Chapter 28
Impossible Risks
Rhys
“Would you sit the fuck down?” Theo says for what is probably the tenth time as I pace back and forth in front of him.
I ignore him—just like I have been since Alex and Ollie left several hours ago—and continue pacing.
My stomach is a knotted mess of dread, fear, and frustration that makes it impossible for me to sit still.
Especially when everything inside me is screaming that I should be out there with them.
Theo, however, sits on the table behind the cash register without a care in the world.
“Rhys, pacing like this isn’t going to make them come back faster.
All it’ll do is increase the chances of you reopening one of your wounds.
” I can hear the exasperation in his voice as he slips from the table and grabs my uninjured shoulder, stopping me mid-stride.
“I know it’s hard to stay behind, but you need to trust them to keep each other safe. ”
My lips curl and I shake my head. Neither Alex nor Ollie are experienced in combat.
Sure, Alex is a big guy and can throw a mean punch, but he’s never been out without Theo or me by his side, guiding him.
And Ollie—while she’s fierce and resourceful—has had no training what-so-ever.
If either of them gets into an altercation, the chances of them coming out of it unscathed are small. Too small.
My hands clench into fists at my side and I suppress a growl of frustration as my injured shoulder and arm twinges. Objectively, I know this won’t help my recovery and that I’d be a liability while out, but the rational side of my brain isn’t running the show at the moment.
All I can picture is their unmoving bodies lying in a puddle of their blood, their eyes open and unseeing. Or worse, them captured by the Scourge and enduring horrific torture and abuse at the hands of those monsters.
And there’s not a damn thing I can do to stop that with this stupid fucking shoulder.
It’s a little disconcerting how quickly I’ve come to care about the fiery, stubborn princess even after I swore off women.
She’s wormed her way under my skin and she’s not moving anytime soon.
No matter how much I try to convince myself that she doesn’t want me in that way.
Doesn’t help that there’s a sense of rightness at both Alex and Theo caring for her just as much as I do.
Even more than when we were with Willow.
So she better be fucking alright, otherwise I’m going to follow her—even into the afterlife—and punish that perfect ass of hers.
The sound of boots scuffling on the pavement has me pausing. Theo and I reach for our weapons just as the back door to the shop opens and Alex and Ollie shove their way through the doorway. The relief crashing over me is short-lived when I see them both drenched in blood.
They both look like they’ve been through hell.
Alex is covered in blood, and there are several bruises forming on the side of his face.
Ollie, while less saturated in gore, doesn’t look much better.
Strands of her hair fly wildly from her plait, and the front of her shirt is ripped to where her black sports bra is visible.
“What the fuck?” I snarl as I stride over to Ollie and grab her shoulder.
“What the hell happened? Where are you injured? Who did this to you? They better be fucking dead, otherwise I’m hunting their asses down and killing them myself.
” The words tumble out of me as I scan her over, trying to see where she’s injured.
Ollie rolls her eyes and shrugs off my hand. “I’m fine. None of this blood is mine and yes, the guys that did this are dead.”
I grind my molars and glare at her, hating how blase she is about being attacked. “Did you...?” kill them. I don’t dare say the words out loud, just in case it triggers a panic attack.
She presses her lips together into a thin line and nods, understanding my question. “I did. We both did.“ Her eyes flick to Alex and soften.
I follow her gaze to the man who’s been my best friend for over twenty years. “And you? Are you okay?”
His lips twist into a grimace and he shrugs. “As okay as I can be, considering the circumstances.” He flexes his hands, and that’s when I see his bust knuckles.
Oh fuck. Did he have to beat on someone? His dad was an abusive piece of shit and he’s terrified of becoming just like him, regardless of what Theo and I say.
I eye him more critically, looking for the guilt and disgust on his face, but I don’t see them. Does that mean he didn’t have to kill someone with his bare hands? Or has he somehow overcome his demons?
Speaking of demons, Ollie doesn’t seem all that bothered by taking yet another life today. Not like last night, where she was almost catatonic until I forced her into action. Maybe they helped one another after the altercation and that’s why neither one of them looks on the verge of a meltdown.
I’m not na?ve enough to think that this means they’re cured of their inner demons, but it’s a step in the right direction. And I can’t help but feel a little satisfaction that they could be there for one another when Theo and I couldn’t.
“So, what happened that caused both of you to look like extras from a bad horror film?” Theo asks having retrieved some cloths we fashioned from old clothes and a bucket of water. He ushers them back outside into the weak February sun and hands the supplies over to them.
“We were ambushed on our way back,” Ollie says after wiping her face clean. “By Ethan and three other guys from the Lodge.”
A string of curses fly from Theo’s lips.
I suck in a sharp breath. “You’re kidding.” How the hell did that slimy bastard find us?
“I wish I was,” she says grimly. “They had us surrounded in a small side street with two guns trained on us, determined to sell Alex off to the Scourge and keep me.” She swallows hard, and it doesn’t take a genius to understand what they meant to do to her.
I bite back a snarl as my hands clench into fists and I resist the urge to slam my fist into the wall.
Or go out and find the bastard’s corpse, chop him into little pieces.
If only I could resurrect him so I could kill him again, but only after torturing him for days. I want to make that bastard bleed.
Ollie carries on, oblivious to my internal rage. “I managed to get close enough to Ethan—he had one of the guns—and stab him with an arrow while Alex dealt with the other three.”
My brow furrows. “An arrow?”
“Idiot forced her to drop her knife and bow, but forgot about the quiver full of arrows. So she made sure he’d never forget again,” Alex says, pride shining in his gaze as he smiles at Ollie.
With a nod, I study Ollie with new, impressed eyes.
I knew she was tough—she saved my ass last night—but that she kept her cool enough to save herself during an intense as fuck situation is admirable.
I’ve deployed with people who freaked out at the first sign of danger and forgot every ounce of training, so to have a civilian like Ollie out perform them is insane.
And sexy as fuck.
Ollie waves him off. “Alex did most of the work during that, especially since I was useless after stabbing Ethan.” She swallows hard, and I can see the shadows in her eyes.
She’s still not okay at taking two lives, but who is aside from psychopaths and sociopaths?
I’m sure as shit not. But after the career I’ve had, I’ve learned to accept that darker side of my soul.
I just hate that Alex and Ollie will have to do that, too. All thanks to this shitty virus that ended society as we know it.
“But killing a bunch of people aside, we have bigger problems,” Ollie says, breaking through my thoughts.
“What problems? Did you get spotted during your scouting mission?” Theo frowns. He’s standing beside Ollie, wiping her shoulder and neck with what is becoming a very bloody rag.
Alex shakes his head as he washes his hands with some of the water, causing bloodied droplets to splatter across the concrete floor.
“No, we skirted around the entire camp without being spotted. No, our problem is that Ethan confessed to being the reason Scourge gang members ambushed us last night.”
Theo and I curse.
“That’s not all,” he continues. “We believe the Scourge knows we’re planning to attack. So whatever plan of attack we were going to come up with for Friday won’t work.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck! This is bad, really bad.
What was once an incredibly risky, dangerous rescue has become almost impossible. I rake a hand through my hair and begin pacing, my mind whirling as I try to think of a plan. Anything that could make this possible. But I’m coming up empty.
“Are you sure?” Theo demands, his jaw clenched and his eyes tight. He knows as well as I do how fucked we are.
Ollie nods. “Very sure. Ethan admitted to selling us out for weapons and other shit while he was taunting us.”
Fuck. This is literally the worst-case scenario.
If this were a military operation, we’d have aborted and a part of me wants to.
I don’t want to risk Ollie or my brothers, not when the odds are so stacked against us.
But I can see the determination shining in Ollie’s eyes; regardless of how fucked we are, she’s still going after her brother.
Besides, while I may detest my ex-wife, she and the other two women taken don’t deserve to be left at the mercy of the Scourge for longer than necessary.
But dammit, Friday was our best chance. Which means we’re going to have to do something even riskier.
I rake a hand through my hair. “Friday’s out, then. Which means we’ll need to attack within the next forty-eight hours. The sooner the better, since they won’t expect us before Friday.”