I grab his arm and haul him toward the back exit. More shots ring out behind us, the sounds of Charles' war with Viktor continuing. None of that needed to happen. I’m not sure how it could have been taken care of but Viktor won’t stop until everything Charles loves is destroyed. Roughing up a man’s son in this kind of world is one thing butkillinghim?
Fuck.
Refusing to look back or slow down, I make a beeline to the stable, glad that the Volkov men have always been a little slow. They weren’t prepared for anyone to fight back and I’m sure they didn’t expect any of us to leave that meeting room alive.
Which means they weren’t prepared to actuallysurroundCharles’ estate.
Lucky me.
Ashton stays silent beside me as I throw open the nearest stall and haul Ashton up onto his horse. It takes me a few tries, my strength waning and Ashton no help as he collapses against the horse’s mane. He lets out a wheeze as he wraps an arm around his stomach, my heart twisting with a thousand emotions I can’t focus on right now.
“Hold on, Ash, okay? Fuck, this is going to hurt like a bitch.” I push out a heavy breath and then launch myself up, wincing as pain shoots up my leg and through my hip. There’s no time for a saddle or reins or anything else as I wrap a hand through the horse’s mane and take off into the night.
A bullet whizzes past my head, close enough that I feel the displacement of air. Another one hits a tree to our left, bark exploding in a shower of splinters. We hit the tree line and I urge the horse faster, ducking low branches and navigating the dark trail by memory and instinct. Ashton clings to me, his whole body violently shaking. Wetness soaks into my shirt where he's pressed against me. Blood or tears or both, I don't know.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out with my injured hand, biting back a grimace as the movement sends agony shooting through my sprained wrist. A sliver of hope builds in my chest at the name flashing across the screen.
I answer the call, wedging the phone between my ear and shoulder. "Dustin, fuck, I need you."
"Yeah?" Dustin's voice comes through as relaxed as always. He's probably sitting enjoying a quiet evening with his mates, no idea that his stepbrother is currently bleeding out while fleeing from a deal gone horribly,horriblywrong.
The phone slips slightly and I adjust it, my bloody fingers making it hard to grip as more shots ring out, fading in the distance. Whoever had shot toward us must have been a fluke but I can’t risk that.
Dustin's tone changes immediately, all traces of happiness gone. "What is going on? Stefan, what's happening?"
I grit my teeth, trying to form words through the pain. The blood loss is making me dizzy, my vision blurring at the edges. The leg wound must be bad, worse than I initially thought, because I can feel warmth running down my leg, pooling in my boot with each stride of the horse.
"If I don't make it," I manage to get out, each word an effort. "Just make sure Ashton does, okay? I'm coming to you."
"Stefan, what the fuck do you mean?" Dustin yells, panic clear in his voice. "Stefan! Answer me! What's going on?"
The phone slips from between my shoulder and ear. I try to catch it but my hand cramps, my fingers refusing to obey. The phone tumbles through the air and hits the ground somewhere behind us, lost in the darkness.
Without slowing down, I stay headed toward my stepbrother’s ranch, knowing I’m about to bring trouble to him, but nothing else matters as long as Ashton is safe.
Chapter twenty-nine
Kade
Solana is beautifully flushed, sprawled over the couch with Moo-Shu on the floor beside her. That was my only stipulation when I agreed to let the damn cow in the house. Not in the nest and not on any of the furniture. As much as she's fallen in love with the animal, she still needs her own space. A place that's just hers without hoofprints and hay.
Dustin fucked her this morning when the storm woke her during a heat spike, the rapid onslaught of her heat telling me we’re out of time. However, I’m happy she’s letting her body have what it needs rather than pushing for sedation like she originally asked for in a fit of terror.
She's always watching though, those dark eyes taking everything in, never really asking for things, just observing and waiting to see what we'll allow. It grates on me, that hesitation. The way she waits for permission before doing the simplest things, like getting a glass of water or opening a window.
I catch her sometimes, staring at something she wants, her hand reaching out before she pulls it back and looks around to see if anyone noticed. Two days ago, it was a book on the shelf. Yesterday, it was one of Dustin's flannel shirts draped over a chair. Small things, insignificant things, but she can't bring herself to just take them.
Dustin noticed too. I saw him watching her eye that flannel shirt, his expression softening. Ten minutes later, he casually left it on the bed in our room, draping it where she couldn't miss it. She wore it for an hour before her heat spiked again, and we had to strip her down.
But she's getting better. Slowly. Yesterday, she asked if she could have tea instead of coffee. This morning, she told me she wanted eggs instead of oatmeal. Baby steps toward understanding that her preferences matter, that we actually want to know what she wants.
I'm working through some of the accounts for Morrison's shipment when Solana gets up from the couch. She stretches, the red dress riding up slightly on her thighs, before padding toward the back door. Moo-Shu immediately perks up, scrambling to his feet with surprising grace for a cow.
I turn on the security cameras immediately, pulling up the feeds that cover the backyard and surrounding property. Old habits die hard from years of running less-than-legal operations, I guess. Always know who's on your property, always have eyes on the vulnerable spots. But now it's not just about protecting the business. It's about protectingher.
I watch Solana walk out toward the paddocks, Moo-Shu trailing behind her like a devoted companion. She stops at the fence, leaning against the top rail to watch the horses grazing in the far field. Thunder spots her and ambles over, probably hoping for treats. Solana reaches out tentatively to stroke his nose, her smile visible even on the grainy camera feed. She looks happy out there, surrounded by animals and open space and freedom.
I trust my ranch hands, but now I have someone else to protect. Someone vulnerable who doesn't understand how dangerous the world can be, especially with the kind of business Dustin and I are involved in. The cameras give me peace of mind, letting me keep an eye on her even when I can't be right beside her.
