off against another man. They were going to be hurt or killed all because of Skye. She couldn’t let that happen.
Skye slid her knitting needle up the long sleeve of her shirt to hold it and then screamed so loudly she knew everyone would hear her over the chaos. The second she had their attention, she moved. She leapt over Mitzy and shouldered past the man who had taken Mitzy to the ground.
Then she ran. She powered through the throng, straight to the blown-out door with all her strength. It wasn’t much of a plan, but she had to draw the men away from her friends. She had to protect them. If she could make it outside, it was a straight shot down to the dock and then she’d jump into the river. She could lose them in the shadows of the river grass and that would give her friends time to escape.
Trent and Granger tied the men to each other and then made the move to get inside the front door. Trent had just entered the code to unlock it when the sports car raced down the drive straight toward them.
“Who the hell is that?” Granger asked.
“Don’t know, don’t care.” Trent shoved the door open into utter destruction.
“Skye, no!” Edie yelled as she leapt on the back of a man trying to run out the back door.
Trent saw the older knitting club members helping Mitzy up from the ground among the rubble and smoke of what had been the living room. Edie was hanging on the back of the man and had locked her arms around his neck into a perfect headlock.
“Skye!” Trent yelled into the chaos.
“She ran out the back and they’re all following her!” Miss Winnie yelled.
“Save our baby girl!” Miss Ruby ordered and Trent took off with Granger on his heels.
Edie had taken her man down and was leveling a hard kick to the balls when Trent raced by her and into the yard. Ryker, Wade, and Kord were coming in from the left. Peter, Gavin, and Ridge were converging from the right. Trent, Granger, and the knitting club were coming at them from straight down the middle.
Trent saw Skye running. She was trying to go wide around the helicopter, but the men were faster than she was. She wasn’t going to make it.
The lights from the sports car appeared as it drove through a hedgerow and slid to a stop near the group of men grabbing hold of Skye.
“Is that Mason Hemming?” Edie yelled out as they ran toward the fight. “Damn, that man is hot.”
Sure enough, Mason was out of the car and yanking men away from Skye, but it was too little too late. One man had her from behind and was carrying her into the helicopter as the others took on Mason and Peter’s group as they reached them first.
Trent didn’t think. He had to get to Skye and nothing was going to get in his way, even the men who were falling back from Mason’s attack on them. He might be an action star, but he wasn’t taking the men down like Peter, Gavin, and Ridge were. Their men weren’t standing back up and running away.
“I got these guys! Trent, get Skye!” Ryker yelled from the left. Trent cast a quick glance and saw Ryker, Kord, and Wade slamming their fists and the butts of their guns into men’s heads. The whole backyard seemed to be swarming with men. Where had they all come from?
“Skye, I’m coming! I won’t let them take you!” Mason yelled as he and Trent merged together on their race to get to the helicopter.
Skye was screaming, kicking, and cursing. Two men tried to block his and Mason’s path. Trent took one down with a haymaker. Mason tossed his to the ground. The man was probably up and chasing them, but at least they were through.
They were going to make it. Trent saw them all converging on the helicopter from every angle, but the pilot began pulling up. Two men leaned over and grabbed for Skye. They had her and were dragging her into the helicopter as it lifted into the air.
“I’ll find you, Skye! Hang on, I’ll find you if it’s the last thing I do!” Mason yelled as the man he’d tossed to the ground tackled him from behind.
Screw that! Trent was going to save her now or die trying.
28
Skye felt herself being grabbed from behind. Two strong arms locked around her waist and pulled