And nothing in the world could take that away from her.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The moon was high in the sky above as the front of the lodge was suddenly lit up with multiple glowing lights. Several cop cars screeched to a halt around them, swiftly followed by the paramedics. Lawson held Sarah close, trying to block out all of the noise and activity around them and just concentrate on how she felt in his arms.
He could feel her tears against his shirt, and he hated that she was so upset right now, but he reminded himself that things could be so much worse.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmured to her, brushing his lips over the top of her head. “I thought I was protecting you by sending you away from the lodge but I should have known that the safest place for you to be is by my side.”
“It’s okay,” she replied, lifting her gaze to meet his. “I know you were just trying to do the right thing. I don’t blame you.”
He smiled at her, and leaned down to plant a kiss against her lips as the sheriff hopped out of his car behind them.
“Sorry it took us so long to get here, but it looks like you guys have it handled. Granger had a few surprises set up for us along the way and the FBI is dealing with that. SWAT is currently securing the outer area,” Sheriff Willis volunteered, as Lawson pulled back from Sarah. “So what’s the status here? Who do I need to cuff?” he demanded.
“We’re just glad you made it, Sheriff. Xavier has them,” Lawson replied, directing him to the other man, who was still standing over Granger. “He’ll tell you what you need to know.”
“Good,” Sheriff Willis replied, nodding sharply and walking toward the two men. “This way, men! Let’s round them up,” the sheriff added, directing his deputies to Granger’s men scattered around the ground.
Just then, Bailey’s car pulled up behind the sheriff’s vehicle. All three women sprang out and rushed to Sarah’s side
“Are you oka—” Hannah began.
“What happened?” Bailey asked, speaking over her.
“Where are—” River began at the same time, but Sarah just pointed them back toward the lodge.
“Over there,” she replied. “They’re waiting for you.”
River and Bailey ran off toward the lodge, while Hannah rushed to where Xavier was standing, talking with the sheriff. She practically leaped into Xavier’s arms when she reached him. Lawson couldn’t help but smile, glad that they had all found each other again. He still felt guilty for sending Sarah away in the first place, but that line of thought would have to wait. There was so much more they had to take care of before he could replay everything that had happened.
Once Hannah had extracted herself from Xavier’s arms, she took his hand and came over to talk to Lawson and Sarah.
“Are you okay?” she asked her brother, fussing over him as she took in the bruises and cuts on his face. He knew he would be looking rough come the morning, but right now, he could hardly feel it. He was sure the paramedics would want to give him a once-over to make sure he was okay, but the important thing was Lawson had survived. Hurt like hell, but he would make it.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied.
“And you, Sarah?” she asked with concern. “Oh, God, I was so scared when you got out of the car like that.”
“You didwhat?” Lawson asked, confused. He thought Granger had intercepted the women and forced Sarah to give herself up to him.
“I knew they wanted me,” she said softly, shrugging. “I thought it would give the others a chance to get away if I pretended to turn myself over to them, but I had to run instead.”
He stared down at her. He could hardly believe it. He squeezed her closer, hating the thought of her sacrificing herself like that, but even more in awe of her than he had been before, which he hadn’t thought was possible.
“I thought we might never see you again,” Hannah blurted, her voice wracked with emotion. Lawson tensed. There it was, the horror that he had almost faced.
He had almost lost her. And the thought of it made him feel sick. It was worse than any of the physical pain he had endured that night, by a long shot. He closed his eyes and pressed his face into her hair, reminding himself that she was safe. That was what he needed to remember, above all else, and he was never going to let any threat get that close to her again.
But there was someone else out there who needed his help right now. Lainey was still out there somewhere. Granger wanted him to think that she was dead, but there was no way Lawson would give up until he knew for sure.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked her.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” she murmured. “What about you?”
“There’s something else I need to do,” he told her. “I’ll meet you at the hospital, alright?”
“Don’t get hurt,” she pleaded with him, and he kissed her cheek.