Chapter 34 – Lauren
Chapter
Thirty-Four
LAUREN
I ’d been looking at the screens for a few minutes when they arrived—two big black vehicles, parked up by the gate at the top of the path. The path that leads straight here, to the cabin. I don’t shout for him immediately in case I was mistaken. Of course I wasn’t though. This isn’t the kind of place you happen to pass by mistake. I have no idea how people have found Seb’s retreat, but someone has, and they don’t look friendly.
He swears and stares at the screen as a man dressed in black climbs out of one of the vehicles and pushes hard on the gate. The chained padlocks hold firm, and after what looks like an angry exchange through an open window, another six men emerge, half of them openly carrying weapons.
“Fuck. Unbelievable. They’re going to come down here on foot,” he says. “Which means we don’t have long. It’ll take them about twenty minutes. The question is whether we run or fight.”
“You have enough weapons in your basement to fight off a small army, right?”
“Yeah. We can get tooled up, but there are only two of us, and…”
“One of us is a girl?” I ask, finding a smile from somewhere despite our circumstances.
“No. I meant one of us is the love of my fucking life—and also a civilian. Unless this is the part when you tell me you went to some kind of top-secret Montoya training camp and have the firearms skills of a Special Forces operative?”
“Sadly not. But I can use a gun. I’d rather not, but I can if I need to.”
The way he studies me tells me he’s trying to weigh the options and decide which one would be safest. He opens his mouth to speak when a bang echoes through from the front of the cabin. Someone is thumping their fists against the door, and Seb checks the camera feed. “Stay here,” he says urgently. “Let me… Oh, fuck.”
“What is it? Are they here already?” My heart races. I don’t panic easy, but this feels like a tough spot for both of us. Outnumbered, outgunned, and out of options.
“Dunno. It’s that sack of shit Taylor Grant.”
I peek my head out of the makeshift office in time to see Seb throw the door open. Without saying a word, he punches the man hard in the gut. When Taylor doubles over, Seb catches him and drags him into the cabin.
He throws him up against a wall, and Taylor gasps as Seb wraps a big hand around his throat and pins him there. “Was it you, you little fuck? Did you grass us up? Are you in Volkov’s pocket?”
Taylor slaps at his hands and tries to talk, but Seb’s grip is too tight to dislodge.
“He can’t speak.” I rush over to them, concerned by the familiar faraway look Seb gets when his blood is really boiling. The look that means someone could die. “Let him speak and maybe he can tell you.”
After a few beats, he finally seems to hear me and nods as he drops the young man to the ground. He places a boot on Taylor’s chest to keep him there. “You heard the lady—speak, you fucking cunt.”
“It wasn’t me,” Taylor says quickly, his voice croaking and his eyes wide. “I came to warn you, Boss—I’m here to help.”
“And how the fuck did you know about this place, eh? Gabriel says he hasn’t spoken to you, so how the hell did you know where to find us?”
“I… I got Gabriel’s message saying there was a full alert, that you were going underground, and I knew where you’d have gone. I drove straight here, and I passed those Russian fuckers on the way. I did a full circle and broke in on the other side of the property. You have a hole in the fence there now—sorry. Look, I’m here to help, honestly. I’m not with them. I’m on your side.”
Seb is still furious, his nostrils flaring, but he’s at least listening. Personally, I think Taylor looks and sounds sincere, but the jury is still out for Seb.
“And how did you know where I’d be, shitbag? Nobody knew about this place until today, and suddenly I’m overrun with bloody visitors. It’s like the world’s most fucked-up tea party.”
Taylor clambers to his feet, cautiously eyeing Seb. He’s a big guy, and I’ve heard he can handle himself, but he seems reluctant to take on Sebastian Donovan in a full rhino rage. Can’t say I blame him. “I followed you here once, all right? I’ll explain everything later, I promise, but for now you have to trust me. I’m here to help you, and we don’t have long.”
The force of Sebastian’s glare alone would knock a normal man over, but Taylor stands firm, meeting his eyes. “Let me help you both. Please. You know there’s not enough time for anyone else to get here.”
I see the second Seb makes his mind up. He shakes his head and says, “All right. I’ll trust you… For now. But if you’re lying, Taylor, you won’t leave these woods, you understand?”
“I understand, Boss. Now, do we run or do we fight?”
“I only counted seven of the fuckers. So obviously, we fight. I’ll let Gabriel know what’s happening, and in the meantime, we better get ready.”
He turns to me with regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry about all this, sweetheart. I promised to protect you, and I’ve put you right in the line of fire.”
“Uh, don’t be an idiot. It’s actually me who put us both in the line of fire by taking on Caroline Volkov as a client. Do you blame me for that?”
He looks shocked at the very idea. “Of course I fucking don’t. What a stupid thing to suggest.”
I wink at him, and he smiles. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll stop apologizing. Me and Taylor are going downstairs for weapons. Can you keep an eye on the cameras?”
After I assure him I will keep an eye on things, he heads for the basement, and I take a deep breath and do my part, flicking through the different screens and camera angles. Six of the men have stuck together and are working their way through the wooded landscape as quickly as they can. It’s not easy terrain for anyone who doesn’t know it, and I watch with grim satisfaction when one of them stumbles and falls right into one of Seb’s booby traps, shrieking as he tumbles into the hole.
They’re still a ways off from the cabin according to the camera map pinned to the wall, but I’m relieved when Seb and Taylor rejoin me. Both have guns tucked into their waistbands, and Taylor is also wielding a wicked-looking knife.
“We have a plan,” Seb informs me. “Taylor’s going to stay here and pick off as many as he can, and I’m going to run to the hide—you know the one I said would make a good sniper assault point?” I nod, remembering it well. “The idea is we split them up, make it easier for us. I’d like you to stay in the basement, as far away from trouble as you can. How does that sound?”
“That sounds like crap,” I answer honestly. “I’m coming to the hide with you. If your plan works, we all get away. If your plan fails, we all die—so there’s really no point cowering in the basement and hoping nobody notices me. They’ll probably set the place on fire, and I’ll burn to death. No thank you.”
Taylor averts his eyes, but not before I catch the hint of a smile on his face. Seb glares at me, sees my determined expression, and shakes his head. “You’re so fucking stubborn. You’re going to make my life hell when we’re married, aren’t you?”
I lean up to kiss him. “Damn right I am, handsome. Now, I just saw six of them about a half mile out, making their way here. One is AWOL. How do we do this?”
Seb hands me a revolver from the back waistband of his pants. “We let them see us.” He goes to look out the window. “And then… They chase. You’re familiar with being chased through these woods, aren’t you, babe?”
Even now, a whisper of desire curls through me at the memory of how our last chase concluded. “Oh, I am. I’m assuming this one won’t end with you fucking anyone up against a tree, though.”
“Fucking them up, maybe. Taylor, you good?”
“Yes, Boss. You two run, and as they pursue, I shoot. Easy peasy.”
Ah, the confidence of youth. Seb’s brown eyes are reassuring. We’ve got this , they seem to say. Well, at least I’m already wearing my workout gear.
We creep out of the back of the cabin, and I tug his Viking lord axe out of the thick log it’s wedged in and heft its weight. I can run with this if I’m careful, and it’s better than the gun, which I hate. Thankfully, Seb doesn’t argue when I hand him back the pistol.
He holds up a hand, and we pause at the corner of the cabin. It takes me a second to identify the eerie feeling I have, but I eventually put it down to the complete lack of birdsong. The woods are usually alive with their calls, and they’ve been replaced by an ominous silence and the occasional crunch of leaves underfoot. They’re trying to be quiet but not really managing.
He looks at me and mouths, Ready ?
I nod, and we both take off for the forest. We make plenty of noise as we go, which was all part of the plan, and a cry immediately goes up from our pursuers, who shout back and forth in Russian as they give chase.
They have no clue that there is someone waiting in the cabin we vacated, and they predictably move in, running straight for us. That all changes when Taylor fires his first shot and catches one of them in the leg. I risk a glance behind me, see blood spurt as he goes down. I don’t know this man, but he means us harm, and his bloodcurdling scream moves me not at all.
The men chasing us scatter, taking cover now that they know they’re vulnerable. Taylor manages to wing one more, a shoulder wound that I’m sure hurts like hell but doesn’t take him down. Then come more shots, more shouts in Russian, followed by the sound of glass smashing.
“Is he okay?” I ask, panting as we run.
Seb looks behind us. “Yeah. He just knocked the window out on the other side of the cabin. I’m guessing he’ll make a run for it, try to flank them. Come on, we need to make the most of the distraction.”
He grabs my hand, and together we run, jump, and stumble through the woods. He knows where his traps are laid and guides us around them, but it’s still hard going over challenging ground. My ankle turns after one leap, shooting jagged pain up my leg, but I force myself to run through it. I’ll have worse than a twisted ankle if I don’t keep moving.
I’m not in bad shape, but the pace Seb sets is taking its toll. Gunshots are still cracking and booming behind us but become fainter with every step we take. I finally spot the hide we’re heading for as one more shot echoes through the forest, scattering the remaining birds from the trees in a squawking mass of flapping wings.
Seb pushes me inside the small wooden structure and shoves my head low. There’s a slit cut into it at eye level, presumably so nature lovers can watch the wild world go by without being seen, and he crouches down to look through it. I sprawl across the floor, heaving in oxygen and rubbing my sore ankle. “You okay, babe?” he asks when he notices.
“Yep. All good here. Can you see them?”
He goes back to his surveillance. “Not yet. No idea how many Taylor managed to take out or where he’s got to… or what the fuck he’s doing here. But that’s a puzzle for another day. For now, I’m just glad he is here. He wounded at least two of those motherfuckers, hopefully more now. How many did you say there were in total?”
“Seven, but only six of them were approaching the cabin.” Suddenly, a flush of fear invades my mind, ratcheting up my pulse. It’s like now that I’m still, my anxiety has caught up with me, ambushing me and making my insides tremble. “Do you think… Do you think we’ll be okay?”
He kneels in front of me and places his big hands on my cheeks. Our eyes lock. “We are going to get through this, Lauren. I promise you. We only just found each other, and I’m not going to let some Russian scumbags get in the way of our future. We’re getting through this. We’re getting married and going on honeymoon, where I will be fucking you ’til you can’t stand up straight. Is that clear?”
Rubbing my face on his callused palm, I murmur, “Crystal clear, sir.” I drop a kiss on his fingers and decide not to be scared anymore. It won’t help, and anyway, I believe him. If anyone can protect us, this man can.
Right at that moment, there are more gunshots, and Taylor comes hurtling through the greenery like an enraged bear. There’s blood smeared on his face and oozing thickly from a wound on his arm. He’s holding that knife of his, and it looks like it’s been busy.
“Four of ’em are down, Boss,” he pants after skidding inside. “One permanently. He went over a trip wire as I was aiming at his legs, and I got his head instead. The other two followed me here, so I thought I’d give you the chance to have a go.”
“Nice of you to save them for me, mate. Now sit yourself down before you fall down. Is that serious?” He gestures to Taylor’s arm, and the blond man shakes his head.
“Nah. Need a bit of duct tape when I get home, that’s all.” The gash is about six inches long, and it’s deep. I pull off my fleece jacket and fashion it into a makeshift bandage, which at least stems the blood loss.
“Thanks,” he says, wincing. “And congrats, by the way. Nice ring.”
I grin up at him. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”
“Here they come,” Seb mutters, pulling his gun out. It’s an awkward angle, but he manages to position the barrel at his line of vision by poking it through the viewing slot of the hide. I’m desperate to see what’s going on out there, but I do as I’m told and stay down. He doesn’t need me distracting him right now, and Taylor is looking decidedly pale sitting next to me. I pat his hand, and he offers me a wan smile.
I know it’s coming, but when the gun fires twice in rapid succession in such a small space, the noise is deafening. I flinch and belatedly slam my palms over my ears.
“They’re down.” There’s a note of satisfaction in Seb’s voice. “For good. Can’t be arsed going for the legs. The cunts wouldn’t show us any mercies. Lauren, stay where you are, sweetheart, while me and Taylor double-check. I mean, their heads are splattered, but it always pays to make sure.”
I acquiesce, for once completely passive. Those shots are still ringing in my ears, I’m exhausted, and my adrenaline is doing a tap dance around my nervous system. I have zero desire to get up close and personal with splattered brains on top of all that. Taylor climbs to his feet and follows Seb outside.
I manage to get upright and watch through the slot in the wood as they cautiously approach the two fallen Russians. Even from here it’s a grim sight, the trampled grass painted red with shining blood and gore. Seb kicks them both hard and seems satisfied when there’s no response. He looks at Taylor and holds out his hand to shake. Looks like he’s finally satisfied that the boy is on his side. In our messed-up world, it’s a real Hallmark moment.
As he reaches out to take Seb’s hand, Taylor’s face changes—his pleased smile transforms into a look of shock and fury, and he throws himself bodily at Seb, screaming his name and knocking him flat to the ground. Seb yells at him and pushes him off, rolling him onto his back.
“What the fuck, Taylor?” he says, before his face goes pale. I follow his line of sight to the bright red stain spreading across the younger man’s T-shirt, turning the once-white fabric a sickening shade of crimson.