Frozen Valentine
nod and reach out to take her hand. She immediately grabs hold and I guide her outside. Blue follows us as we head for the shed where Leo and Christian are waiting with the running ATVsLeo looks up and notices my features. “What happened?” he demands.
“Body’s inside,” I mutter. “We need to go now.”
Leo clenches his jaw and looks to Blake then back to me, he then nods in approval.
“Blue, come here,” Christian calls out.
The dog trots over to him. Christian grabs hold of Blue and puts a harness around her body and straps the damn harness to himself after Blue jumps onto the back of his ATV.
Leo climbs on his while I guide Blake to mine. I climb on first then help her on. “Hold on tight, Snowflake,” I mutter, wrapping her arms around me.
Blake tightens her arms around my waist and presses her head to my back to block the whistling wind. Fuckin’ hope we get to the other side quick and she doesn’t get sick from being out in this weather without the proper clothes on.
Fuckin’ great way to spend Valentine’s Day.
Chapter Twelve
Blake
When I left home looking for a chance to have time away from my parents to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, I never imagine it would be turned upside down. How much of a fool do I need to be to have been blinded by it all?
My parents wanted to sell me to a man who would want to treat me like a slave rather than a human being.
The man who had held a knife to my throat made sure to tell me what my owner, the man my parents wanted to introduce me to, would do to me. If Theo didn’t come in when he did, I’d have been out the front door and God knows where.
I’d been scared for Blue when I’d seen her in the corner. I didn’t know what the guy did to her but when she’d stood up, I felt relief. She’d given Theo the chance he needed to save me. Then stood next to me as I witnessed Theo killing a man.
Maybe I should have felt horrified by his actions, but I didn’t. No, I felt nothing but relief the vile man wouldn’t be able to hurt me anymore. I refused to let Theo think he scared me by doing what he needed to do.
Now with my arms wrapped around his waist, I hold on tightly, so I don’t fall off the back of the ATV. He, Christian, and Leo zip through the trees avoiding them with sheer luck as they speed through the snowy mountain terrain as quickly as they can.
Due to the wind, my fingers are numb and I’m freezing. But if it means we’re heading to safety then so be it.
I might not know what all is going on, but I can only guess it’s bad. For them to not take the main road and instead go through the wooded snowy mountain it’s far worse than anything. Christian may have lied to me about who he is, but I do know one thing about him that he’s never hidden from me. He’s not scared of much. I trust in him and Theo both to keep me safe. Same goes for Leo De Luca. You can see the simple ruthlessness radiating off of him.
So for them to take this way it’s because of me, they’re doing it to make sure nothing happens to me.
By the time Theo slows the ATV, I’m not sure how much time has passed. My limbs are like ice and all I want is to find somewhere to thaw out.
Theo, Christian, and Leo continue at a much slower pace. I lift my head to see why and I notice we’re heading into a town. They pull up in front of a building and shut off the ATVs. Two men step out and approach. I stiffen against Theo and he taps his hands against mine.
“Easy, Snowflake, these men are ours,” Theo whispers as he tilts his head slightly to look at me. “Let’s get you into the SUV. We’re still not out of the woods yet.”
Nodding, I release my grip on him and allow him to lift me into his arms. I’m freezing and unable to feel my legs. They’re like ice.
“Shit, tell me the heat is cranking and we have blankets in there,” Theo snaps, holding me to him.
“Yes, sir,” one of the men says.
Theo marches the short distance to the SUV and climbs in the back with me still in his arms. The SUV has three sections, Theo takes the farthest back one and wraps a blanket around the two of us.
Christian and Leo climb into the one in front of us with Blue as the other two men get in the front. The vehicle is then on the move, backing out of the spot and heading down the road. With the weather being dreadful as it is, we’re moving slowly.
“Any new info?” Leo demands.
“None, sir, David is following them,” the one in the driver’s seat says.
“The cabin’s compromised,” Christian states.
“We have a rat somewhere in our midst,” the guy in the passenger seat grumbles.
“Exactly, but who?” Leo snarls. “When I find them, I’ll be sure to kill them myself for going against us.”
Oh boy.
My body shivers in fear at his words but I know I don’t have anything to fear from him.
“Let’s speak of this when we get to the hotel and Blake’s in my room resting,” Theo proclaims. I could kiss the man for speaking up. I don’t think I could take any more of this discussion. Guess you can say I’m at my limit.
“Yeah, we’ll hold off,” Christian says, glancing back at me. “You did good, baby girl, and just look at the bright side. You’re not being controlled by our parents anymore. You’re free to do as you wish.”
Free.
Yeah, I like that idea. But I like the idea more