Ruthless Mountain Man - Ava Grace

Chapter One

Scarlett

I pushed my legs to work harder as I ran through the thick cover of trees, paying little attention to the branches that scratched my skin as I passed. The temperature had plummeted since I’d left the house and it was getting colder by the minute. My lungs screamed at me to stop and each breath I drew in offered little relief, but I couldn’t stop—I was too afraid.

I couldn’t let them catch me.

In truth I had no idea if my rescuers had bothered to follow me into the forest, but I couldn’t afford to slow down enough to find out. I wasn’t bothered about the woman—I could probably outrun her, but if the man she’d called Ghost came after me, it would be game over. There had been something in his eyes—a warning of sorts that told people not to mess with him. He’d seemed somehow dangerous though not in any way I was used to. Still, if he was to catch me, he would take me back to my father and that was unacceptable.

I’d experienced years of physical and mental abuse from daddy dearest and if that hadn’t been enough, he had finally sold me to a sex trafficker called Diego for a few thousand measly bucks. No doubt he’d spent it all already or used it to pay off the money he’d borrowed from loan sharks to fund his gambling habit. I was fairly sure he’d bought a few bottles of whiskey out of the money and had been drunk off his ass for the past few days.

I could only hope he choked on it.

It would be fair to say I hated my father with a passion that burned bright and I only hoped he would rot in hell for everything he had done to me and my sister, Daisy.

Thoughts of my sister made my steps falter.

Although at twenty-three, Daisy was two years older than me, she was quieter and much more reserved. I always thought of myself as street smart, but Daisy was considerably more naïve when it came to the ways of the world. She was sweet, timid, and good natured and although she’d seen the back end of my father’s fist a time or two, she hadn’t had to put up with as much as I had.

I’d made sure of that.

Every time my father lost his temper, I got in between my sister and him in an effort to direct his anger toward me instead of her. I could take it, but my sister was too innocent and fragile.

It would have broken her spirit.

I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to her without me there to protect her. How would she survive without me? Would she get all of his wrath now that I wouldn’t be there as a buffer or would his fury dissipate? After all, I was the cause of his anger most of the time. Our mom had died giving birth to me, and dad had never forgiven me for murdering her. Something he reminded me of at every given opportunity.

My brother was a waste of space, too. He had given us just as much shit as our father had over the years. His temper was every bit as fierce as dad’s and he loved to use his fists just as much as daddy did. They were two peas in a pod. The only reprieve we got was when Jared left home to work as a laborer on the rodeo circuit.

Jared couldn’t ride worth a damn, so he’d chosen the next best thing. Although it was the social aspect of the job he liked most. When buckle bunnies couldn’t snag themselves a genuine bull rider, roper, or bareback rider they often settled on the help. There weren’t many jobs that would have allowed him to get drunk and screw a different woman every night, but he’d managed to find one. It had been a relief when he’d moved out and we only had our father to put up with.

But what if Jared came home?

Daisy would be on her own with both of them.

When I cleared a large tree that brought me out into a small clearing, I jerked to a stop and all but crashed into the back of a wide set of shoulders covered in navy blue plaid.

The man barked out an expletive then spun around, ax in hand.

I yelped and jumped back, putting distance between us. As soon as his gaze found mine, his eyes widened, and he