“Come on, Loch,” Nox opened his door, seeming to understand his hesitation. “She needs you, man.”
Getting his ass in gear, Loch stood, slamming the door behind him. He bypassed anyone trying to stop him and ran to where Frank was. Noticing a bloody Braxton sitting in the back of an ambulance shot his nerves up with white hot rage. “Where the fuck is she?” he yelled to the other man.
Braxton looked up, a huge gash on the side of his head, pale-faced, and bloodshot eyes. “That girl has fucking balls, you lucky bastard.”
Not understanding, he snapped again, “Where the fuck is my wife?”
“Lochlan?” Closing his eyes upon hearing her sweet voice, he turned.
There she stood, scared, pale, blood drying on her cheek and his sweater. She’d never looked more radiant than in that moment.
“Angel.” She rushed into his arms, sobs racking her body. “Shhh, baby, I got you.”
“I’m sorry; I’m so sorry.” Her apology confused him.
“What for?” He pushed back to meet her arctic blue eyes.
Hiccupping, her shallow breaths stuttered. “Morgan, he came. The things he said, what he did to Braxton. I’m so sorry.”
Her words still made no sense. “Sage, you need to take a breath. Explain it from the beginning.”
“So many nasty things. He told me everything. My father’s obsession, his, all of it makes a sick sense, and I hate him. Both of them. I hate them so much it hurts.” She needed to get something off her chest, so he let her continue speaking. “He wanted to take me away, Lochlan. He was going to hurt me and maybe, the baby.” Just her saying the words broke his heart and made him mad enough to kill. “I mean, I know we’re probably not, but what if we are? He was going to take it from me. From us. I couldn’t let him!” Her sobs grew harsher the more she spoke.
Pulling her back into his chest, he whispered in her ear, “No one, Sage, no one will ever take what’s ours. We won’t let them.” Looking to Frank, he asked. “Where is that son of a bitch?”
Two officers came from the house before he could answer. They looked pale or possibly even a little green from whatever was in his home.
“You know that umbrella stand you have by the front door?” Loch nodded, his mother had given it to him, full of umbrellas. He never used it. “Turns out your girl has a good swing and great aim.”
Frustrated with not being given the answer he sought, Loch shouted, “Out with it, Frank!”
“Sage here not only kicked him in the nuts to get away from him, but when he caught up to her, she had knocked the stand over and retrieved herself a weapon.” He was beginning to get the picture. “One of those umbrellas of yours had that pointy tip thing. Well, she beamed him right in the family jewels, tore right on through. Blood. Everywhere.” Shit. Maybe he wasn’t getting the right picture.
“She broke his giblets?” Nox asked shocked and in awe.
“Son, she didn’t just break them, they are in a whole new stratosphere.” Frank was having a hard time holding in his laughter now. “She’s got strength, don’t piss her off.” He left with the warning hanging in the air.
“Sage?”
“I’m sorry.”
It was all she would say to him. He refused to forgive her when she’d done nothing wrong. “Let’s get you to the hospital,” he said, guiding her to his car.
She hadn’t meant to do it. The sound that had come from him. The screams, the sight. All of it was what nightmares were made of.
Except Sage didn’t feel remorse.
She felt elated knowing he couldn’t ever hurt another person again.
Even though Morgan would live, in a federal prison from what she was told, he’d never be able to get a hard-on again. He would have to have major surgery to repair some of the damage she’d done to him, but he had it coming.
She’d begged for mercy, for freedom to live out her life, to check on her friend, but he wasn’t going to afford it to her. His only intent had been to do her harm. Whether he kept her or not made no difference, so long as someone paid for his loss.
Not knowing if she even had the strength to inflict pain on another human being, let alone stick an umbrella through their genitals, Sage had fought with everything she had.
Her life had begun the day she met Lochlan, and she had every intention of it ending in his arms. Not the arms of some psychopath.
After they left the hospital, Lochlan had taken her to a nice hotel. Knowing she wouldn’t want to be in the same room that someone tried to ruin their lives.