I stop firing, flick on the safety on my rifle and release the mag. “Here,” I say as I hand her that mag and the only full one I have left. “Climb a tree and give us cover. Signal us when you’re ready and make your shots count.”
She nods curtly, shoves the mags into the pockets of her combat trousers and stops firing to scope out the perfect tree to climb. While she chooses her tree, I clip my now useless rifle to my hip and bring out my shotgun. Tobias and Ollie flick confused expressions at me but don’t stop shooting, which gives Rachel the perfect cover to climb her tree.
“Once she’s up there and able to cover us, we need to move fast,” I tell them as I check my shotgun to make sure it’s ready.
I’ve just finished my inspection when a twig snaps behind us.
Adrenaline floods my system, and I whip around as I raise my shotgun. But Harlow beats me to it. With a savage snarl that has the hair on the back of my neck standing on end, she launches herself at the attacker who snuck up on us. There’s a surprised yell from the man as he’s tackled to the ground by the Australian Shepherd, who immediately goes for his neck.
It’s gory and brutal as Harlow—who’s been nothing but sweet—rips out the man’s throat. The three of us stand there, stunned as the man flails beneath the dog while gurgling on his own blood. But Harlow doesn’t let up until the man finally stops twitching. Only then does she release the body and whine as she trots over to her owner like nothing happened.
Except her muzzle and chest are stained red.
Holy fuck. I didn’t know the dog had it in her.
Harlow pushes her nose into Ollie’s hand, rousing her from her stunned stupor. She grimaces and wipes her now bloody hand on a nearby tree. “Yes, you were a good girl,” she tells the dog while scratchingbehind her ears with her other hand. She looks a little pale but doesn’t look like she’s about to throw up.
Unlike her brother, who’s staring at the dog in horror. There’s a green tinge to his face as he swallows repeatedly.
I clap him harshly on the shoulder. “She just saved our lives,” I tell him softly. “Remember that.”
“Yeah,” he breathes out, looking a little less disgusted even though he averts his eyes from Harlow and her red muzzle.
Hopefully, he’ll get over it.
There’s a low whistle from somewhere above us. Rachel’s signal.
“Time to move,” I order harshly and all but drag Tobias after me. He stumbles but doesn’t stop as I march onwards, Ollie jogging to keep pace with me and a feral-looking Harlow trotting beside her.
Thankfully, Tobias recovers, and between his and my shotguns and Rachel’s rifle, we cut our way through our enemies and the forest with ease. Since she only has a few arrows left, Ollie opts to take out her knife and watches our backs in case another asshole ambushes us. Before too long, we’re nearing where I think Theo and Alex are holed up.
“No shooting from here on out,” I tell Tobias. We’re far enough away from Rachel that her shots shouldn’t be noticeable amongst the backdrop of distant gunshots and shouts from the gate.
Several rocks jut out from the ground, plenty large enough for two men to take cover behind, while a few sparse trees dot the land. Bullet holes dot the surface of the rocks and mar the ground and trees. A few bodies lie in the mud, most unmoving, but there are one or two who are struggling in the thick muck, blood pouring from various wounds.
We slip past them and those they are trying and failing to help. Those men fall to Rachel’s sniper shots without ever noticing us, and before too long we’re close to the rocks. Ollie sucks in a sharp breath and surges forward, eager to see her men.
I’m right there with her. Until I spot who’s standing in front of them.
I grab her and Tobias and throw us behind a nearby tree before we get there. Thankfully, neither of them struggle although I can feel their confused stares on me as I drag them fully into cover.
Ollie’s confusion doesn’t last long when a familiar voice talks.
“I’m sorry it has to be like this, boys. You know I always appreciated your help whenever you visited,” Mark says with a resigned sigh. “But needs must, and all that.”
Ollie stiffens beside me. There’s a slight tremble in her body, like she’s trying to stop herself from leaping forward to attack Mark. I’m not doing much better. Everything inside me is screaming for me to close the gap between us and beat that fucker to a pulp.
But doing that will only get us all killed.
Tobias’s brows are still furrowed in confusion, but he understands enough to know that whatever is happening isn’t good.
And then we hear the click of a safety. “I know you’re out there, Rhys,” Mark says. “Show yourself, or I'll start shooting.” He pauses. “And bring the girl, Ollie, with you.”
Fuck.
“Rhys…” Ollie breathes in desperation. This is her worst nightmare.
“I know, princess.” I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “When we move, I need you to listen to everything I say. No questions, no hesitation. Just do it. Trust me to get them out. Can you do that?”
