. It’s okay now.” He pulled her back and kissed her forehead. He was still so angry he was vibrating with adrenaline at how horribly this all could have ended. But with Hannah safe and in his arms, the rage was starting to recede.
He pulled back slightly so he could gaze into her eyes for a moment. She was still so shaken, that much was obvious, but the first thing she had done was run to him for reassurance. She cared for him in a way nobody else ever had before.
She had seen the darkness in him, the battle he fought within, the part of him he kept hidden from his friends, and she hadn’t run. She was still here, by his side and in his arms. She was braveenough to face his darkness and pull him back to the light. As long as she was by his side, he knew he would be okay.
“I’m so sorry,” Hannah breathed. “I should never have let myself get taken. I should have—”
“It’s okay,” he murmured to her at once, smoothing a hand through her hair. “It’s okay, Hannah, you have nothing to be sorry for. I should have done more to protect you. I should have listened to you when you said you had your doubts about Jed. I never should have let him get that close.”
The two of them were talking over each other, spilling apologies faster than they could reply to them, until he kissed her again. She grasped him tight, like she was never going to let him go.
“We’re safe,” he promised her, planting a kiss against her temple. “I promise. We’re safe.”
She let out a long, shaky breath, but she seemed to believe him, managing to nod. With his arm around her waist, he steered her back toward the rest of the group.
“What happens now?” he asked Bailey.
“I’m passing this on to Willis,” she explained. “With everything you gave him before, there’s plenty to keep them locked up for now. And when you tell him the rest of the story, along with the damage to the lodge, what they did to Sarah and Hannah’s kidnapping, the two of them are going to go away for a long, long time.”
Xavier nodded slowly, taking the words in as she spoke. It almost felt too good to be true. This was it, he realized. The danger was gone. This was the last threat that had been pressing down on him for all this time. Now he could truly leave the past behind. Move on with the rest of his life and his future with the woman he loved.
“That sounds good. Thanks, Bailey.”
“No problem, Xavier. We’ll get these guys back to town and I’ll tell Willis to contact you all at the lodge for statements later.
The sun was just starting to rise, and some of the light was beginning to filter through the trees. Hannah slipped her hand into his and squeezed it tight, seeming to need reassurance that he was right there with her and not sliding off into the nightmares that had plagued him for so long.
“You okay?” she asked him.
He nodded. It wasn’t entirely true, but it was the closest he could come to the truth right now. He might not be all right in that moment, but for the first time in a long time, he knew he would be.
“We should get out of here,” he told her, and she sighed in agreement, laying her head on his shoulder for a moment.
“Definitely,” she agreed. “I want a hot shower. And a warm bed. And a huge meal. Not necessarily in that order.”
He chuckled, already feeling some of the tension leaving his system. What was it about her that made everything easier, even a nightmare like this? Her softness, her kindness, her willingness to see the man beneath all the trauma and pain he had been through, beyond all the nightmares and horrors. She saw the person he wanted to be, the potential for who he could be, and it only made him even more certain that he would do everything he could to bring that man to life for her. Anything, as long as it meant they could be together and as long as he could make her happy.
The two of them followed the group out of the forest and into the sunlight beyond.
