Page 65 of The Outpost (Jamison Valley 4)
I made it one step before Dylan yelled and flung his long body backward. His boots slid on the wooden floor and he lost his footing, but as he fell, his arm swung wildly at my bare feet. His arm hit my ankle, causing me to stumble.
With a loud thud, my body crashed into the floor. The impact sent a shooting pain through my hip but I ig
nored it and scrambled onto my hands and knees, clawing with desperation toward the kitchen as Dylan awkwardly struggled to stand.
Dylan cussed and yelled again but the two fast steps I’d taken put me out of his reach. I exploded out the door and immediately started screaming Beau’s name. Pine needles and small rocks dug into the soles of my feet as I sprinted through the night. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I held my arms in front of me, hoping not to collide with a tree on my way to the meadow.
“Sabrina!” I heard Beau’s yell right before Boone barked and collided with my shins.
I lost my balance, but before I fell, Beau’s mammoth arms were wrapped around my shoulders.
“It’s Dylan,” I gasped, pointing back to the outpost. I gulped a huge breath, trying to settle my heart. It was beating so hard it actually hurt inside my chest.
“What’s Dylan?” Beau asked.
“He came after me,” I panted.
Beau’s frame locked tight. “Michael!” he bellowed, though his brother was already at his side shining a flashlight at our feet. “Stay with Sabrina.”
“Calm down, Beau,” Michael said. Behind him were nineteen hotshot bodies. I couldn’t make out faces but their outlines were illuminated by the fire in the distance.
“Stay with Sabrina,” Beau repeated through clenched teeth. His chest expanded in an angry breath before his arms around me loosened and were replaced by his brother’s.
I pushed out of Michael’s embrace and started walking after Beau. The adrenaline was leaving my system and my teeth began to chatter loudly. “Michael, stop him.” Beau was furious and Dylan didn’t stand a chance. His self-control wouldn’t hold this time, and as much as I would like Beau to beat the crap out of that asshole, the last thing we needed was attention from the police.
I walked faster, my bare feet limiting my speed, but Michael clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Wait.” With one swift move, Michael picked me up, looping his arm around my back and one under my knees. “Come on, guys.” He called behind him as he jogged after Beau with me in his arms. A couple of the guys ran ahead of us and latched on to Beau’s arms just as Dylan came stumbling out the door.
“What?” Dylan slurred. “I was just gonna kiss her.”
Beau jerked his arms free and stepped right up to Dylan. The punch he threw was so fast and hard, all I saw was a flash of skin before the resounding crack of Dylan’s jaw split the air.
“Fuck,” Michael muttered.
The hotshots were all hovering around Beau, though they didn’t need to worry. He was already backing off a very unconscious Dylan.
Beau spun around and his eyes searched me out. He took two long strides and lifted me out of Michael’s arms. My head fell into his neck as he walked inside without haste. Gently, he set me down on my cot and tucked my sleeping bag around my shoulders and bare legs. My teeth were still chattering and my muscles had started to shake from the mixture of cold and fear.
“Are you all right?” he asked
I nodded. “He just scared me. My hip hurts a little from where he tripped me and I fell, but I’m okay.”
Beau blew out a long breath and hung his head. “I’m so fucking sorry.” His eyes found mine. “I should have come inside with you.”
I gave him a small smile. “It’s not your fault and I’m fine.”
“What happened?” he asked.
I recounted Dylan’s visit quickly so the men outside wouldn’t hear. The stress in Beau’s shoulders eased when he learned that nothing serious had happened.
“We can’t make a big deal out of this, Beau,” I said quietly.
“He should get his ass thrown in jail.”
“I agree but then my name would be on a police report. I’d rather have Dylan walking free than the Federovs knowing I’m in Montana.” Besides, I had a feeling that Dylan’s sore jaw would be a nice reminder of his indiscretion. That was, if he even remembered what had happened.
Beau shook his head and thought about it for a minute before sighing. “Fine.”
“Beau?” Michael called from the doorway. “What should we do? One of the guys went to get the sat phone from the trucks. Do you want me to have Jess come up?”
