Orsen's bushy eyebrows rose until they almost disappeared into his snowy hairline. "Have you forgotten that you work for this firm? The firm you have been chomping at the bit to be made partner in, I might add."

"I haven't forgotten because it's this firm that has dangled that partnership in front of me like a golden carrot for years, while I jump through every single hoop you've put in front of me. Answer me honestly, Orsen, are you and Duvall ever planning on offering me a full partnership?"

He huffed a little and I watched as red filled his puffy cheeks. It was no wonder Orsen had me handling all the trials for the big-name clients; he had no poker face and was as easy to read as an open book.

"You have to prove yourself in order to be made partner, Quaid." His tone was firm but his hands were fidgety, telling me all I needed to know. They were going to work me like a dog, put my face and my talent out there in front of the entire legal world with their t.i.tle behind it, but they were never going to let me be one of the shot callers. They were never going to consider me their equal.

"I've proved myself, Orsen. In fact, I've more than demonstrated what an a.s.set I am to this firm and to the legal community in general. I've earned the right to pick and choose the cases and the people I want to represent, and if you don't agree with that, then I think it's time we go our separate ways."

I watched the older man balk and some of the arrogance that surrounded him waffled. "You won't quit. You've got too much time and energy invested in your career here."

He sounded so sure and he was almost right. Before Avett, the thought of quitting would have never crossed my mind, but after you survived a hurricane your perspective on the things that mattered most in life changed and I no longer needed or wanted to impress Orsen McNair. I was pretty sure I didn't want to work for him any more either.

"That's the thing, Orsen. It was time and energy invested in the wrong thing. If I hadn't been so focused on you finally seeing me as an a.s.set, maybe I would have noticed my marriage falling apart sooner. If I hadn't been convinced that being made partner would finally make me happy and give me the kind of self-worth I was sorely lacking, maybe I would have realized the people I was fighting for, the people I was giving my all to, were the kind of people that absolutely didn't deserve the best of me and would never, ever appreciate what I gave. I've been searching for the good life for as long as I can remember, Orsen. This sure as s.h.i.t isn't it."

Orsen held his hands up in front of him and his face went from accusatory to cajoling. "Now, son, don't make any rash decisions. Where else do you think you're going to get the kind of opportunities and money you've had access to here? We have a wait list a mile long of young attorneys right out of law school that are dying to be let in the door. You're lucky we offered you a position at all considering your less than stellar credentials. I handpicked you because I saw the fire and the drive in you, Quaid. Don't forget that."

I snorted at him. "I'm a good lawyer. f.u.c.k that, I'm a great lawyer, and I'm the one that has handled every ugly, sticky, complicated, tangled case this firm has profited from since I signed on. You really think anyone wants you or Duvall representing them in front of a jury when you haven't left your G.o.dd.a.m.n office in all that time? I go and the media and the high profile cases are going to go with me. So don't pretend I don't know who is doing who the favors here. Day in and day out, I persuade people to go against their better judgment. I lie for a living, old man, so here's a word to the wise ... you're out of practice when it comes to bluffing your audience so don't try and outmaneuver me-it won't work."

Orsen dropped all pretense of this being some kind of friendly office chat and leaned forward so that his hands were resting on the desk in front of him. The red in his face turned a furious maroon and his words sounded like each one was being bitten off and spit out in my direction.

"If you leave this firm, I will ruin you, Jackson. I will make sure no other law firm touches you and that you never get the opportunity to represent another client."

This time I didn't bother to stop the eye roll. I also decided Orsen and his precious firm had taken up enough of my time and my personal investment. I rose to my feet and leaned over so that my palms were flat on his desk. I narrowed my eyes at the man who I once thought gave me everything and told him flatly, "I don't want to represent the kinds of people you think need a solid defense, Orsen. I'm no longer interested in setting free the kind of man that could start a house on fire knowing his own child was inside. I don't want a reference or a referral from you. I want to get as far away as possible from the man you helped me become." I saw fear flash in his gaze and felt a kick of satisfaction that some of my old roughness and intimidation was starting to rise back to the surface. "I'll have my office cleaned out by the end of the day."

I pushed off the desk and was headed for the door when I heard his quiet, "This is all that girl's fault. You were on the fast track to success until you took her case and let her get to you."

I looked at him over my shoulder and frowned when I pulled my ringing phone out of my pocket and saw Brite's number on the screen. I figured he wanted to chew me out for making his daughter cry. I was willing to face his wrath so I could tell him I was working on a way to show Avett that she was the most important thing in my entire world. A way that she couldn't misinterpret or ignore. Brite seemed like the kind of guy that appreciated actions over words so I was sure I could smooth things over with the right words.

I told Orsen matter-of-factly, "You're right that she made me realize that I need more in my life than the next big case, and the next paycheck, but you're wrong about the path I was on, old man. That path led to nothing more than high blood pressure and more useless s.h.i.t that never impressed anyone anyway."

I touched the face of the phone and expected to get an earful about how to treat women; what I got was Brite's breathless voice that was made even rougher by panic.

"Quaid, Avett's been abducted."

I slipped out of Orsen's office and pressed the phone more fully to my ear as my fingers reflexively tightened around it.

"What? What do you mean abducted?"

My feet of their own volition carried me away from Orsen's office and down the hall towards the elevator. My blood started to rush between my ears so loudly that I could barely hear him when he told me in a rush, "These guys broke into the house and held me and Darcy captive while they called Avett. They think she knows something about the drugs that loser ex of hers took off with. I told her not to leave with them, but do you think she listened to me? She got into a black SUV and they took off with my little girl."

"Did you call the police?" My heart was pounding and my palms were slick with fear-sweat.

"Of course we called the police, and we have the plate number on the Yukon, but these guys are armed and they mean business. We need to figure out where she would lead them to. I know she would want them as far away from Denver and us as possible. Do you have any idea where she would go?"

"Wait, if you were being held captive how do you know all this? How did you manage to call me?" My brain was going a million miles a minute but the need to have as much information as possible was ingrained in me and I couldn't keep the questions from spilling out as I practically ran towards my truck.

"Avett was taken from the bar. Before she got in the car, she told Rome and Church I needed them at the house. Armed thugs have nothing on former special ops guys. We called the police as soon as the situation here was under control, but it's been an hour so that's one h.e.l.l of a head start the bad guys have."

Where would she take them? Where would she go so that she could buy time for everyone she cared about to get safe?

I put my hand on the door handle and swore long and loudly. "I know where she's taking them." It was the exact same place I would go if I wanted the rest of the world to be unable to find me. "I own a cabin out in the woods in the middle of nowhere. That's where I took her when we dropped out of sight for the weekend. I'll call the state patrol and tell them to haul a.s.s there but the woods are thick and there aren't any real landmarks, so the chances are I'll find her before they do."

"These guys are dangerous, Jackson. They were armed and had every intention of taking both Darcy and me out and setting the house on fire as soon as they heard from the guys that have Avett."

I stiffened as I heard something behind me. In the reflection of the gla.s.s on the driver's side window, I saw the man dressed head to toe in black moving up behind me. I let out a slow and steadying breath through my nose and told Brite, "I'm aware how dangerous the men are and how critical the situation is, Brite. I'll text you a general location as soon as I'm on the road."

I ducked and spun out of the way as the man behind me reached for me. I slid to the side and caught the arm he had raised to grab me by the wrist and used his surprise and my leverage to my advantage. I wrenched the wrist up behind his back and between his shoulder blades with enough force that I heard the distinct pop as bone slipped out of the socket. I slammed his face against the window on the side of my vehicle and leaned in close so that I was talking directly into the a.s.sailant's ear.

"You better hope your buddies don't touch a single hair on her head. If you hurt her in any way, jail will seem like a vacation compared to what I'm going to do to you and your friends."

The man gasped as I put even more pressure on his arm. "I wanted to ask you to use your phone. I have a flat and I forgot mine at home."

I grunted and leaned farther into him. I used my free hand to give the man a quick pat-down and turned out the pockets on his coat; I wasn't surprised when a switchblade fell out of one and when I found a gun in the other. I took the snub-nosed revolver and tucked it into the back of my pants, under my suit jacket, and shoved away from the man, who turned around and immediately groaned and listed to the side as his injured shoulder was released.

He blinked at me through a scowl as I kicked the knife under the truck.

"I thought you were some kind of suit. The guys said you were an attorney, not a f.u.c.king commando."

I pushed him out of my way and reached for the door handle once again. "I wasn't always an attorney. The guy that pays you should have done more research." I wanted to tell him that he could pa.s.s that message along to his co-workers, but I didn't want the men that had Avett to have any kind of heads-up that I was coming after my girl and that I would do whatever needed to be done in order to make sure she was safe and returned to her parents unharmed.

The truck started with a growl and I was pleased that the state patrol already had people on the highways and interstates looking for the SUV. I gave them directions to the turnoff and tried to explain the best way to get to the cabin, but I knew that it would eat up too much time as they combed the dense wilderness that surrounded the homestead. I was the only one that was going to get to Avett before something unthinkable happened.

I sent a haphazard text to Brite giving him the general vicinity I was sure that Avett had directed the men to take her and wasn't surprised at all when he told me the men that had freed him were already on the road. No one was going to let Avett fight this battle on her own, even though that was what she had set out to do. Her actions might seem brave and heroic to some, but I knew her well enough to know that she was once again surrendering herself when she didn't have to. Avett wasn't planning on leaving those mountains alive if that meant the people she loved were safe. I wanted to throttle her for being so n.o.ble and so stupid. When I got my hands on her, she would never again be able to doubt that she was the most valuable thing in my life and that if she sacrificed herself for the greater good I would be left with nothing.

A car honked at me as I drifted lanes because I was focused on my phone instead of my driving. I put the device away and floored the big truck, making it jump and speed up to miles per hour the big beast wasn't ever made to see. The body vibrated around me as the engine roared. I kept my eyes locked on the road as I weaved dangerously in and out of city traffic on my way to the interstate that would take me out of town. I hoped no one called the cops on me, and if they did, I had no intention of stopping until I hit the turnoff that led to the cabin. The cops were going to have to follow me into the mountains, that was all there was to it.

The drive typically took a little over three hours. I made it in two and was amazed I didn't get pulled over. The truck was screaming and my nerves were shot when I rounded the last turn with gravel kicking up and the tires barely sticking to the road, but I saw the turnout and the black Yukon. I also saw the guy that was sitting behind the steering wheel perk up and take notice as I came to a skidding halt in a cloud of dust and exhaust in front of him.

It was a less than subtle entrance, but when he reached for his phone, presumably to call in a warning that I had joined their party, my foot found the gas pedal and before I could fully think about what I was doing the truck lurched to life again and raced hard and fast for the front end of the Yukon.

Metal shrieked against metal, and the air bag knocked me stupid when it deployed, but when I was able to shake the fuzzy from my vision, when I adjusted to the ringing in my ears, and the tang of blood on my tongue, I noticed that the entire front end of the SUV had crumpled up like an accordion up to the windshield and the driver was slumped over his own deployed air bag and steering wheel, limp. His face was covered in blood, and he didn't appear to be moving. Smoke billowed up from the front end of both the vehicles and it was obvious that neither was going to make it back down the mountain without some help.

I was wobbly on my feet as I climbed down from the cab, and when I touched my fingers to my forehead where something was burning, I wasn't too surprised they came away smeared with crimson. I'd knocked my own head pretty hard in the collision but not hard enough that I was going to go into the woods without making sure the driver couldn't get away, in case the state patrol showed up.

As I walked to the mangled vehicle, I made sure to tuck the gun I took from the thug back into my belt, because I wasn't taking any kind of chance when I knew I was the only hope Avett had of getting out of these woods alive. It took a bit of effort to pry open the door, considering the way the front was smashed in; the driver flopped to the side without the metal there to prop him up. He definitely wasn't going anywhere soon, but I still pulled my tie off of my neck and used it to lash the man's wrists around the steering wheel several times. The silk pulled tight and I knew it would be impossible for him to work his way free unless he ripped the steering wheel loose and, considering his current state, that seemed highly unlikely.

I shook my head-hard-to get my focus back and cringed as the motion sent blood spattering to either side of me. I looked down at my wingtips and swore I would sell everything I owned to be dressed in jeans and hiking boots. If I'd ever needed a sign that all the expensive and luxurious stuff I surrounded myself with was absolutely useless when it came right down to it, this was it. Right now, I needed to be the man I tried so hard not to be in order to be someone worthy of the girl I was trying to save.

I pulled my dress shirt out of the top of my pants and took off my suit jacket. I was going to have to shred the thing in order to leave a trail of bread crumbs to follow for whatever type of backup that arrived. I was falling back on survival instincts and training that came from both my life lived in this wilderness and the tools Uncle Sam had imparted on me. I'd never thought I would have to use them again after I pa.s.sed the bar, but at this moment I'd never been so glad to have the kind of knowledge I did at my disposal.

I popped all the b.u.t.tons off with my teeth. I applied a little muscle and yanked each of the sleeves free and worked at shredding the silk lining. Once I had a decent pile of sc.r.a.ps, I headed off into the woods. I kept my eyes peeled and scanned for any sign of movement since they had evidently left the guy behind to prevent anyone from following. I veered in the direction of the cabin and glanced up at the sky. This close to the end of fall, the night crept into the sky pretty early and there wouldn't be much daylight left soon. That could work to my advantage if the guys that had Avett weren't aware that I was coming for them. But if they did know I was on their tail because my pal with the dislocated shoulder or the driver had managed to get a warning sent out, I knew they would randomly fire into the darkness hoping to hit something and that made the situation more dangerous than it already was.

As I dodged trees and slipped on the foliage that was wet and slick with almost-frost, I decided I was never wearing Italian-made shoes with no tread on them again. I made sure to s.p.a.ce out the bits of fabric and metal I scavenged from my coat so that even a blind man or the most ill-equipped city slicker could find their way to the cabin. When I got to the clearing where the ramshackle building rested, I breathed a sigh of relief that there wasn't anyone out front waiting for me with double barrels pointed in my direction.

I worked my way around the outhouse and crouched down low so that I could use the pile of logs that I'd stacked only a few days ago as cover. I pressed my back flat to the rough logs that made up the structure of the cabin and crept my way along the side of the house, careful to make as little sound as possible so that the woodland creatures that were bound to be watching didn't alert anyone to my presence.

So slowly that I was hardly moving, I inched my way up so that only the top of my head and my eyes were visible as I peered into the grimy window that looked into the vacant cabin. I let out the breath I was holding and lifted myself to my full height so I could get a better look inside. The cabin was empty, completely barren, and it looked as sad and ramshackle as it had when Avett and I left it.

She wasn't here. She hadn't been here, which meant the only other place she could have taken them was the waterfall. My girl wasn't just fearless; she was also clever as h.e.l.l. The men that had her wouldn't know about the drop-off or the cabin. She could lead them around the woods for hours, and maybe if she was lucky, she could create an opportunity to catch them unawares so that she could jump.

My girl always jumped. It was one of the things I now realized I loved most about her.

I changed my game plan and my direction and started off for the falls. When I hit the crudely worn path that was barely obvious from our last visit, it was clear that people had recently used it. There were several pairs of footprints in the moist earth, including a set that had to be Avett's because they were tiny and the tread matched the heavy soles of her ever present combat boots. Plants were bent and hanging askew from impatient bodies moving by them and there was a tuft of dark hair caught in the gnarly bark of one of the pine trees that sat off to the side of the trail.

I rolled my sleeves up even though the temperature seemed to be dropping with each minute that pa.s.sed. I was so frustrated with the way that my shoes slowed my progress that I kicked them off and pulled off my argyle socks. I hadn't ran through the woods with bare feet since I was a kid and there was something about having my toes sink into the mud and the undergrowth that immediately took me back to a place that was purely primitive and wholly primal. I wasn't simply a worried man going after the woman he loved; I was part of the woods, part of the mountains, part of the place I came from and that had formed me.

I made pretty good time considering the cold and the impending darkness. I was used to the alt.i.tude and the strain it took on the lungs and the rest of the body, but I doubted the men I was hunting were. Avett wouldn't have taken them directly to the drop-off either. I figured she would have done her best to wear her captors out, to buy herself some time so that her folks had a fighting chance to get free.

When the roar of the falls. .h.i.t my ears I slowed my pace and ducked off the trail so that my arrival wouldn't be as visible to the two men that were standing with Avett right at the edge of the falls. Even in the dwindling light, I could see how pale her face was and the black lines that still marked her cheeks from earlier. She was shaking and had her arms wrapped so tightly around herself that she looked even smaller and younger than she normally did. Her terror and vulnerability was being broadcast loud and clear even through the distance that separated us.

One man was facing her where she had her back to the drop-off. He had a handgun pointed directly at the center of her chest, and he was so close to her that if he pulled the trigger, there was no way he was going to miss a vital part of her. There was another man that was clearly the lookout standing with his back to them as he faced the rapidly blackening woods and scanned the trees. He also had a weapon in his hand, but he was clearly nervous because he kept shifting the gun from hand to hand and his weight from foot to foot. Every time a bird squawked or the squirrels made the trees rustle he looked over his shoulder at his partner and told him to hurry the h.e.l.l up.

"We walked two hours through the f.u.c.king forest to get up here so there better be some kind of secret pirate cave behind that waterfall, b.i.t.c.h." The guy with the gun pointed at Avett took a step towards her and she took one back. One more and she would go over the edge, which I was pretty sure had to be her plan all along.

Slowly, she shook her head from side to side. "I told you, there are no drugs. I told you the night you tried to rape me and I'm telling you now. I had nothing to do with Jared ripping your boss off."

Rage, unlike anything I'd ever felt, boiled furious and thick in my blood. The man that was threatening her was the one that had hurt her previously, and all I wanted to do was tear him apart and scatter the pieces into the wind.

"You need to hurry the f.u.c.k up and get over the hard-on you have for that stupid b.i.t.c.h. I think I heard something move out there."

The other man swore back at him and waved the gun around. "Stop being paranoid. You need to get your a.s.s out of the city more."

"You're the dumb f.u.c.k that believed her when she told you that the drugs were in the woods. What kind of junkie would ever hide drugs out here? Stupid f.u.c.ker. We don't even get cell service this far out, so how can you check to see if the guys took care of her parents? You blew it and Acosta is going to have both our a.s.ses."

I held my breath as their argument escalated. I waited and watched because I needed the guy with the gun pointed at Avett to turn around. I didn't want to make a move until I knew she was totally out of the line of fire. I couldn't bear the idea of her catching a bullet on accident.

"I'm telling you something is out there."

"Well, go check it out, then."

"Put a G.o.dd.a.m.n bullet in her and then you go check that s.h.i.t out. I don't f.u.c.king work for you."

The other man turned his head and looked over his shoulder as I eased my way even closer to the rock outcropping.

"I'm not putting a bullet in her until I finish what I started all those months ago. I hate being denied after I got a taste of something that I know is going to be so sweet."

"We don't have time for that."

"We're making time."

My teeth clenched together so tightly I was shocked my back teeth didn't crack. I watched Avett's arms fall and I saw her face shift from scared and shaken to serene and calm. I knew what she was going to do before she started to move. I took aim at the guy that was facing the woods and knew there was no more waiting for the right time, because the time was now.

Avett took a step backwards and the ground disappeared under her as her body vanished over the edge of the rocks. I screamed her name because I couldn't stop myself from doing so. The crack of gunfire echoed loud and furiously through the gorge as I fired at the same time as the guy aiming at Avett did. Gunpowder was acrid in the air as the guy who was the lookout crumbled to the ground and the other one turned to fire wildly in my direction. I dashed across the clearing, returning fire as bullets whizzed by me but didn't land. My mountains echoed with the sounds of war and fury as I ran faster and faster until I hit the man that was shooting at me full force. I grabbed for the hand that had the gun and we struggled as I pushed him back and back, going for the ledge he had forced Avett over.

Another round was fired as he swore at me and tried to kick me, but I had rage and love on my side, so he was no match for me. It took another heave and my shoulder in his gut to send both of us sailing through the air. Even in the darkness that was now all around us I could see him lose his grip on the weapon as we free-fell through the crisp mountain air. He screamed so loud that it hurt my ears and I was almost thankful as the frigid water engulfed me.

The shock of the cold was enough to make my entire body stiffen painfully, and I had to really work to get my lethargic arms to cooperate to push myself to the surface. When I broke through, I sucked in lungfuls of air and frantically searched the inky water for any sign of Avett. I didn't know if the man I'd taken over the drop with me had managed to hit her before she jumped and I couldn't immediately see her.

"Avett!" I screamed her name at the top of my lungs and started to thrash around as the cold threatened to suck me back under the surface. "Avett!" Her name and my fear bounced off the stone faces that surrounded me but she didn't answer and I couldn't see that unmissable pink hair shining anywhere in the darkness.

"I can't swim. You have to help me! I'm going to drown!" The gunman was suddenly visible a few hundred yards away, splashing and thrashing against the water like he was doing karate against an invisible appointment.

"Avett! G.o.dd.a.m.nit, I can't lose you when I just found you. Where are you?" An owl hooted from somewhere overhead and I jerked my head around.

There, floating right under the surface, was that spray of Technicolor hair. I screamed her name again and cut through the water as quickly as my numb limbs would allow.

She was floating facedown and there was an obvious gash that decorated the side of her head, right above her ear. She felt like a lifeless doll in my hands as I pulled her frozen body to my own and muttered her name over and over again, and I struggled to keep the both of us afloat.

The other man in the water with us was making so much racket I couldn't hear if she was breathing or not but her lips were blue and she wasn't responsive to my touch.

I thought my heart had fractured when I realized my parents were never going to be proud of me and everything I accomplished. I thought I had lost everything when Lottie left me after telling me she was pregnant. I was so sure I had absolutely nothing left to give to anyone after everything I thought I knew to be true was proven to be a lie, but with this woman that was everything in my arms not drawing breath, I knew I had no clue what heartache felt like and that I had more than enough to give her if it meant she would still be here with me.

I tilted her head back as far as it would go without dunking her back in the icy water and started to breathe into her mouth. I breathed in all the love I had for her. I gave her air flavored with my confidence that we were meant to be, and laced with the knowledge that she made me a better kind of man. I breathed out and filled her lungs with the future I wanted to share with her and all the memories I wanted to make with her.

It took far longer than I was comfortable with, but after a few breaths and some desperate kisses on her frozen lips she finally started to cough and sputter in my arms. Those wild eyes slowly opened, and her teeth started to chatter as she looked up at me, unfocused and visibly confused.

"You found me." Her words were raspy and barely audible over the noise the gunman was still making as he faltered and floundered in the water behind us. He might not be able to swim but he was doing an all right job of keeping his head above water.

"You found me first, Avett." I closed my eyes and squeezed her as tightly as I could. "I love you."

One of her arms moved sleepily up and around my neck as her legs started to kick so that she was helping keep us afloat.

"I know you do, Quaid."

"I will always come after you. You know that, right?"

She nodded and winced as she put her fingers to the oozing wound on the side of her head. "You didn't only come after me, you jumped."

I rasped out a shaky laugh and rubbed my frigid nose against her cheek. "Yeah, I jumped and I always will, when it matters. You matter more than anything, Avett."

She opened her mouth to respond when her name, called by a voice that sounded as frantic as I felt, split through the darkness. He father had found us. He had come for her, like he always did. Her eyes widened as I hollered back to Brite, "We're in the water! You have to climb down and help us out. Avett is hurt."

She wrinkled her nose at me as I started to float us towards the lower outcropping of rocks. "I hit my head when I jumped."

I breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't been hit with a bullet. "Good thing your skull is rock hard and you're the daughter of a bada.s.s."

I huffed in exertion and wondered if hypothermia was close to setting in. I was so cold I couldn't even shiver anymore, and I was pretty sure my lips were as blue as hers.

"You saved him and your mom. You saved everyone, including yourself. That makes you your own hero, Avett." I couldn't keep the pride out of my voice, even though I was pretty sure I was going to black out if we didn't get out of the water as soon as possible.

She let out a shaky laugh and her arm tightened around my neck as her dad and two men I didn't recognize suddenly appeared on the rocks. Brite called Avett's name, again the fear and panic that only a parent could have when their child was in danger reverberating from one side of the ravine to the other.

She looked at me and then back at our rescuers with a faint smile touching her quivering lips. "I might be able to save myself now, but it's still nice to know that the people that love me will show up when I need them to."

I kissed her hard and fast as I finally got us to the rocks.

"Always." I'd told myself I needed to show her that I loved her.