He jerked his head towards the back stairs instead and Ben hefted her once more under his arm.
They got her into the cellar, some of the noise she was making kicking and fighting being covered by Austin’s voice shouting and searching the upper rooms for her.
Ben handed her off to Aleksey so he could pull himself out of the cellar hatch. Aleksey wasn’t up to par, but he wasn’t so far gone as to find one woman much contest, even when she tried to bite his hand which was clamped over her mouth. It was more of a fight when she began to rake his already ruined face, but he put paid to that by seizing her ear in his teeth. The threat was obvious. She went limp. But she was made of stern stuff, this women who wanted to murder the entire world—she swung back viciously with her foot and caught him on the shin. He hadn’t meant he’d literally bite her ear off, and afterwards claimed it was just an unfortunate knee-jerk reaction, but the shock of it ripping away, or possibly of seeing him spit it out, made her easier to shove up the hatch to Ben’s waiting hands. Ben hauled her effortlessly through, gagged and restrained her with one hand, and assisted Aleksey up by his shirt collar with the other as he levered himself up.
All three of them were covered in blood now, some his, more hers. Her eyes were wide and white with pain in the moonlight. Ben stood, still silencing her, and turned to him. ‘Kittiwake?’
Aleksey nodded, his hand over his cheek where she’d reopened his wound, not liking the thought that their blood might be mingling. Momentarily distracted by seeing this new ruin, Ben’s eyes closed for a fleeting second in dismay, and Madeline took her opportunity. She twisted in his arms. The blood made her slippery, so she got free. But she didn’t immediately run; instead, she jerked up a thigh and savagely kneed Ben right between the legs.
He went down as if he’d been shot. Worse—he curled into a ball like a salted slug, unable to breathe. She spun and took to her heels, disappearing into the trees.
Aleksey collapsed by Ben’s side. Ben just groaned, trying to indicate for him to go. Aleksey hesitated for a moment, and then took off into the dark, following the sound of the fleeing woman.
He’d made an error not including her in his head count of people to kill. It was still five down but he’d recalculated to three to go.
She was fast, despite her injury. He was faster, despite his.
He didn’t have to run for long.
After a few minutes of chase, where he reckoned she’d have been better off doubling back to the house for help, following the sound of breaking shrubs and panting and cracking of twigs, he could see her silhouette flitting between the trees. Suddenly, there was a sharper groaning crack followed by a muted scream abruptly cut off by a dullthuwmp. Aleksey came to a skidding halt alongside Dead Ben Well. There was no sign of the ancient lid and no sound from the bottom of the brick-lined hole.
Either way, dead or just badly injured, Madeline was out for the count.
Six down, two to go.
Aleksey wished the snakes fun with her.
* * *
Chapter Thirty
Six down two to go.
Aleksey bent and put his hands on his knees for a moment to catch his breath.
He heard a shot, but before he could react, Ben staggered out of the woods. ‘They’re coming.’ He could barely speak and was limping, trying to run, but moving with more of a pained hobble.
They were both in bad shape.
They only made it to the edge of the pond before Bailey caught up to them.
He too was panting. ‘Drop it.’ Ben’s hands were so slick with Madeline’s blood that it was no contest. He had no choice but to drop their gun.
Controlling them, Bailey indicated for them to move away from it. Keeping his weapon aimed at Ben, Bailey flicked his eyes over as Austin came running into the moonlit clearing, Max and Rachel being forced along in front of him by pushing and shoving. ‘Where’s Maddy? Where the fuck’s my wife?’
Max took Rachel’s arm and eased her away slightly, eyeing the soldier with the gun.
Bailey ignored Austin and indicted with the barrel to Ben, its aim directly on his chest. ‘Where are my men? How did you get out of the lighthouse?’ Then he turned his gaze on Aleksey. ‘And how the fuck did you get here before me? Hey, Viking?’
‘What does that fucking matter? Where’s my wife? Forget your fucking men—homeless trash. You! Where’s my wife?’
He pointed at Aleksey, and Aleksey pursed his lips and asked Ben casually, ‘Should we rename the well, do you think? DeadBenWell to DeadBitchWell?’
The gun went off. Bailey, accurate and deadly, had not missed this time. The bullet struck its target right in the centre of the pale forehead.
Austin toppled backwards, a small trickle of blood exiting above the bridge of his nose, a larger pool forming underneath.
The ex-RSM shook himself out slightly, easing a kink in his shoulders. ‘Fucking lunatic, so what—?’
