Stumbling, I almost fell from my leg giving out, but the goddamn motherfucker wasn’t getting away from me. I bolted forward, gaining some momentum, but my patience had worn to the breaking point. I stopped long enough to take a deep breath, holding the frigid air in my lungs and taking aim. Without allowing anything to unnerve me, I fired a single shot.
Catching the motherfucker in the back of the head.
Only when his brains splattered and he fell face first into the dirt did I take another breath. Bending over, I pressed my hands against my knees, calming my thudding heart while the pain went from a twelve on a scale from one to ten down to an eight.
I stood, wiping sweat from my face with my arm and hobbled toward the fallen man. A simple check of his pockets didn’t indicate shit. I grabbed his gun for good measure. At this point, I had a feeling I’d need all the weapons I could get my hands on. After scanning the area, I took long strides in the direction of where she’d gone.
The ache became bolts of lightning, the pain shooting down to my feet, which was almost numb at this point, but I kept going.
“No!”
The shriek once again shot through the forest, every creature within a mile reacting to Fleur’s shrill scream.
She was in trouble.
Asshole number two had obviously lured me further away, allowing a third to track my French flower. Rage drove the adrenaline like a drip line, keeping me on my feet. There was no agony, no discomfort whatsoever. Just the need to get to her. To keep her safe.
My teeth were gritted, a deep growl rumbling in my chest. I constantly twisted from side to side, moving quickly through the trees. Every sound was amplified, every crunch of leaves and fallen debris noted in the back of my mind.
“Montgom…” She barely yelled out my name before she was cut off. The bastard had no intention of killing her. Someone wanted her alive. Like hell they were getting her. Over my dead body.
Picking up speed, I kept the sound of her voice in my head, moving in a straight line. A minute later, I caught sight of the two, a man in dark clothing dragging her through the woods. I also realized we’d doubled back, going in a complete circle, the picnic tables up on the left.
She was fighting the man with everything she had, stumbling to keep her feet on the ground. When he stopped short, turning toward me, I ducked behind a tree, yet she’d seen me. I could tell by the look in her eyes. Another moment of perfect calculation.
As soon as the assailant took off once again, I darted in a perpendicular line, catching his attention once again at the last moment.
When it was too late.
Somehow, my little flower was connected enough she managed to read my mind. The assassin needed to lift his weapon to fire. As soon as he did, she kicked and jerked, pulling free, tumbling backward into the leaves. He made the last mistake of his life. He glanced in her direction, furious she’d managed to break free.
Pop! Pop!
Her scream was cut short when she slapped her hand across her mouth.
Very slowly, I lowered my weapon and rushed toward her. The moment I gathered her into my arms, I was faced with the reality that there was no chance of allowing her to return to her normal life.
“You’re okay. Everything is fine.” Like hell it was.
“Oh, God. Is it over?” She pressed her face against my chest, her entire body shivering as she clung to me.
I pressed my hand against the back of her head, remaining alert. “For now.”
She pulled away, her fingers white knuckled as she peered up at me. “They won’t stop. Will they?”
“No, my little flower. They will not. Come on. Let’s get you into the SUV.”
“Then what?”
A laugh almost bubbled to the surface. “Then I’ll figure it out.” When she realized I was hobbling, she wrapped her arm around me. Together, we made our way to the vehicle.
“Who were they?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say Russian soldiers from Papovek’s Bratva.” The worst part was that my instinct told me there were others. We would soon run out of time. Another forced realization that we were all alone.
“You need help.”
I pressed my hand against her lovely face. “Don’t worry about trying to help me. I’ve got it from here.”
