Page 83 of A Relentless Rake

He laughed darkly at the notion. “I don’t need to be saved.”

More than you realize.“Alec, you have to tell your mother.”

“What good will that do?”

“It will let you start forgiving.Trulyforgiving. Starting with yourself.”

He didn’t move for a long while, and when he finally did, he let loose a harsh breath and sagged his shoulders. “Beth said nearly the exact same thing tonight.”

“Well then. Proof that you have very wise women in your life.” She rose onto tiptoes to kiss him before he could contradict her. And before he could remind her that she wasn’t a true part of his life.

She melted into him as the kiss intensified, and when he reached down to untie her belt, she knew he’d gotten dressed for no good reason. But this time when they made love, she wanted to heal him, to tell him with her body how much she loved—

A loud crash shattered the silence around them.

She jumped back with a cry of surprise. The sound of smashing furniture and breaking glass reverberated through the school.

Olivia’s heart stopped with fear. “The girls!”

She raced to fling open the door and charged into the dark hallway. Sounds of fighting, scuffling, and muffled shouts echoed through the halls and stairs. But the noise didn’t come from the dormitories on the floor below where the girls were all tucked up asleep for the night. It came from—

“Henry!”

She ran toward his room just as the door flew open and smashed against the wall. Two large men pushed her brother out of the room. One painfully clamped his arm behind his back to keep him from struggling while the other held his shoulders and shoved him forward.

“Let go of him!” She ran toward them.

“Olivia, no!” Henry yelled before one of the men punched him in the face. The blow reeled him backward and left him stunned enough for one man to drag him down the stairs and out of the house.

The second man turned on Olivia. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her backward. She slammed into the wall so hard that her teeth jarred and the air tore from her lungs. He forced her arms up over her head with one hand and pinned her helplessly beneath him.

In desperation, Olivia shoved her knee up between his legs. But she missed her target and struck his thigh.

“Bitch!” He hit her with the back of his hand.

She cried out in pain as the force of the blow smacked her head against the wall.

With a ferocious growl, Alec grabbed the intruder’s shoulder and spun him around. His fist plowed into the man’s chin, and the punch sent the attacker staggering backward.

The man recovered, then launched himself at Alec and lowered his shoulder as he plowed forward.

A grunt tore from Alec as the man’s shoulder slammed into his gut, but his hands attacked. He grabbed the intruder’s wrist and bent it back until it snapped. The man screamed in pain. Alec punched him in the jaw, then stepped forward to shove him hard with his left hand.

The attacker stumbled backward and tripped down the stairs. He cried out in surprise and pain as he somersaulted onto the landing below. He staggered to his feet and tucked his broken wrist beneath his opposite arm, then ran the rest of the way downstairs and out the front door.

Olivia’s knees gave out beneath her as she gasped for breath, and she crumpled to the floor. The pain pounding in her head was blinding, and she lay still, unable to move. All her strength focused on nothing more than forcing herself to breathe.

Immediately, Alec was at her side, gathering her into his arms. “Are you all right?”

“They…took…Henry,” she choked out between harsh gasps for breath.

“I’ll go after him and find—”

“No!” She shook her head, and the pounding pain slammed into the back of her skull like lightning strikes. “The girls—count the girls!”

“Olivia!” Mrs. Adams raced up the stairs in her dressing robe and bare feet. “Dear God, what happened—”

Then she saw Alec and froze in her steps, her eyes wide.