Page 34 of The Hunted Wife

Chapter 12

As Adam ran toward Ricard’s SUV he saw him and Millie run from the car accident into the forest. As he closed in, he heard shots ring out and looked for the shooter.

Viktor stood fifteen feet away.

Adam dove behind a mound of snow, unable to get close enough to go after them without being shot. Gunfire came from behind him. He looked and saw Benjamin and Everett running after him, firing at Viktor. They kept him pinned down so Adam could get past him.

He ran as fast as he could through the snow. The crust of ice on top of the snow made running more difficult. But he ran because he knew if he didn’t catch them now, he might lose Millie forever. He couldn’t allow that to happen. She was the best thing that had ever come into his life and he wouldn’t lose her. Not now that he’d just realized how much she meant to him.

As he pushed his body hard and faster through the snow he saw he was catching them. He saw Millie struggling to get away and slowing them down as she did. His fear for her grew not knowing what Ricard would do when Adam caught them. And he would catch them. No other scenario was acceptable.

As he sucked in great breaths of the icy air, his lungs burned. But he pressed on. He couldn’t stop now. He heard Millie’s voice and saw her struggling with Ricard.

“Stop. Ricard. Let me go.”

“Never. Now, move, or I’ll kill him if it’s the last thing I do.”

Millie didn’t struggle anymore with that threat hanging over her head.

“Millie,” Adam called. “Don’t listen to him. Millie.”

He didn’t hear anything back and they were keeping their lead, like they had the devil on their tails. Adam supposed he was the devil in a way, because he planned on sending Ricard straight to Hades.

Ricard looked over his shoulder at Adam advancing swiftly. He pulled Millie around until she was standing in front of him. “Don’t come any closer Sullivan or I’ll kill her.” He pushed the gun’s barrel into Millie’s side.

She cried out.

Unable to hear her pained cry, Adam stopped in his tracks and extended his arm. “Don’t hurt her. Send her to me and you can go on your way. We won’t come after you. No one will. Please, Ricard.” Adam suddenly pointed at Ricard. “But if you hurt her, then I will never stop coming. You’ll never sleep again because you know I’ll be there waiting for you in the shadows. If you hurt her, then I will kill you, Ricard. Make no mistake about that.”

Ricard didn’t stop. He didn’t release Millie. He was slowing though. The altitude and the knee high snow was doing Adam’s work for him.

Adam didn’t slow. The altitude was nothing to him, he was used to it and the deep snow didn’t slow him down either. His long legs ate up the distance between them.

Millie fell face first into the snow with a yelp.

Ricard stopped and tried to pull her up. He looked back and saw Adam.

He hadn’t slowed. If anything, he’d sped up. He was so close now. Suddenly, he leapt and, landing on Ricard’s back he took him down and pushed his face into the ice covered snow.

“Adam, be careful. He’s got a gun,” shouted Millie.

He looked over at her.

She’d finally managed to stand but she was starting to shake, whether from the being in the snow or from shock, he wasn’t sure. Whichever it was, he needed to get her back to the vehicles and get her warm.

Benjamin and Everett ran up beside him.

“Get Millie to the Expedition. We’ll bring this piece of scum.” Everett reached down and hauled Ricard to his feet, knocking the gun from his freezing hand.

Benjamin picked up the pistol.

They marched him back to their vehicles and secured him in the back seat of Benjamin’s truck with his hands tied behind him with zip ties.

Adam wrapped his arm around Millie’s shoulders. She was freezing. “Come on, let’s get you warm.”

She looked up at him and ran the fingers of her left hand down his strong, square jaw. “You’re here. You saved me from a fate worse than death. I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s true. I would have preferred death to being wed to Ricard. Oh, he assured me he’d only bed me until I was pregnant and then he’d return to his mistresses.”

Adam squeezed her shoulders. “That would never have happened. I would never have stopped coming to save you. He couldn’t keep me from you, or keep us apart.”