Chapter 52 – Harley
T he musty smell assaulted my senses as I came to with a rush of pain. I blinked into the dim surroundings. Wood paneled walls loomed darkly across from me. My vision wavered, like I was underwater, the edges of the room swimming. Every instinct I had screamed for me to move, to do something, but my legs felt like lead.
Someone hauled me to my feet. The world spun, and bile shot up my throat.
“Call your boytoy and tell him to be here in an hour.”
A device was placed in my hand.
I promptly vomited.
The brute who held me shoved me in disgust.
“Dial for her,” a second voice commanded.
That…demon.
Memories came back in a rush. That was the vile sonofbitch who’d brought men to shoot at my mare.
The phone was ripped from my fingers. “Number?” the first voice barked.
“1-800-fuck-off,” I growled, pushing to sit and rubbing my head. A tender lump made me see stars when I accidentally pushed hard on it.
A pair of spic and shiny black Oxfords appeared in front of me. “Miss Kellnhofer, the choice is simple. Bring Kolya here or we go deliver a very different ending to your family’s holiday feast.”
I squeezed my eyes closed and drew in a deep breath. When I glared up at the man, I found the strength to hold out my hand. The device was like a brick. I had one chance to fix this.
My fingers tapped over the numbers with muscle memory.
Forgive me, gargoyle. “Hi, Gran! Is Kole there?” I chirped.
“Yes, but they took off twenty minutes ago. Where are you?” my grandmother shouted.
Surprise splashed over me with a cold rush. That wasn’t the answer I expected. The warning I was about to deliver to my family faltered on my tongue. Kolya was there? And they—they who? They left?
“Where are you? Food’s going to be cold, but I’ve got Dr. Hoffner coming from his Thanksgiving dinner to help Lilac. The boys ran off looking for you,” Grandma continued to ramble.
“I love you,” I breathed, because the tight set of Adler’s mouth promised this was the end. The warning was on the tip of my tongue. I had seconds to make the doting granny understand she was in real life-or-death danger.
Gunshots exploded outside before I could say another word.
Adler sighed as if he’d expected as much.
I quickly hung the phone up. “What the hell is going on?”
Moving with the speed of a viper, the demon struck. He grabbed me tight and hauled my back to his front, capturing my arms behind my back. Metal pressed against my throat.
“Move,” he barked.
My feet stumbled over the worn industrial carpet. I took stock of my surroundings, breathing through the swaying bouts of sickness, lack of balance, and throbbing pain. In the back of my mind, details clicked into place. This was the cousins’ hunting shack. We were deep in the big woods of Wisconsin. This shack was a dumpy mobile home that was never cleaned. It had a nice front porch, which was exactly where Adler drug me.
All around the clearing, shots rang out. Some were the sharp pops of rifles, others were the booms of shotguns.
“Obliterate them!” Adler shouted, spittle dampening my ear.
But his men were falling like dominos.
With a growl, he yanked me toward a waiting utility van. If the fact that a gunfight raged around him made him scared, he didn’t show it. Instead, he continued to march forward, body straight and tall. He didn’t attempt to take cover from the oncoming firestorm.
A shadow flickered into my peripheral.
A soft pop sounded to the left.
The man who’d been with Adler inside the shack was on the ground, and Kolya stood before us. The stony countenance was gone. Anger danced a waltz with fear in his stormy eyes.
I’m okay. The desperate inner plea tried to reach him.
The noise around us blurred and faded. My pulse thundered in my ears, and my focus was able to shake off the pain from the head blow just enough to hone in on this situation.
“You’re at a sore disadvantage, Vlasov,” Adler sneered. “Drop the handgun.”
The pistol clattered to the ground. There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation.
“I wonder,” Adler mused, “how far you’d be willing to go for this woman?”
Kolya might appear frozen in place, but I could feel the violent energy rumbling beneath the surface.
“Shall we see?” Adler pressed the knife hard enough that it bit into the skin. I clenched my teeth but couldn’t keep back the sharp inhale. “On your knees, Wraith.”
Kolya dropped.
“He bows for no man, but for you…. Fascinating,” Adler narrated with an almost scientific fervor. “Pick up the gun.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. No. No! This couldn’t be happening.
And yet, at Adler’s next command, Kolya obeyed, placing the muzzle against his skull.
“I won’t have you pull the trigger, not yet,” Adler said. “I want to get to know you better, wraith. Get in the van. Zip tie yourself to the shelf in the back.”
Kolya stood and took a step forward.
“No, Kolya, no please!” The skin on my neck rubbed against the blade, slicing me open. But the words were worth the pain. “Don’t go with him. You have to stay alive. You have to fight!”
Adler moved backward, giving Kolya a wide berth to enter the vehicle.
“The mark of a good soldier is knowing when to hang up his gun, water sprite.” Kolya’s gaze pierced me. “It’s going to be okay.”
No, no it wasn’t! “Not without you,” I managed to whisper.
Something cracked in the distance. The sound barely registered in the background chaos that ensued. But the sickening squelch a moment later was crystal clear.
Adler’s hold loosened. A great thud sounded at my feet.
Without his hold, my body pitched forward, but two strong arms of stone were there to catch me. Kolya wrapped me against his body, lowering us to the ground while moving into the shelter of the vehicle.
“Ssshhhh, it’s almost over,” he breathed. When his lips pressed against my head, I moaned. “Harley? What is it?”
“Head—” I croaked before passing out again.