lifted her then sat on the bed with her on his lap.
She recalled everything that she could remember them saying.
“Jana?” Ink finally whispered. “Jana told them where to find you?”
“It sounds like it.”
“I’ll fucking kill her.”
Spike straightened. “I’ll track her down. Bring her to you. You can’t leave Betsy right now.”
Ink nodded. “What happened then, Betsy?”
“They disappeared,” she whispered.
“What do you mean?” Sunny asked.
“They were scared when a wolf howled. I heard one of them yell out. Then nothing. Until another man appeared at the top of the hole.”
“Who was he?” Razor asked.
She looked straight at Sunny. “He said he was the Fox.”
“The Fox?” Sunny whispered, sitting up straighter.
“What the hell was the Fox doing there?” Duke growled.
“He said he was there to rescue me. He said it was like déjà vu as he’d once killed two men who’d been intent on hurting Sunny.”
“He killed Forrest’s goons?” Razor asked.
She nodded. “That’s what he said. He had a rope and he pulled me out. Then he led me to the clearing and left me with his jacket and phone.”
“The Fox saved you. See, he is a good person.” Sunny turned to Duke.
“Little rebel, he killed two men.”
“Two bad men,” Sunny said.
Ink slid her off his lap and started pacing as best he could with the room filled with people.
“Ink, are you—”
“This is my fault.”
“No, it’s not!”
“I left you alone! I thought the threat was gone but I should have made sure. They never should have gotten to you! They shot you! They were going to bury you!”
Duke stood in front of him, grabbing his shoulders. “Enough,” he said in a low voice.
There was a beat of silence. “Let. Me. Go.”
“No,” Duke replied calmly.
Everyone else watched on, but she sensed that none of them were as calm as they were letting on.
“Ink, please,” she whispered.
“She could have died!” His voice roared through the room.
“But she didn’t and now you’re fucking terrifying her by losing your shit.”
But she wasn’t scared. At least she wasn’t scared for her own safety. She was scared for him. His sanity. Because she knew that she wasn’t the only one coming out of this with nightmares. No, his nightmares were etched into his face with a brutality that had tears dripping down her cheeks.
“Ink,” she said quietly, standing. The world swayed for a moment but she managed to shuffle towards him.
“Betsy, stay back,” Duke warned.
Ink growled at him, she touched his arm. He turned towards her and she practically fell against him, knowing he would catch her.
He would always catch her.
He scooped her gently up into his arms and breathed in her scent, burying his face in her hair. “Damn it, Betsy. You’re supposed to stay in bed. I could have lost you. You could have died. What would I do if I lost you?”
“You won’t,” she whispered back. “I’ll never leave you, Ink. I’m a barnacle stuck to your boat.”
He barked out a laugh and she knew her Ink was back with her. He looked down at her.
“You can be my barnacle anytime.”
Someone groaned. She turned to see Razor shaking his head at them, although his lips twitched with a smile. “Is this you two flirting? ‘Cause if it is then your game needs serious work, boy.”
She blushed.
“My game is just fine, old man,” Ink grumbled, carrying her over to the bed again and sitting with her in his lap.
“Sorry, brown eyes. Lost it for a moment.”
“None of this is your fault. You had no way of knowing that Forrest was going to send them. It sounds like they were watching for a while. You couldn’t have known when they would strike. And I’m safe now. I did what you said, I stayed alive until you got to me.”
“Until the fucking Fox got to you.”
“Until you got to me,” she repeated firmly. “I didn’t feel safe until you were holding me. Can I tell you now?”
“All right.”
She looked up into his gorgeous face. “I love you Ink Callahan. With all my heart.”
He leaned down and kissed her. “Love you too, brown eyes.”
She smiled up at him, happiness flooding her.
“Now that Ink’s worked out his issues, can we please focus.” Reyes leaned forward. “Did the Fox say anything about how he knew you were there?”
“He wouldn’t tell me. I’ve got his jacket and phone somewhere. Where are they?”
“They’re downstairs,” Ink said.
Razor went down to get them. When he walked back in, he handed the phone to Jason. “There’s nothing in the pockets.”