A sudden crack as if someone had stepped on a fallen tree limb captured both our attention.
Montgomery swung his head toward the sound while grabbing his weapon. “Stay alive.”
CHAPTER 20
Montgomery
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The three bullets were shot from a distance, two shattering the bark on a tree only twenty feet away. The other came from a slightly different direction. A clear indication I was dealing with at least two assailants.
Given every hired assassin worth their salt worked alone, I surmised the people shooting at us likely were the men sent to eliminate Danny.
Fleur’s questions were all valid, her fear palpable and to be expected. What I hadn’t told her was that I was probably the only person capable of keeping her alive.
And that the new life she’d made for herself was likely permanently shattered.
I pulled her behind me, using a large oak as a shield while I scanned the woods. The bastards had also come from the same direction where I’d parked the SUV.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered, clinging to me. Her entire body was shaking, the tremor in her voice infuriating me. She’d been through way too much in her life.
“We need to get back to the vehicle.” At least there was some protection built in.
Another noise highlighted that the fuckers were getting closer. When one appeared from behind a thick band of foliage, I immediately fired. A miss. Goddamn it. I’d need to be careful.
Her screech filtered into the air, birds responding with wings flapping overhead.
“I need you to run. Do not look back. Find somewhere safe.” I pulled her close, darting my eyes from the direction of the assailants.
“No. No!”
“Don’t argue with me. I’ll find you. Now, run.” The shock and terror on her face yanked at every protective part of me. She shot a single look toward where the assailant had stood before breaking free, running in the opposite direction.
As cover, I stepped from behind the tree, firing off several shots to allow her a head start. I prayed to God she didn’t stop until she found somewhere safe.
The instant I pulled back, additional shots were fired. I calculated the distance and moved to the other side of the tree. Another form appeared like clockwork. The fuckers were trying to box me in. They obviously didn’t know my capabilities.
I swung around with my Glock in both hands, holding the line until the fucker showed himself again.
The single shot was a direct hit, the force knocking him flat on his back. There was no need to check his breathing status. The fucker was dead.
Two seconds later, the crunch of dry debris indicated the second assassin was on the run, heading deeper into the forest. What I didn’t want was for him to escape. Their deaths, meaning their silence, would buy us at least a few hours.
Sadly, I’d already concluded I’d need to leave Vermont. My cover had been blown. So had hers. A hard question faced me of what to do with the woman I couldn’t seem to get enough of.
No matter the choice, she’d fight me all the way.
I threw a look over my shoulder toward where she’d run, thankful there was no sound coming from that direction and no sight of her. She was a survivor. There was no doubt, yet she had no idea what she was facing with the Russians.
If these were soldiers, they might not have the extensive training as those listing their services as assassins, but they were down and dirty. They had no decency or humanity, just as easily killing women and children as they would a man. That made them that much more dangerous.
Keeping low, I shifted forward, narrowly ducking another shot taken. The hard thud of the bullet driving into the tree indicated the asshole wasn’t too far ahead. I stood where I was, doing nothing more than listening.
Another crack of a limb and I bolted forward. Now the fucker was running as if for his life. I had no intention of allowing him to make it out of the woods alive.
The agony in my thigh forced me to grit my teeth, the atrophy in my muscles more evident with every long stride. But I refused to stop, powering forward through the pain, determined to chase the fucker into hell if that was possible.
He disappeared only to reappear seconds later, positioned on the other side of the tree with his weapon raised. And, I’d be damned, with a smile on his face. He had the jump, forcing me to dive to the ground to avoid getting shot. Before waiting to see if the hit had taken me out, he took off running again.
