Yeah but for how long?
Cade’s throat grew dry and his palms began to sweat in his gloves as he imagined why Reena would scream like that.
“Hurry up, would you?” he prodded as a sense of urgency overrode his common sense to remain cautious.
They’d been following her trail for the better part of a day. The trek hadn’t been easy. Far from it. Most of her footprints had been covered by the snow storm. Luckily though, here and there, in places where the wind hadn’t been able to reach, they found her tracks.
About two hours ago, his blood had run cold when Blade pointed out her tracks had met up with another set, which had mingled with several more. He’d been hoping against hope she’d come into contact with other members of the Resistance. Prayed she’d be safe and sound. But the scream had shattered his illusions.
Deep down in his gut, he’d sensed trouble. Blade knew it too. Upon seeing the merging trails, he hadn’t suggested stopping for a meal.
Cade should have killed Blade back at camp. That would have been the best way to protect Red from the assassin. But he might need the man if Reena was in trouble. If anything, Blade was known for his excellent tracking abilities, and Cade had to admit, it would have taken him a lot longer to find clues as to where Reena had gone.
Sex-crazed men could do a lot of nasty things to a woman. Spiritually, physically and emotionally. He’d seen a lot of men behaving ungentlemanly during the Wars. By the haunted way Reena had sometimes peered at him across the fire they’d shared yesterday evening, she’d experienced something bad too. Hell, he didn’t want any more bad things to happen to her.
“If I’m going to help get her out of this mess she’s gotten herself into, I’m going to need my weapons back,” Blade tossed over his shoulder.
Cade ignored his request. “Keep going. When the time comes to decide if you need a weapon, I’ll make my decision then.”
Blade grunted his dissatisfaction and continued trudging ahead through the snow. But by the way he held his shoulders tense and his gloved hands clenched, the guy was angry. Bloody pissed off.
Good. That made two of them.
* * * * *
If ever there was a time Will Blade was grateful for his ability to keep calm under extreme pressure, this was it. Sure, Red’s scream shot mega jolts of adrenaline through his system, but rushing blindly into the hunters’ camp was suicide. There were eight men. Big burly men dressed in heavy coats. Hunters, just like he thought. And they certainly had their prey.
The men laughed while they roughly pushed Red from one man to the next. A ploy used to keep their victims off balance and to prevent them from running.
It was working.
Red stumbled and fell several times before being hauled to her feet and pushed toward the next man. He shuddered at their crudeness, having her feet bare. Out in this cold weather, her feet sinking into the icy cold snow would be brutal. Bastards. He’d enjoy killing them.
He tried to ignore the cold sweat running down his back while he studied each man. He committed their movements and features to memory, trying like hell to ignore Red’s tired pants as she fought the laughing men.
Shit!Didn’t she know not to breathe through her mouth when stressed?
Okay focus, Blade. Focus on how to get her out.
Beside him, Cade shifted uneasily. His anger sparked through the air between them as he readied himself to pounce blindly into the fray.
“You go in there without a plan and we’re both dead,” Blade warned as Cade shifted again.
Muscles spasmed and jerked in Cade’s cheek.
Blade held his breath as one of the men back-handed Red across the face. The smack of flesh hitting flesh ripped through him like a cleaver. He fought the impulse to shout at them to stop.
He expected Cade to rush out and was surprised when he stood his ground. Hell, they might survive this after all if the guy kept his temper.
Not good odds if Red was fast enough to help. Crap odds if she hadn’t sunk deep into herself in order to protect her mind.
“I’ll take the four on the left,” Blade said.
“Just make sure you don’t hit her. If you do, I’ll kill you,” Cade warned.
Unfortunately when the shooting started, Red would be in the crossfire. Chances were likely she would get hit and, although Blade had been about to shoot her yesterday, he couldn’t stomach killing her today, especially with his protective instincts clouding his judgment. He was in one hell of a situation, wasn’t he?
Another sharp slap of flesh hitting flesh jolted him and the familiar burn of anger raged through him. He used it to stoke his adrenaline.
