Page 80 of His Saving Grace

Grace shook her head, close to hysterical now. “Please, Mason…” The words ended on a gasp, and her gaze darted over his shoulder.

Mason took an involuntary step forward, clenching his fists to stop from reaching for her. She shouldn’t have to beg for anything.

Before he could move again, Grace yanked her arm out of David’s grasp. Mason lunged for her. She drilled her elbow into David’s side. He grunted and staggered back. She slammed her foot against his knee.

David’s howl drowned out the rain, and he fell to his knees in the mud. He dropped the gun.

In a silent explosion of power, fueled by rage, Mason dove for the gun. He slid across the wet grass. His fingers brushed the metal at the same time David’s closed around it.

Mason continued forward, the soaked lawn acting like a slide. He looked up. Grace was running away from them, toward the woods.

“No!” His heart skidded into his feet. The beautiful fool should be running for the house, to the safety of his brothers.

David moved, scrambling to his knees. Mason dug his fingers into the squishy earth, yanking out handfuls of grass, trying to stop his momentum. David lifted the gun. Instead of pointing it at him, he pointed it at Grace.

Time slowed, turning everything around him into slow-motion.

Mason bellowed, clambering to his feet. Jake, who’d been behind him, tackled David. They slammed into the ground. The gun fired. The shot echoed, momentarily blocking out the sound of the pounding rain.

Grace went down.

Ice surged through Mason’s veins, making his fingers and toes numb. His scalp tingled, the ghost of memories skittering down his spine. His chest squeezed so tight, breathing became impossible. The world around him wavered. He blinked and he was back in Afghanistan, the hot, gritty sand scraping across his skin. The sun beating down on him with blistering intensity. The boom of exploding shells all around him.

He staggered back, fear wrapping him in a suffocating silence.

His heart thudded double time against his ribs, hard enough to shatter bone. He pulled in a painful, deep, stuttering breath. Rain hammered his skin. Jake shouted. Someone swore. The sound of running footsteps. The rational voice in his head.

You can fall apart later, but right now Grace needs you.

He blinked and the world righted itself. His fucking heart still raged, but he took in a steadying breath and yanked the memories and the panic back, locking it down tight. There would be time later to freak out. Right now, he needed to focus.

Simon sprinted past him, falling to his knees next to Grace. Mason stumbled forward, dropping down on her other side. She was turned away from him, and he reached out and swept her wet hair away from her face. Her eyes were closed, her skin deathly pale. She was also far too still.

He placed a trembling hand on her lower back. Blood was smeared across her pink t-shirt, making it almost impossible to tell where she’d been hit. Panic crawled up his throat. It was a struggle, but he pressed it back down.

She groaned, and he sagged forward. She was alive.

“Baby?” His voice was nothing more than a hoarse rasp. “I’m here.”

She tried to sit up, but only managed a few inches before she gasped and dropped back to the ground.

“We’ve got to get her some help.” Simon looked over at him and raised his voice to be heard over the pouring rain.

Mason nodded. As gently as he could, he pulled her over onto her back. She cried out. Bile burned the back of his throat.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.” The words were raw, edged with worry. He pushed the hair off of her face again. She stared up at him with glassy eyes, pain carved in every taut line of her body. Mud streaked one side of her face. Blood smeared her chin. Her split lip alone made him want to beat the living shit out of David.

He glanced over his shoulder. David and Jake still battled on the ground. Although Jake was the larger of the two, David seemed to be holding his own, most likely due to adrenaline. Jake currently had the upper hand, and had managed to knock the gun out of David’s hand. The asshole was currently on his back, Jake straddling his chest with his hands wrapped around the smaller man’s throat. David was trying to pry Jake’s fingers off.

Confident Jake had the situation in hand, Mason slipped his arms under Grace and carefully picked her up. She whimpered. Every muscle in his body clenched. “I’ve got you, sweetheart.”

She blinked, the confusion and pain in her gaze deepening. “Mason?”

“Fuck!”

Mason glanced over his shoulder again. Jake was lying on his back, his hand clutching his knee. Blood streamed from his nose. David had already scrambled to his feet and was running toward the wooded area behind the guest house.

The idea of chasing after the bastard, running him down and ending him overwhelmed Mason. But Grace was more important. “Help Jake,” he said to Simon. He pulled Grace closer and headed for the house.