Within minutes, the firefighters had their hoses and equipment set up and began to battle the blaze. On the monitor hooked up to a thermal camera, she watched the heat signatures of the fire dance across the screen. It was both amazing and terrifying, but in the stillness of the house, another moment of relief washed over her. They were safe, together, and help had arrived. She leaned into Dale, drawing comfort from his steady presence.
But then, something caught her eye. Two firefighters dressed in full gear suddenly broke away from the barn and started heading toward the ranch house at a fast pace.
Alarm bells rang in her mind, and she turned to Dale, her voice trembling. “Something’s wrong. I hope none of the guys got hurt or the horses.”
Again, not knowing was driving her nuts.
Concern tightened Dale’s expression. He released her and withdrew his gun from its holster. “Stay here,” he ordered, his tone firm but laced with worry. “Let me handle this.”
She wanted to argue, to insist on going with him, but the look in his eyes stopped her halfway to the door. Reluctantly, she nodded, watching as he continued toward the knocking. He cracked it open cautiously, but before he could react, a heavy air tank slammed into his head. Sadie watched in horror as Dale crumpled unconscious to the floor.
Fear surged through her, and she screamed, but it was cut off as two men, now inside, slammed the door shut and locked it behind them. The roar of the fire and the chaos outside no doubt drowned out her cries.
They were on their own.
Maybe she could make it to the back door? Or the den and shut the door. Sadie turned and ran with all she had, but the larger of the two men caught up with her easily. He clamped his beefy fingers around her wrist, his eyes cold and unfeeling as hetugged her back to the living room, laughing at her attempts to pull away. She tried another tactic, landing a hard kick to the side of his knee. The guy howled, and just when she managed to tug free, he punched her face with his other hand, sending her sprawling to the floor beside Dale.
Dazed, in pain, and terrified, she scrambled toward him, her heart breaking at the sight of him so still and vulnerable. But the men grabbed them both, dragging them into the den with chilling efficiency. The one who punched her disappeared momentarily, and she thought about running for the front door, but he returned with two wooden kitchen chairs.
“Sit,” he ordered, but when she didn’t listen, he grabbed her arm, his gaze dark and nauseatingly amused.
Again, she tried to fight, kicking, scratching, and punching, but he backhanded her to the floor.
More unbearable pain radiated through her face, taking away what little breath she’d managed to get through her tight chest and into her lungs. The bastard raised his hand again and would’ve struck her a third time if the other man hadn’t intervened.
“Stop wasting time, Pedro. I’m not paying you to get your jollies,” the younger of the two men muttered. He might even be younger than Sadie. “Just tie her up and get over here. I need your help with Taylor.”
She resisted, but it was no use. He easily and painfully held her down with an inappropriately placed knee while he zip-tied her wrists to the arms of the chair. Agony ricochetted through her body, but she held her cry inside, unwilling to give him the pleasure.
When he finally removed his weight, he dragged her and her chair toward the fireplace, maneuvering her until she was facing Dale’s prone body, lying about four feet away. He released herwith a push, and her chair wobbled. Luckily, her ankles were not restrained, and she was able to use her feet to steady herself.
Inhaling, she blinked away the tears of pain gathering in her eyes. No matter what, he was not going to get that from her. Neither would the other man.
He was the hoodie guy who’d been in her garage. She could tell by his thinner stature and the way he walked. Quick, confident, and surefooted, not trudging like his accomplice. He’d already taken away her sanctuary, she was not going to give him anything else.
It was strange. The more Sadie thought about it, the angrier she got.
But when the men converged over Dale, her fear returned.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sadie’s heartbeat thudded loudly in her ears as she watched, helpless, while the men roughly hoisted Dale’s limp body onto the other chair. His head lolled to the side, blood trickling from the wound on his temple. They bound his wrists tightly to the arms of the chair, the zip ties digging into his skin, just like hers. But unlike her, they zip-tied his ankles to the chair legs.
The sight of Dale, usually so strong, now so vulnerable, filled her with a cold, paralyzing fear.
How could she stop them from hurting him? Could she reason with the intruders? Was there more of the cartel outside waiting to attack her friends? Would Mac or Cooper come back soon? And what about Gabe? Surely someone would return to the house shortly.
What if they were too late?
That thought resurrected her adrenaline. She might be on her own. It might be up to her to keep Dale alive long enough for the cavalry to arrive.
With that in mind, she studied the intruders, trying to quickly ascertain if she had a chance. Both men had black hair, dark eyes, tan complexions, and Spanish accents. But where one was clearly a thug who’d enjoying using brute force his entire life, the other was young and gave off an educated vibe. Why was he involved with such a beast? Although, the younger guy was calling the shots.
It didn’t make sense. What else was new?
“Why are you doing this?” she finally asked, and the movement increased the pain in her face. “What do you want?”
Sadie held her breath and counted to ten until the throbbing subsided.
