Defending Everly (Mountain Mercenaries #5)(86)

“I’ll go with you,” Black told Arrow.

Ball turned to Elise. I’m going to get Everly.

He’s crazy. He had her marry us.

Ball frowned. You are not married to that asshole.

Amazingly, Elise grinned. It’s weird to see you swearing.

Thanking God that the girl in front of him wasn’t broken, and feeling prouder of her than he could put into words, Ball hugged her fiercely.

She clung tightly for a second, then pushed him away. Go get Everly.

Ball nodded and got to his feet. He pulled Elise upright and turned to his friends. “She can text like a fucking phenom. Give her your phone and talk to her that way. Get her to tell you everything she can remember, and text the rest of us with the details.”

“Will do,” Arrow said.

Ball turned to her. Go with Arrow and Black. Tell them everything you can remember. I’m going to bring your sister back to you.

She nodded, and while tears sprang to her eyes, she didn’t let them fall. She was as strong as her sister.

Ball watched until Elise and the others were out of sight. Then he turned and headed in the direction she’d come from at a fast clip. Now that Elise was out of the picture, Tylor was going to be pissed. And while Ball knew Everly could hold her own, that didn’t mean she was invincible.

Following the broken branches and using his intuition, Ball led the other three men in the direction Elise had said she’d come from. The sun had disappeared behind the mountain, and the shadows made the trek more and more difficult.

After five minutes, Ball was afraid that they’d turned in the wrong direction at some point—until he heard what sounded like a voice ahead.

Running, he saw the large hill Elise must’ve been talking about. Off to the left, there was a chain lying on the ground, one end attached to a big tree. Turning his attention back to the hill, he saw that it went practically straight up. Ball’s stomach clenched.

What goes up must come down.

For the first time in years, he was scared. And he was never scared on a mission. In fact, he could count on one hand the times he’d been truly terrified in his life, and one of those was when he’d been hanging off the side of the Coast Guard boat and couldn’t get his arm untangled from the rope. He’d seen his life flash in front of his eyes that day.

But the thought of Everly being killed was more terrifying than anything he’d ever experienced. He couldn’t lose her. Not when he’d finally found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. She was perfect for him. Beautiful, brave, and loyal as hell. He needed that. He needed her.

Meat, Ro, Gray, and Ball moved at the same time, and their muscular legs carried them up the hill with ease.

They burst onto the plateau, not one of the men slowing down a fraction, even as they saw what was waiting for them up there.

Tylor Tuttle on top of Everly.

She was on her back, he had his hands around her throat, and her head was literally hanging off the side of the cliff.

Ball didn’t even have time to scream at Tuttle to get off her. Before he or his men could get to the pair, Tuttle was flying through the air.

His scream echoed around them, abruptly cutting off when he landed hundreds of feet below.



The reality that she was practically hanging over the edge of a cliff barely registered in Everly’s mind. She felt somewhat numb at the moment.

But in the next second, a pair of hands latched on to her ankles.

Everly screamed in terror and tried to kick out.

“It’s me! Ball! You’re safe. He’s gone.”

Her eyes had popped open when her ankles had been grabbed, but upon hearing Ball’s voice, her eyes slid closed once more. Her fingernails tried to dig into the sand and rocks, but she couldn’t get a firm hold. “Get me off this ledge,” she whispered. Her throat hurt like hell, and she couldn’t avoid rehearing the thud Tylor’s body made as it hit the ground far beneath her, and how his scream had stopped suddenly.

Instead of dragging her backward, Ball eased his arms under her back and knees, and he lifted her.

Everly latched on to him as if her life depended on it. “Don’t drop me!” she croaked.

“Never,” Ball vowed.

She counted his steps, and didn’t open her eyes until she reached twenty and felt him lowering her to the ground.

“Elise?” she rasped as he hovered over her.

“Safe. She ran into us on the path. Black and Arrow took her back to the parking area and are calling in the cavalry.”

Everly sighed and smiled. “I knew you’d come.”

“Shhh, don’t speak.” Ball turned his head and yelled, “Meat!”

In seconds, the other man was there, opening a backpack. Everly swallowed, wincing at the pain that tiny movement caused.

“Where else are you hurt?” Ball asked.

“Honestly?”

“Always.”

“Everywhere. Is he dead?”

“Yeah, Everly, he’s dead,” Gray said from above them.

Everly looked up into the other man’s eyes. “You sure?”

“We’re sure,” Ro added.

“He could be faking it,” Everly mumbled. “He has to be dead. He killed my mom and wants Elise. He’s not going to give up.”

Ro crouched next to her and said gently, “He’s dead, Everly. You want me to carry you over so you can see?”