Page 61 of Run For Me (Until You’re Mine Duet #1)

Chapter Sixty-One

Jaxon

It takes me over an hour to reach the house. My mother’s cell receives six more texts from that number, impatiently asking for further instruction. I can feel the plea from here. Mindy is desperate, and that’s good.

I hope she’s suffering. I hope she’s panicking.

I want nothing more than the last moments of her life to be terrible.

She doesn’t deserve a single good moment after what she did to my girl.

I’m going to make sure she, and anyone else involved, pays in the worst way possible.

For her? That means throwing her off the bluffs alive.

I’ll toss her off and make sure she hits every damn rock on the way down. Fuck her.

The house is set back on a large piece of land, surrounded by tall trees.

I pull my car over on the side of the road, get out, and cut through the trees to get to the house.

There is still plenty of light left in the day, and when I run across the open area and reach the house, I move to the back.

I have to be careful because I have no idea how many people are here and if they’re armed.

There is one car sitting in front of the house. I don’t recognize it. It’s not Mindy’s and not my mother’s. Maybe the meathead who is helping Mindy. I wonder if I can get the whole car off the cliff with him in it.

Right now, my priority is Sailor. Dealing with everyone else will have to wait. Her safety is first. And they better hope she’s safe or they’re really going to pay. Thinking about them hurting even one hair on her head has me blind with rage, an anger I’ve never felt before.

I didn’t think it was possible to care about someone the way I care about Sailor. At first, it was curiosity and interest. That turned into intrigue and then obsession. I had to have her, see her, I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

But then… she saw me for who I was. She looked at me, and I looked into those eyes and I was fucking gone.

I knew, right then, she was all I would ever need.

Spending the night with her as a “normal” couple changed more than I thought possible.

I assumed once she saw who I was, everything would stay the same, but somehow it’s evolved into something more, something bigger, something I am not willing to lose.

I will die before I let anything happen to Sailor, and I will take down anyone who gets in my way. I don’t give a fuck who they are.

I raise my foot to kick the back door in but hesitate. Kicking a door down is loud. People inside could have guns. It’s best I go in armed. But with what? I don’t have a fucking gun, not here and not at home. Never thought it was something I needed, but I guess I was wrong.

I glance around the back of the house for something I can use to defend myself. I find a 2x4 with a few nails sticking out of it. It’ll have to do. Not that it’ll help me against a gun, but it’s better than nothing.

Once I’m armed with the wood, I kick the door in and press my back to the wall.

I’m met with silence for only a few seconds before footsteps sound from somewhere in the house—I should have looked at blueprints before coming in here.

That was stupid, especially since I’m certain Orville could have pulled them up, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.

Hell, I’m still barely doing that. My brain is working like a caveman’s.

All I have on my mind is Sailor. I’ll kill anyone who was standing between her and me; I don’t give a fuck who they are or what it takes.

Voices whisper down the hall, so quietly I can’t make out what is being said.

I glance around, trying to figure out my best plan of action.

I don’t know this house and I don’t know where Sailor is, if she’s here at all.

There could have been a change of plan, or this was just a way of getting me to come here.

For all I know, the people in this house are crackhead squatters.

Whatever I’m about to walk into, I’m ready for it, though. My heart is pounding. Adrenaline coursing through my veins. I am so fucking ready to rescue my little dove.

The floor is littered with trash, the kitchen counters covered too.

I scan my surroundings, hoping there will be a knife, but I don’t find one.

What I do find is a hand-sized piece of a cinder block.

I walk to it quietly and grab it, then whip it down the hall.

It lands at the end, just before an open door, and rolls the rest of the way.

Someone lunges out of the room, swinging a bat.

A fucking bat. He’s a big guy, but his movements aren’t smooth.

He looks like a fucking idiot. The fucking idiot that was inside Sailor’s house.

When his eyes lock onto mine, they widen before filling with anger.

I’m assuming this guy isn’t a professional.

He doesn’t even have a gun. Likely, this is some idiot she pulled off the street, meaning whatever her reasoning for doing this isn’t important.

It also means I can take this guy, and I plan to—without hesitation.

I grip the wood tighter, straighten my back, and walk toward him with the most confidence I’ve ever had in my life.

“Stay the fuck back!” he shouts as he takes a slow step backward, holding out the bat.

“What the fuck is going on?” someone hisses from the other room. A voice I’d recognize anywhere.

I grip the wood with two hands, storming toward this guy, ready to tear him apart with my bare hands if necessary.

“I said stay the fuck back!” he shouts, holding the bat higher and moving further away. He hits the wall, jerking away from it as if he just walked into a trap. I swing the wood, getting him right in the knee with one of the jagged, rusty nails.

He cries out, heavy body crumpling to the ground.

The bat falls from his hand, hitting the ground with a sharp crack and rolling into the other room.

I slam the 2x4 onto his leg again, hitting it and the floor, snapping it in half.

Such a shame. I wanted to do more damage, but it’s best I keep him alive so I can enjoy killing him later.

Besides, I may need info from him. I still don’t know if Sailor is here.

He’s sobbing on the floor like a little bitch, hands covering his bloody knee, as I turn to grab the bat. I’m not done with this piece of shit. Not until I see Mindy standing across the room, holding the bat with shaking hands as if she’s going to do something.

“Don’t act like you’re tough,” I say, stepping toward her without an ounce of fear.

“Don’t come near me!” she screams as the other guy groans.

“You better know how to use that thing, or you’re going to regret it.”

“Stay away from me, Jaxon!” she shouts, slowly backing up.

Funny how she’s here as a kidnapper, but still looking like she’s ready for a photo-op. Her hair is done, makeup on, and a push-up bra that has her tits hanging out of her low-cut shirt.

“Regretting your choices already?”

“It wasn’t my fault. She made me do it!”

“You lying bitch,” I seethe. “That’s all you ever were and all you’ll ever be.

” I lunge, but only to scare her. She screams, covering her face with her hands and nearly dropping the bat.

I laugh and yank it from her grip. I press the end of it against her chest until she’s against the wall, sobbing.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she cries.

“Tell me where she is.”

“Upstairs. Sh-she’s upstairs.”

I raise a brow. “Fucking pathetic.”

“Please let me go.”

“Not a fucking chance,” I growl. “Show me.”

“N-no.”

I push on the bat hard enough to leave a bruise. She whimpers.

“Show me where she is or I will make you choke on this,” I say quietly.

“Then I will break each ankle with my bare hands, so you can never wear a pair of heels again. I will smash your teeth in with my boot so you’ll never want to wear lipstick again.

Then I will bash your head in with this bat so your fake blond hair will permanently be stained red.

” I move closer, my voice getting lower with each word. “Now. Show me where the fuck she is.”

A sob leaves her, her mascara pouring down her face.

“O-okay,” she says, crying even harder. She sniffles, then points to her right, towards a door.

“Go.” I loosen the pressure of the bat, and she moves that way, walking into the other room. I go after her, still on high alert. I don’t know if anyone else is here.

The room we walk into is spacious, a large staircase at the center of the room. She’s still crying like it’s going to make me feel bad.

“That crying is annoying as fuck,” I snap as we start up the steps.

When we get to the top, I have half a mind to shove her down them—only throwing her off a cliff will be so much more entertaining.

“Where?” I say as we stand on the top landing, looking at four closed doors.

“That one,” she whispers, pointing to the one at the very end.

“Go,” I say again, nudging her with the end of the bat.

Her crying has lessened, and she moves toward the door, turning the handle when she reaches it. From where I’m at, I see the foot of a bed. Someone is on it. Not moving.

I step closer, letting out a silent sigh of relief when I see Sailor lying on the bed. She’s tied to it, her wrists so raw I can make out the pink marks from her.

“You better hope she isn’t hurt,” I say, shoving Mindy into the room and closing the door. “In the corner. Now.”

Mindy goes over to the corner where I can see her, and hugs herself tightly, a lost look in her eye. Not a single part of me feels bad for her or the guy downstairs nursing a shattered knee. It’s the least of what they’ll be dealing with tonight.

Sailor is mine.

Mine to protect.

Mine to keep.

Mine to hurt how I see fit. Which means only in the ways she wants.

“Sailor, baby,” I say softly, moving closer to the bed and dropping to my knees. I place the bat on the floor by my leg and put my hands on her cheeks. Her eyes open, and it takes a moment for recognition to flare.

“Jaxon?” she whispers, her eyes lighting up, then filling with tears. Her voice is raspy, raw.

“It’s me, little dove. I’m here.”

From the corner of my eye, I watch Mindy, making sure she isn’t trying anything crazy.

“You’re here,” Sailor says sleepily.

I nod, stroking her cheeks with my thumbs. “I’m here.” I lean in to kiss her forehead. “I’m going to get you out of here. We’re going home.”

I follow the line of rope to the end of the bed where I undo it, then unwrap it from the headboard and from around her wrists. I help her sit up, and she looks up at me with this look of pure terror and innocence and pain, and it makes me want to burn the world down.

I kiss her again, keeping my hands on her face.

“I’ve got you, baby,” I whisper gently. “I’ll protect you.”

She blinks a few times, and I pull my gaze away to look at Mindy. I feel the change in me instantly.

Looking at Sailor makes me warm. When I look at Mindy? It’s ice. I’m the me I’ve always known. The me that came from my mother. The me this world is going to regret.

I take Sailor’s hand. “Come on. We need to get out of here.”

“What about—”

“She’s coming with us,” I say, turning my attention toward Mindy. “Let’s go.”

I jerk my head toward the door. Mindy’s eyes go wide, and she shakes her head.

“No. I’m not going with you.”

“The fuck you aren’t,” I bark. “Let’s go before I throw you out the fucking window.”

“But I—” She looks from me to Sailor, terror in her eyes.

“Don’t you dare fucking look at her,” I say, stepping between them.

“She isn’t going to help you. Get your feet working and go down the stairs, Mindy.

I wasn’t kidding about throwing you out the window.

And if you think that’s all, you’re crazy, because I’ll make you walk to my car on your broken legs and laugh while you do it. ”

Her mouth opens and closes a few times, then more tears pour from her eyes. She wipes them as she moves toward us, her head ducked as she goes out the door. I keep Sailor close as I follow, the bat tight in my other hand.

Mindy makes her way down the stairs and heads through the room.

Sailor pauses when she spots the guy on the ground, head lolled to the side. He’s breathing, so he isn’t dead.

“Come on, baby,” I say softly. “Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you again.” There’s hesitation in her eyes, so I tug on her hand. “Come on,” I repeat, this time gentler.

Her eyes stay on him, but she eventually moves her feet and we head outside, Mindy leading the way.