Page 108 of Protecting Addison
“What if he gets you?”
“I’m not who he wants, so it doesn’t matter. He’ll realize I’m not you and let me go.” Bree wasn’t so sure that was the case, but the little girl didn’t need to know that.
The sound of footsteps was louder now, and Bree was out of time. “Be safe. You can do this.” Without waiting for a response, she stood and ran as quietly as she could past a row of containers. Then she smacked her hand against one of them, hard, and let out a fake pained cry.
Pausing for a moment to make sure the guy chasing the girls took the bait, she took off running in the opposite direction the girls were hiding, but not too fast that the man would lose her. She raced toward the far corner of the shipyard. Away from the SEALs she’d been stalking…er…following.
The man was faster than she’d given him credit for. Even in the semi-dark. Bree did her best to lead him as far away from the girls as she could, but it was only a matter of time before he caught her, especially when Bree realized she’d run out of shipyard. She ran around a Conex and barely caught herself from slamming into the perimeter fence.
Spinning around to run in a different direction, she came face-to-face with the man who’d been chasing her.
He was nowhere near the size of Jude or his friends, but he was still a few inches taller than Bree and probably a hundred pounds heavier. His brown hair was cut close to his head, and he had on a black shirt and dark jeans.
“Who the fuck are you?” he growled menacingly.
“Don’t hurt me! I was just looking for a safe place to sleep tonight,” Bree lied.
“Fuck! Damn it!” the man swore. Then he lunged forward and punched her in the face.Hard.
Bree’s ex had hit her before, but the pain still took her by surprise. She went down, and the man didn’t waste any time using his steel-toed boots to kick the shit out of her, even as he continued to use his fists. At first she tried to fight back, but after painfully ripping off a fingernail while clawing at him, trying to get him to stop, Bree curled into a tight ball, attempting to protect her head and kidneys at the same time.
Strangely, the man was silent as he hurt her. It was almost more terrifying that he wasn’t speaking while he did his best to beat her into unconsciousness.
“Fucking homeless trash,” he said after he finally seemed content with the damage he’d done. He spit on her and turned to walk away.
Bree lay on the concrete for a long and agonizing moment. Everything hurt. But she’d done it. She’d led him away from the two girls. She only prayed they’d taken the opportunity to run as hard and fast as they could toward Jude Stark and his friends.
CHAPTERTWENTY
MacGyver kept Addison at his side as he made his way toward another blue Conex. With every container they opened without finding Ellory and Yana, his confidence took a hit.
But there were cops and current and former SEALs all over the shipyard. At least twenty men he didn’t know had shown up, along with his own circle of friends, and more were apparently on their way. If Yana and Ellory were here, they’d find them.
It was theifthat had MacGyver feeling antsy and a little worried.
The men had fanned out, covering as much ground as they could. The only sound in the night was the squeaking of hinges as containers were opened and closed. The lights in the yard had been turned on in the area they were searching, making it seem more like day than night. But even with the enhanced brightness, the search was slow-going.
He and Addison were working mostly in silence. What was there to say? He couldn’t give her false hope, and they both knew the clock was ticking. The longer it took to find them, the more worried they both were that they were too late. That the container had already been loaded onto a ship and was even now chugging its way across the ocean.
There was also the matter of the man who’d taken them. They had no way of knowing if he was still on the premises. For that reason, no one called out for the girls. On one hand, they wanted Ellory and Yana to know that people were looking for them. On the other, they couldn’t afford to alert Brady’s associate. If there was any chance at all that he still had access to their girls, he might hurt them…end things right here and now.
It was impossible to know what was the right thing to do in this situation.
They were opening what seemed like the hundredth container when there was the sound of a commotion behind them. Turning, MacGyver saw about four men running toward something. No, someone.
Two someones.
He was moving even before he thought about what his feet were doing.
He’d recognize Ellory and Yana anywhere.
“Mom!” Ellory yelled.
“Ricky!” Yana called out at the same time.
MacGyver had no idea how he covered so much ground so fast, but before he knew it, he had one of his daughters in his arms. He went to his knees, and Yana threw herself at him, sobbing so hard he could feel her little body hitching against his own as she held him with all the strength she had.
Addison was right there at his side, with Ellory in her embrace.
