Chapter 86

Roaring, he held her head in his shaking hands and slammed his eyes shut. Awful, tormenting visions cut through his mind, sliced like a blade. Shredded. Releasing her, he stumbled back, clutched his stomach.

Ragewhite hot, sadistic ragewhipped through him. Lashed. Violent in the intensity, it surged as if summoned by the very bowels of hell. Blood boiled and pressure built in his skull, rammed his temples. Someone, that thing out there, had dared to hurt his Amy. His beautiful, courageous angel.

A growl tore his throat, and he pivoted. Stormed out of the barn. A quick glance around, and he found her parents, Kyle, Nate, Olivia, and the soon-to-be dead man in the same spot as moments ago. He was going to kill him. Several times. Limb from goddamn limb, he'd tear him to pieces.

Marching up to the group, Nakos zeroed in on the bastard. He had a blip of a second to make out a brown comb-over and fat paunch through a red haze of wrath before he shoved his forearm into the guy's collarbone and slammed him against the side of the house.

Nakos reared his arm back, then brought it forward with everything he had. His fist met face. "You." Punch. "Sick." Punch. "Fuck." Punch, punch. Bone cracked. Blood spurt. The guy slid to the ground, and Nakos bent to haul him up again.

Arms wrapped around him, got between him and doling justice, and backed him up several paces. Nate. Had to be with the tattoo sleeves and brawn, because no way was anything but the ex-soldier strong enough to stop Nakos's fury. He shoved, attempted to get free, but Nate held firm.

"Take a breather, friend."

"Let me go." Nakos struggled and got nowhere.

"What the hell, man?" Kyle, kneeling next to his uncle, glared at Nakos.

Mae walked out of the mudroom, the screen door clacking against the frame. "What's all the fuss?" She slung a towel over her shoulder, eyes darting to each of them like she was assessing the scene. "Well?"

"He came out of nowhere and slugged me." Wiping blood from his lip, the uncle looked from Amy's parents to Kyle. "Who is this guy?"

"That's our foreman, Uncle Clint."

Amy's father held out a hand, helped Clint to his feet. "As savage as the rest of his kind."

"How dare you?" Amy's mother looked at Nakos with disgust. "I want him arrested."

Nakos gnashed his molars to dust, his muscles tense as concrete. "Did you know?" He thrashed against Nate's hold, glared at her parents. "Do you know what he did to her? Answer me!"

"Okay, time out." Nate shoved his face in Nakos's. "Explain. I'm assuming the 'he' is Clint and the 'her' is Amy. Now, explain."

Nakos stared at Nate, chest heaving. "He touched her."

"Hey." Olivia, at his side, gently stroked Nakos's arm. "They just got here. We haven't seen Amy."

"He doesn't mean today." Nate, voice flat, looked at him, tension tightening his features. Nakos could all but trace the pattern on the dots Nate connected.

"But, the last time he was here was..." She rubbed her forehead.

"When you were twelve. That's the last time he was in town." Tears stung Nakos's sinuses, formed a hot ball in his windpipe. He had to lock his legs so he wouldn't collapse under the weight of the situation. "She was just a girl, little red. Only a child." Shit. He couldn't take it.

"I don't understand."

He prayed she never would. He looked at Nate, temper threatening again on a low simmer. "He. Touched. Her." He growled, his throat raked raw. "He...touched...her."

Nate's expression went to stone cold steel. His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed, and he slowly released Nakos. The silent question in the ex-soldier's eyes was directed at Nakos alone, and the underlying savage hint in the dark depths meant he'd already figured it out.

Still, Nakos dipped his chin once in answer, not sure he could speak. His anger was beginning to fade entirely, as if he'd put it all in his friend's capable hands now, and what replaced it was far worse. Realization. Grief. Misery. Remorse.

Sheer annihilation on a bone-deep, visceral, he'd-never-get over-it level.

Kyle turned, backed away from the group. "Are you saying...?" The color drained from his face when no one said a word. "No." Hollow eyes, a more timid shade of Amy's, shifted to his uncle, then his parents. "Mom? Dad?"

Neither Mr. or Mrs. Woods denied the accusations. Most gutting, neither looked surprised or guilty, either.

They'd known. They'd known and had done nothing?

Clint stumbled. "What are y'all blathering about?"

Nate pulsed livid vibes next to Nakos, sucked in a breath through flared nostrils. "You son of a bitch." The barest hint of ink whirred through the air as his fist met his target. Ass over tea kettle, Clint went down. This time, he didn't get back up. "By the way, Wyoming doesn't have a statute of limitations on rape, asshole." He pointed at Amy's folks. "You don't move. You're all under arrest." He flicked a scornful glare at an unconscious Clint. "And assault. I seem to recall he took a swing at Nakos first. That what you saw, baby?"

Olivia, tears streaming down her shell-shocked face, nodded.

"This is ridiculous." Mrs. Woods crossed her arms. "He didn't do anything to my daughter and that barbarian clearly hit Clint first."

"I suggest you utilize your right to remain silent." Nate looked at Mae. "Get the sheriff's station on the phone, would you? Tell Rip I need an assist."

"Sure." Mae, confusion in her eyes, smoothed her white strands and headed inside.

Nakos hit the end of his rope. He pulled Olivia against him, needing the calm she typically brought him. But it wasn't enough. It didn't help the deadening void in his chest or the sickening swirl of nausea in his gut or the erratic thump of his pulse. Nothing would. Noises, awful noises like a wounded animal, escaped his throat. Raked the tissue as they got louder.

He released her, concerned he'd grip her too hard, and grabbed the back of his neck with both hands instead. His legs buckled, and his knees smacked dirt. "Hihcebe, little red. I can't...I can't..." Breathe. He couldn't breathe, damn it.

"Kyle, go look for Amy." Olivia knelt in front of Nakos, cupped his cheeks.

Nate muttered something about Amy being in the barn, but it was all a hazy wash in Nakos's mind. Fuzz in his ears. He teetered on a rapid vertigo shift as dots spotted his peripheral.

"Shh." Olivia stroked his cheek, but her scent was all wrong. The touch not right. Not Amy's. "It's going to be all right. You're scaring me, though. I've never seen you this upset. We've got to focus on Amy, so"

"Ames." Yes, that's what he needed. He needed his Amy. To hold her, to make sure she was okay, to assure her no one was ever going to harm so much as one hair on her gorgeous head again. He surged to his feet, turned as Kyle ran out of the barn.

"She's not there."

"What?" Nakos jogged around him and to the carriage doors. Empty. The sole flip-flop she'd been wearing lay in the dirt. Quickly, he ran to the other side, scanned past the grazing pens to the path she might've taken if she'd hoofed it back to his cabin. Nothing. Panicked, he met up with the others again. "Olivia, search the house. Kyle, check the other barns." He glanced at Nate, who obviously had to stay on Amy's parents and uncle until Rip showed up. "You okay here?"

"Yeah. Go."

Nakos rounded the house and skidded to a stop out front. Thunder boomed, followed by a flash of lightning. He gazed up at the greenish-gray sky and frowned. She wasn't in his truck or on the front porch. Just in case, he ran the length of the driveway, but she wasn't there, either. By the time he got back near the mudroom, Olivia shoved through the screen door.

"No. I looked everywhere. She's not inside. Aunt Mae said she hasn't seen her."

"Shit." He shoved off his Stetson, combed his fingers through his ponytail, then replaced the hat. All he could see were Amy's wide blue-green eyes filling with tears while she'd confirmed his suspicion. The way she'd shook against him. "Shit. Where would she go?"

Nate jerked a chin to his right. "Rip's here. Give me five minutes to get these assholes off the property and I'll help." Taking charge, he turned to Olivia. "Call the ranch hands. Have the men meet in the barn. We'll split into teams." He studied Nakos. "Drive up the main road toward your place. Maybe she just decided to walk."

Leaving the others, Nakos hopped in his truck, turned the engine over, and sped down the driveway. He slowed once he got past the gate despite the thundering race of his heart.

Searching for her, he recapped their conversation in the barn and cursed. He should've stayed with her, should've kept her in his arms and tended to her. Instead, he'd uncharacteristically flipped his lid, and now she was missing. Worry ate away at his stomach lining.

He got all the way to his cabin without spotting her and, just in case, rushed inside to check. Not there. The sky let loose while he floored it to the main house, pouring in horizontal sheets. The wipers barely kept up, and he pictured her in the rain. Alone.

All their men were in the barn when Nakos returned, listening intently to Nate. He paused. "Anything?"

Nakos shook his head. His stomach bottomed out. A needling sense of anxiety itched under his skin. He swore to all that was holy, if she wasn't all right and in one piece, he'd fucking go apeshit.

"Okay, move out. Mic up if you find anything." The guys shuffled out and Nate pointed to an aerial map of the ranch tacked to the wall, then jerked his chin for Nakos to step closer. "Teams of two are going out on ATV here, here, and here." He indicated the three sections of land, the fourth being the main house and barns. "Olivia is with Kyle. They're taking this path south toward your cabin. Olivia thinks she might've gone that way. Mae's staying at the house and will radio if Amy shows up."

Nakos ran an unsteady hand down his face. "Thank you for helping. I'm not thinking straight."

"We'll find her." Nate sighed. "I can't keep her folks or uncle on anything without a statement from Amy about..." He closed his eyes, jaw ticking. "Makes me want to pound on the fucker's face again." Lifting his lids, he rolled his shoulders. "Rip's holding them overnight on bogus trespassing charges until I can talk to her."

"Okay." Damn it all. Where was she? "I can't wait around here. I have to go look."