Chapter 28
G host moved swiftly around the perimeter of the barn, Zain at his back, their footsteps soundless. Birds chirped and cawed, and critters scattered in the nearby forest.
They rounded a corner and reached the rear of the barn. Near the back door was a window. Ghost pressed his shoulder tight to the wall as he reached the pane. Keeping his head low, he peered through the glass.
“In position,” Zain said softly.
“Waiting on your go,” Rami replied.
Ghost spotted Irinia first. There were also two buff assholes in suits standing with their hands in front of them. They appeared to be guarding a man who had an air of authority. Boris. He was tall and built but had to be in his sixties.
“Is she there?” Zain asked.
Ghost raised his head a little and saw speakers, large lights, and a woman. Her back was to him, but her long, dark hair was all the confirmation he needed. “She’s here.”
Zain said something, but Ghost didn’t register a single word. Every cell in his body was hyperfocused on Mila. He couldn’t see her face, couldn’t fucking read her. Irinia moved closer and said something to the older man.
The two goons crowded Mila then hauled her up by her arms. Panic turned Ghost’s blood to ice. He planted his back against the wall.
“Now,” he barked, needing Rami to move in.
Ghost jerked his head at Zain. His friend grabbed the door handle and yanked open the old, rickety wood.
Ghost stormed inside and fired. The first bullet took out goon one.
Mila screamed and covered her face with her arms as the asshole fell at her feet. The other henchman pivoted with Mila in his arms, holding her back to his front.
Zain fired at Boris, who’d already taken cover with Irinia behind a thick post. Boris fired around the wood, the shots just missing Ghost and Zain.
Zain returned fire and Boris slipped behind the protection of the post again. The bullet smacked into the wood, sending splinters flying. The goon ground his weapon into the side of Mila’s head.
She grimaced. When her eyes landed on him her mouth fell open, and she blinked as if she couldn’t believe Ghost was there. Instinct made him inspect her from head to toe for injuries. Within a second, he’d identified her awkward stance. Her right foot wasn’t bearing weight.
“Let her go,” Ghost bellowed.
A man’s laugh sounded from behind the post. “Anders will blow her head off before you do a damn thing.”
Mila’s skin was washed of color. Anders gritted his teeth and pushed the mouth of the gun into the side of her head so hard she winced.
Panic rooted him. He could get off a shot, but unless he hit Anders between the eyes, the bastard could pull the trigger. Zain stood next to him, waiting for Ghost to make the call.
Movement across the barn caught the edge of Ghost’s vision. He didn’t draw any attention to Rami moving in.
“Irinia,” Mila called, her voice strained and thick. “You won’t win. Go ahead and shoot me, but that’ll be the end for all of you and you know it!”
Silence.
“Left,” Zain murmured, the word barely audible in the large room.
Ghost let his gaze drift one degree west. Rami ducked behind a hay bale.
“Drop your weapon or I blow her head off,” Anders demanded.
The muscles in Ghost’s forearms jumped. “Not a fucking chance. Let her go or no one’s walking out alive.”
Anders laughed. “You got here too early. We were about to shave off some skin.” He bent his head and kissed Mila’s cheek.
Ghost’s temper ignited like sawdust under a match.
Mila flinched, then disgust rippled her brow. Anger sparked in her eyes. And goddammit, her response sent relief through him. She was a fighter.
Boris laughed, chiming in with the douchebag who didn’t realize his brains were about to decorate the barn.
Mila’s expression changed to one of determination, and Ghost’s senses prickled. She bent and threw her elbow right into the man’s junk. Anders jolted forward, and the action sent Mila to the ground.
Ghost pulled the trigger. The sharp crack echoed in the barn. The man’s head snapped backward.
Hell broke loose.
Rami fired at Boris, who returned shots. Zain bellowed something, but his words didn’t penetrate Ghost’s brain.
He ran for Mila. “Get down!” he shouted at her, skidding across the floor to throw his arms and chest over her hunched form.
Her body shuddered beneath him, so slight and fragile he wished he could carry her from this nightmare right now.
But he couldn’t do a fucking thing except pray no bullets hit her.
Evie flashed in his mind, and for a fraction of a heartbeat, he was that cocky young man hell-bent on protecting his kid stepsister.
And failing.
He couldn’t fix the past. But Evie’s smiling blue eyes and toothy grin stayed in the back of his mind.
The gunfire ceased.
“You’ll pay for this!” Irinia screamed.
Ghost lifted his head just as Zain forced Irinia against the post, her hands drawn tightly behind her back. Boris’s unmoving form was sprawled on the ground. There were two bullet holes in his chest. Irinia’s eyes glittered, but her evil stare didn’t reach Mila, who was still beneath him.
Rami crossed the barn, signaling to Ghost that all was clear.
Ghost eased off Mila. He caught her elbows and helped her sit up.
“Mila,” he ground out. There was so much power in the syllables. She was alive. He hadn’t lost her.
She threw her arms around his neck.
He ducked his face into her hair, inhaling the sweet scent that was all her. “I’m so fucking sorry, babe.”
She drew back, her brow puckered. “This isn’t your fault.”
He kissed her forehead then her cheek. “They got to you on my watch.”
Torment shimmered in her blue eyes. “I knew you’d come for me.”
Tears streaked her swollen cheek. He swept his thumb over her cheekbone. That’s when he noticed the bruise. “You’re hurt,” he rasped.
She sniffed and turned her face into his palm. Her hair was tangled, her body shaking. “You found me.”
His jaw tightened. “Not fast enough.” He smoothed his hands over her shoulders and down her arms, gently prodding. All he wanted to do was turn back time to the moment she’d been taken from his house. To stop that from happening. Only he fucking couldn’t.
He continued moving his hands down her body, spotting the torn skin at her wrists and fighting the urge to lose his shit. When he reached her right ankle, she flinched. He gently lifted her foot. Her ankle was puffy and discolored. Scratches marred her shin. “What happened?”
“I-I fell in the woods.”
The corners of his lips twitched. “I knew you’d escape.”
She wet her lips. “Didn’t do me any good. Clearly,” she added dryly.
Ghost glanced up as Rami and Zain tied Irinia to the post. The woman shot daggers at Mila’s back, but if she sensed it, she didn’t turn.
He returned his gaze to the only thing that mattered—Mila. “You’re the bravest person I know.” He winked. “That says a lot.”
She gave him a weak smile. “What happens now?”
He grimaced. “I’m no medic, but I’m gonna bet you’ve got a severe sprain or broken ankle. Both of which suck.”
“I’m not done with you, Malyshka ,” said Irinia, her voice slithering through the air.
Mila dipped her chin and slowly looked over her shoulder.
Ghost cupped her jaw and forced her to focus on him. Anxiety carved fine lines in her forehead, and her eyes creased with worry.
“She’s done, Mila.” He wrapped her hands in his and kissed her knuckles.
Tears swam in her eyes as she nodded.
“I mean it,” he growled, wanting to alter her past with sheer will. That was impossible, but goddammit, he’d wash away her pain one kiss at a time if it took the rest of his life.
She rested her head against his chest. “Thank you.”
He folded his arms around her. “You don’t need to thank me. But you have a decision to make, babe.”
***
Inhaling Ghost’s masculine scent, Mila blinked away the moisture on her lashes. When he’d burst through the door, she’d been convinced she was hallucinating.
But his smooth, steady baritone voice was as real as her flesh. His hand moved up and down her back. She stayed in his embrace but tilted back her head. “What decision?”
His jaw hardened and his gray eyes flashed with an unrecognizable emotion. “I need you to tell me what you want done with Irinia.”
Her breath stilled. She blinked. His intent was as clear as day.
For years, she’d fantasized about having the upper hand over her kidnapper. In every scenario, she’d had a spiel—a powerful statement that’d make Irinia recognize her wrongdoings. But now, looking at the woman who’d irrevocably changed her life, Mila knew she’d never be remorseful.
Ghost’s fingers trailed over her hair. “I don’t want to push you into doing anything you’re not ready for, but we can’t leave this barn until she’s dealt with. If you want, you can leave with Rami or Zain and I’ll handle her. You don’t ever have to know what happened if—”
She shook her head. Part of her wanted to sink into his offer. To just walk out of here without another word, knowing she’d never see or hear from Irinia again.
But she still had things to say.
“I want to talk to her.”
Ghost frowned. “Not sure that’s a good idea.”
She gave him a sad smile. “I know. It’s something I need to do, though.”
He compressed his lips then slid one arm beneath her legs and the other around her back. He stood effortlessly with her cradled against him. “Are you sure?”
Mila’s throat constricted. She couldn’t speak. Her brain was overloaded with anticipation and, dammit, fear. She nodded.
He carried her close to Irinia then lowered her to the ground on her good foot. Her right ankle pulsed. She shoved the discomfort aside as she stared at the heinous woman she’d hated most of her life.
Despite being tied to a post, Irinia looked amused. Mila had hoped to see her squirm.
Ghost held Mila tightly around the waist. Her side leaned against his.
“Go on and kill me,” Irinia said with a smirk. “I’m not afraid of death. You were always so scared to leave this earth. I could never understand why.”
Mila fought the tsunami of hate building behind her chest and stinging her eyes.
“I wasn’t afraid of dying, Madame.” She spat the title she’d been instructed to call Irinia when she was a small child dreaming of being a dancer.
“I was afraid of never seeing my family again. Because until they died, I clung to that hope. Something you’d know nothing about because you’ve never loved anyone—probably not even yourself. ”
Irinia said nothing. Just stared with contempt.
Ghost reached behind his back and pulled out a handgun. Slowly, he passed it to Mila.
She accepted the weapon. A quick bullet wasn’t enough to make Irinia pay. But in truth, nothing would be enough to make up for all Mila had lost. Even if Irinia were tortured for years, it wouldn’t take away the pain. Would never replace the grief.
All the suffering had to end, though. The sooner she killed Irinia, the sooner she could move on.
Mila inhaled a shuddering breath. “You’re evil, Irinia. Not a shred of good lies in your soul. If you think for one minute you’ll be reunited with Alexei, you’re wrong. He did bad things, but he had a good heart.”
A flash of something shimmered in Irinia’s eyes. Not quite regret, but close.
She raised the gun and aimed at Irinia’s head. “Alexei won’t be waiting for you.” She pulled the trigger.
The scent of gunpowder filled Mila’s nostrils.
Irinia’s eyes went wide an instant before the bullet hit her. Her head flew back into the post, and blood and brain matter splattered the floor.
Mila’s body weakened. Not with remorse.
With relief.
All the tension evaporated from her shoulders. She choked on a cry and dropped the gun. The metal clattered on the ground as she covered her lips.
Ghost scooped her into his hold again. Rami took the gun and wiped it down.
As Ghost strode across the barn toward the door, Mila glanced over his shoulder, imprinting the sight of Irinia’s lifeless body in her mind forever.
Her nightmare was over.