Sizzle (Bad Boy Rockers) (Volume 1)(85)

“We’re back together, but we’ve not had a chance to talk properly with the wedding and all. I’m going to take her somewhere tonight so we can talk.”

He took a gulp of beer. “Are you sure talking’s a good idea, considering it’s talking that got you in the dog house to begin with?”

“Not this kind of talking.”

He paused with the bottle to his mouth, and raised an eyebrow. “The naked kind?”

“The proposal kind.”

Well, that was a first. The marine was speechless.

“Fuck.”

Maybe not.

“Hey Jack. Where’s Thalia?”

I turned and watched Mia walk towards us.

“She went inside the house to retrieve something for you to tease my brother with or so Mom said,” I said watching Mia blush.

She frowned, looking around her. “She didn’t bring it to me though, Rebecca did.”

I froze when I heard the bitch’s name. “Rebecca,” I managed to spit out.

“She came over to the house to apologize with her mother. My mom, of course, accepted. Eventually I agreed she could come to the wedding with her parents as long as she apologized to you and Thalia, and promised not to cause any more trouble.”

That was so not good. I paced back and forth a couple of times, trying not to panic, but failing miserably. “I need to find Thalia,” I looked directly at Ryder.

“You said she went to the house so let’s start there,” Ryder said. “Mia, you go and tell Liam what’s going on. Check with Callie to see if she’s seen her, and then get Donovan and Reece to check around the barn.” Finished issuing orders, he turned and started heading towards the house.

“Ryder wait. When Rebecca brought me the garter,” she blushed, “I asked her where Thalia was and she said she’d gone off to meet Jack.” Mia had tears in her eyes.

“Okay, what’s with the church meeting?” Reece asked. We all turned to see him standing not too far away with Donovan and Callie, and between the two of them stood a nervous looking Rebecca.

I lost it. “Where the f*ck is Thalia?” I was practically nose-to-nose with her as I yelled the question. I felt like strangling the bitch, and if anything had happened to her there’d be hell to pay.

“I told her you wanted to see her, and that you were waiting by the...river for her.”

“You f*cking bitch,” I roared.

Rebecca burst into tears. “I’m sorry.”

I turned away before I did something I’d never done before; hit a woman.

“Which part, Rebecca?” Ryder asked.

“The bridge.”

God no. I turned and started running towards the bridge. The bridge that I’d been meaning to replace, but hadn’t gotten around to. I could vaguely hear Ryder yelling something about paramedics, but I wasn’t stopping for anyone. I needed to get to my girl, and just prayed she was still on land.

I ran so damn fast I had a hell of a stitch in my side, but as I broke through the trees, I came to a stop on the bank and shouted for her. I couldn’t hear a damn thing though with the racket the rapids made.

Walking closer to the bridge there was still no sign of Thalia, until I stood on the edge and looked down.

My heart dropped. “Thalia,” I shouted.

She turned her head and looked up at me, her eyes frantic, and then she started to cry.

“I’m going to get you up here baby. I promise.”

She had obviously slipped over the edge of the bank and was in the water, but had managed to grab on to the roots of a tree that had grown out through the earth about a foot above the water.

“Where is she?” Ryder shouted, running towards me.

“Down there. She’s slipped over. I need to get to her.”

He stopped and looked down. “You can’t go down there yet. We need some rope; otherwise you’ll end up stuck down there with her.”

He was right, but I just needed to get to her. She looked terrified.

“Get over here.”

I looked towards the trees to see whom he’d been shouting to. Reece, Donovan and Callie were running towards us, and Reece had a rope in his arms.

“You’re good to go in a minute.”

Ryder grabbed the rope from Reece, tied one end around my waist then ran to one of the trees, took the rope around before getting Donovan and Reece in on it. He nodded to me.

At the edge I made my way down slowly. It was about eight feet from the bank to the water at this point, with the embankment sloping steeply downwards, and after the rain we’d had yesterday and early morning, it was muddy as hell.

About a foot away, I looked at her and could see how cold she was, not to mention frightened.

“Phoenix. Be careful.”

“No sweat,” I said, realizing I was going to be getting wet.

“I’m coming, but I need to get in the water to get a proper hold on you. One minute, then I’ll have you back in my arms, and you’re never leaving again. No matter how much I piss you off, you’re not going anywhere. Is that understood?”

A frightened chuckle escaped her lips, “Yes Phoenix.”

That’s my girl, I thought with pride. “I like that kind of response.”

I slid into the water to the side of her, trusting everyone up top to have a proper hold on the rope; I grabbed her around the waist and wrapped her up in my arms. She cried out and wrapped her arms around my neck, holding on real tight.