In His Keeping (Slow Burn #2)(82)

Judging by the tears in her eyes and the way she stared helplessly at Ari, she drew her own conclusion that Ramie was well aware of what was going on. She was being held in the not so gentle grasp of another man who looked military. Like a killer. His eyes were dead and cold. Like little mattered to him. She shivered, knowing that had she not complied with their wishes, they wouldn’t have hesitated to murder Ramie right in front of her.

She sent Ramie a look, a plea to understand. The man holding her maneuvered over to where the ladder dangled and Ari’s stomach plunged at the idea of having to climb the damn thing.

She needn’t have worried. She felt a sudden sting, like that of a wasp, in her neck and the room went even fuzzier. The last thing she registered were the tears streaking down Ramie’s face, and her utter look of devastation.

TWENTY-NINE

ADORNED with night vision goggles, protective gear and enough firepower to rival a small country’s military, Beau and Zack sprinted across the courtyard clearing, keeping low so they didn’t present an easy target.

They needed to catch up with the others fast because they stood a hell of a lot better chance of taking down the intruders together than if they were scattered over the entire perimeter.

Suddenly Dane and Eliza emerged from the shadows, blending seamlessly into the night. With a nod in Beau’s direction, Dane spoke quietly into his mic and instructed the others of their coordinates so they could group up and blow the hell out of everyone who didn’t belong here.

In a matter of seconds, they were joined by the remaining men, Caleb, Isaac and Capshaw, and they moved out, separating just enough that they didn’t present an easy target for someone seeking to take them out with a single blast.

There was a drop-off halfway between the house and the heavily wooded area surrounding the property on all sides. Here, the ground sloped sharply downward before leveling off again the farther they got from the house.

Beau was heading the group and was so focused on his immediate surroundings and keeping a watchful eye toward the woods and any other potential ambush spot that he tripped over something large and bulky, nearly sprawling to the ground.

What the f*ck? That felt like . . . a body.

Beau scrambled for his footing before backing away and motioning the others to do the same. Zack and Dane leveled their weapons at the downed figure while Beau moved in closer.

The man lay perfectly still, no detectable respirations. Eliza knelt beside Beau and quickly shone her small flashlight over the man’s face and Beau recoiled. Holy hell. The man had been beaten to death.

“Shit,” Eliza breathed. “I’ve never seen anyone beaten this badly. Who the hell do you think it is?”

To their complete and utter shock, the man’s lips moved the barest of centimeters. But enough for them to realize he was alive. The entire group exchanged baffled looks. How someone this badly beaten was even semiconscious was flabbergasting.

“Ari,” the man said with a gasp, wincing in pain at just the one word that whispered past his lips.

Beau surged to attention and leaned down to stare in the man’s battered, swollen and bloodied face. God, he was utterly unrecognizable as a human being. He looked more a monster than a man.

“What about Ari?” Beau demanded. “What happened to you? Who did this to you? And what do you know about Ari?”

“Daughter,” he rasped out.

A chill went up Beau’s spine and he glanced back at the others in disbelief.

“Need . . . you . . . tell something.”

His voice was growing weaker by the second and Beau had to lean even farther down to hear what he was saying.

The man’s hand fluttered weakly upward, flailing, as if reaching for something to anchor himself with. Beau’s response was automatic. No matter who this man was or what he had done, no one deserved to be savaged this way.

Once Beau’s hand gripped his, his fingers tightened around Beau’s and his eyes slitted open, determination flagging in their depths.

“Tell Ari . . . I loved her. Mother loved too . . .” His voice trailed off and he suddenly choked and then coughed convulsively, blood dribbling profusely from his mouth.

Oh man, this was bad. This was really bad. There was no way an ambulance would reach him in time. And they had to take out the threat to Ramie and Ari as well as to themselves.

“P-p-promise me,” he stuttered, blood bubbling and foaming down his chin. “Loved her always. Tell her. Never forgot her. Wanted her to be . . . happy. Have . . . good life.”

Ari’s biological father closed his eyes and sagged heavily, seeming to wilt right into the ground. Beau followed him down so their faces weren’t far apart and so he could hear Beau’s vow.

“I promise,” he said, still gripping the man’s hand. “Do you hear me? I swear I’ll give her your message. Rest easy now.”

His eyes opened one last time and then a peaceful smile settled over his face, softening some of the brutality wrought by extreme violence.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Means the world.”

And then his head lolled to the side and his hand went completely slack in Beau’s grasp.

“Son of a bitch,” Beau swore. “These people are animals and they want Ari!”

“Easy, brother,” Caleb said, putting his hand on Beau’s shoulder. “We’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”