A rope comes tumbling down the cliff and I groan silently. Prepared sons of bitches. Pressing deeper into my little shelter, I try to remember a prayer from my childhood. I haven’t spoken to God since he took my mother and let my piece of shit stepfather nearly poison my brother to death, but I’m willing to bargain with Him now.
Ethan is digging into his kit bag and pulls out another ammo clip, slapping it into the place and aiming for the rope. He has to leap behind the base of the bridge when that bastard with the rifle shoots off another twenty-six thousand rounds. I realize he’s covering for the man rappelling down. The guy is much faster than we were because he isn’t burdened by a woman clinging to him like a koala to a eucalyptus tree.
“Give us the girl, MacTavish,” the man atop the cliff shouts. “You just walk away. You’ve already got a bullet in your leg, you can’t take us.”
This is because ofme?
Ethan looks at me and shakes his head slowly, putting a finger to his lips.
“Come on!” The man on the rope is almost to the bottom, his gun’s already out. “We’ll give you a taste before we take her. Masters doesn’t care what condition she’s in when we deliver her as long as she’s still breathing.”
Ethan’s aiming for him, but he still has to dodge that bullet-spraying son of a bitch up top, and the man drops from the rope, easily firing in Ethan’s direction. When he gets to the base of the bridge, he stumbles to a stop, turning in a circle and I see the brutal gash across his neck, Ethan cut his throat. The gunman drops to his knees and then onto his face.
There’s a muttered curse and the last gunman fires mindlessly, roaring with frustration. One bullet hits inches from my head, and Ethan rolls behind another rock outcropping. I see his arms go up, straight, holding the gun like it’s an extension of his body and he fires. Seconds later, I see the last man hit the rocks below me with a thudding sound I will never forget, just a sack of meat slamming against the unforgiving granite.
Chapter Sixteen
In which we learn the true meaning of, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire."
Ethan…
After I kick the bodies over to take their guns and make sure they’re dead, I look up at Sloan. She’s crouched in her little alcove, hands over her mouth and enormous violet eyes staring at me.
“Are ya hurt, darlin’?”
It takes her three attempts but she finally manages to talk. “N- no. I’m okay.” She’s staring at me like I’m the boogeyman and I most likely look it, blood spray across my face and still holding my dripping knife. “Your leg,” she says, “we have to-”
“OY!”
I whirl but don’t aim my gun. I know that voice. The cavalry has arrived. A bit late, the lazy bastards, but here all the same.
Jack comes racing across the bridge and stops short when he sees the bodies.
“Ach,” he says, deeply disappointed, “ya dinna save any for us, ya selfish prick?”
“Sorry,” I put my hands on my hips, breathing deeply. The bullet in my leg is makin’ itself known. On the bright side, they shot the other leg this time so I’ll have matching bullet holes.
Jack looks up the rock face, resting his rifle on his shoulder. “I’m guessing ya might be Miss Sloan Masters, aye? I’m Jack. I’m the better-lookin’ cousin.”
She waves weakly. “Hi, Ethan’s cousin.”
Michael’s next across the bridge, followed by Uncle Dougal’s boys, Logan and Ewan. And then, my Da, who’s lookin’ all kinds of enraged.
He squats next to me, opening the first aid kit. “Anyone above us, son?”
“One unconfirmed kill, but she got him pretty good in the side and he never surfaced, so…”
“Wait.” He pauses in wrapping my leg.“Sheshot one?”
I grin, despite my leg hurtin’ like a bitch. “She took out three, clinging to me like a baby monkey and shooting over our heads.”
“I like her already,” Logan says approvingly.
Jack swaggers over to the cliff face. “Darlin,’ while Uncle Cameron patches my busted-up cousin, we’re gonna get ya out of there. I’m gettin’ on Michael’s shoulders and I’ll help ya down, aye?”
“Feck you,” Michael says, “I’m standing onyourshoulders.”
“Da,” I groan, “please go save Sloan before these arseholes make me shoot them.”
