Chapter Twelve
Jasper couldn’t dispel the itch between his shoulder blades. He never thought he’d take his mate into a dangerous situation, but he understood her need to finish her mission.
The clouds finally decided to open up and pelt the world with angry rain. Thick, black cloud cover darkened the sky with occasional zaps of furious lightning. He made sure to park more than a mile away from the small airport nestled in a rural area, surrounded by rolling farmland and a dense forest.
“Keep to the trees,” he told his brother, unease wandering through him. While he admired Leah’s grit and always had, he wanted her safe at all times.
The airport was discreetly tucked away with a crappy dirt road winding to it. With its natural barriers shielding it from observers, he doubted many people knew the place existed.
They kept to the tree line, and a single modest roadway made of packed gravel soon came into view. One building rose from the flat ground, resembling a large barn. As he looked closer, even the runway appeared to be a long driveway.
“This is a good airport,” he whispered to his brother. “We might want to take it over at some point.”
Dax nodded. Having healed himself from his fight, he had borrowed a green long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and boots from Jasper’s new stash. “I sense a couple of Kurjans,” he said. “But not many.”
“We’ve scattered their forces,” Jasper said, moving quickly. They reached the edge of the forest, where they’d have to walk and reveal themselves. He waited for the car and glanced at his watch. “She should be coming any moment.”
Dax let out a short whistle. “They have a Gulfstream G280.”
Jasper studied the plane. The G280 was streamlined and aerodynamic with a slightly swept-back wing configuration and a T-tail. The polished craft appeared immaculate. “We could take the plane.”
Dax lifted his chin. “One guard.”
Jasper angled to the side to see one Kurjan walking around the barn with a long, green gun in his hands. “There have to be a couple more soldiers.” As he watched, a heavily armed Kurjan climbed down the stairs from the plane. Neither male was Wallace.
A rumble sounded down the drive, and another borrowed Peugeot 205 bumped and hitched along the road. She seemed to like that model for some reason.
“I can’t believe that thing’s still drivable,” Dax said.
“It won’t be for long,” Jasper noted, his entire body tensing. Having Leah this close to danger made him want to decapitate somebody. “Where do you suppose the women are being kept?”
Dax angled his head to the side. “Probably in the back of the plane.”
Jasper could feel a vibration coming from that vicinity. Those women were definitely enhanced and probably terrified, but Leah was his main concern now.
She pulled to a stop near the plane and waited. Smart girl. He’d given her strict instructions to stay in the vehicle and keep it running in case she needed to retreat. So far, she was doing exactly as he’d asked.
They waited for several moments, and the two guards soon flanked the vehicle.
“I don’t like this,” Jasper said.
Dax set his stance, gun out. “She’s smart. She knows what she’s doing.”
The woman was also armed.
A human-sized door to the barn opened, and Wallace walked out, rain pummeling him. He lifted his face to the sky. Jasper recognized him from mission dossiers.
“I hate that they can walk outside during the day,” Dax mused.
“Ditto,” Jasper ground out. He’d made sure they were downwind so the Kurjans couldn’t scent them. Not yet, anyway.
Wallace stood about seven feet tall and had his black hair clipped at his nape. He wore his full black Kurjan uniform with a myriad of silver medals on his chest. He motioned for Leah to exit the vehicle.
Jasper tensed. He’d given her explicit orders. She opened the door and smoothly stepped out, facing Wallace on uneven ground.
“Damn it,” Jasper muttered.
* * * *
Leah settled her stance and pulled the weapon from the back of her waist to point at Wallace. The rain beat down, matting her hair to her head, but she didn’t blink. “Where are the women?” She kept the weapon pointed at her enemy, crossing one leg over the other to step to the side and maintain balance.
He wiped rain off his face. “You’re outnumbered here.”
Actually, they were evenly matched, but this guy didn’t realize that. The wind blew hard against her toward the forest, where she felt Jasper. It surprised her that Wallace hadn’t realized Jasper and Dax were close. They’d positioned themselves perfectly. “You made me a promise.”
Wallace grinned, revealing sharpened canines. “They’re in the plane. I can’t exactly just leave them all here.”
“They can come out now.” Chills cascaded down her back. She gestured with her weapon. “You realize this is an immortal weapon, right?”
He lifted one shoulder as if he didn’t care. She wouldn’t kill him if she shot him, but she could take him out for a brief time.
Both of the soldiers lifted their weapons to point at her.
“You shoot me, they shoot you, and I’ll heal quickly,” Wallace said, unconcerned.
“I aim for the brain.” She set her stance. “You may recover, but it’ll take a while.”
His smile widened. “I am thinking maybe I shouldn’t save you for my brother.” His gaze wandered over her form and back up to her face. “You know we have vials of the virus 27 in our coffers, don’t you?”
She cocked her head. The virus supposedly negated the mating bond, but as far as she knew, it had only been used on mates who’d lost their loves years and years ago. “I was not aware of that fact.”
“Yes. We’ve learned how to synthesize it, as well.”
He still hadn’t lost his smile, and she fought the very real urge to shoot him in the face.
“Have you used it on anybody?”
“Not yet. I figured you’d be the first.” His eyes gleamed.
She blinked rain out of her eyes. “I’m mated. The virus doesn’t work if one’s mate is still living.”
His eyes swirled with darkness through the purple. “We’ll just see about that, won’t we? Now, how about you get into the plane?”
“How about you let the women go?”
“It looks like we’re at a stalemate,” he spat. “Shoot her in the leg,” he ordered.
The soldier to his right lowered his weapon. Just then, twin pings echoed from the forest, and green lasers arced through the stormy day, hitting both soldiers in the chest. They flew backward and crashed to the muddy earth, sending up splotches and creating craters from their shockingly heavy bodies.
Jasper and Dax ran out of the forest, firing rapidly. Wallace dove to the ground and rolled, knocking Leah off her feet. She screamed and tried to shoot him, but he casually batted the gun out of her hand.
He stood, holding her in front of him like a shield, covering his head and chest as he backed to the plane and swiftly climbed the stairs backward.
Jasper and Dax ran forward while the other two soldiers stood and started firing. Jasper leaped to the left, and his brother went the other way as they dropped and rolled, coming up and firing some more. Green lasers filled the darkened day from both sides.
Leah struggled furiously, but Wallace held tight. Ducking his head, he maneuvered them both inside and hit a red button on the wall. The stairs started to lift into the plane.
“No.” Panicking, she shot an elbow into his gut.
He partially bent and let out a pained oof before throwing her into a leather seat. “Sit. Let’s go,” he called to the two Kurjan pilots in the front.
The engines started immediately. Leah scrambled to stand and looked toward the back of the plane, which had been reconfigured into a cage of sorts. Seven women stood behind the bars, their eyes wide, and their ages ranging from approximately eighteen to forty.
“Where are we going?” a tall redhead snapped, her fingers wrapping around a bar.
“Home,” Wallace said. He looked at Leah. “Do I need to tie you?”
“Why don’t you put me in the little cage there?” she suggested.
He looked back at the women.
Yeah, opening the door would be risky, but if she could get all seven of them to fight and rush him at once, it may work.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “If you’re going to be a queen, you might as well start acting like one.”
“You’re no king, asshole.”
He reached out to slap her, and she ducked, bursting forward and charging him, shooting her knee into his groin. It was a direct hit, and he breathed out, partially bending over. She took advantage and punched him in the nose as hard as she could.
His blood spurted across her arm, burning her instantly.
“That’s it.” He grabbed her hair and threw her to the floor. “Let’s get out of here,” he yelled at the pilots.
Glass shattered up front. Leah moved to her knees and ignored the pain in her scalp. Her head reeled, but she stood to see Jasper in front of the plane, firing smoothly. Both pilots jerked, their bodies convulsing.
“Those were head shots,” she observed mildly.
“Damn it.” Wallace stormed by her and reached the cockpit, tossing one pilot onto the floor. “Looks like I’ll have to fly this thing.” He removed a gun from the back of his waist and fired out toward Jasper.
Jasper went down.
“Jasper!” Leah screamed, panicking. She stood and scrambled for the button by the door. It slowly opened, and the steps started to descend.
“Let the door shut this time, or I’ll kill you,” Wallace yelled, sitting in the cockpit and pushing several buttons.
The door started to close. She slammed her hand against the button again, pounding wildly as she fought with whatever lever Wallace used.
Then suddenly, Jasper was there.
He seized the bottom of the stairs and started pulling them down, grunting with the effort as he fought the hydraulics.
Dax, blood pouring from a wound near his neck, sprang up by his brother, and they forced the stairs down.
Wallace careened out of the cockpit, gun out and firing.
Leah dropped to her knees, rolling toward the seats. Jasper vaulted inside, already firing. He hit Wallace several times in the chest and face. Wallace flew back against the already shattered window, his eyes wide. Jasper shot him two more times, and he dropped, unconscious.
Blood poured from several wounds in Jasper’s chest, and part of his ear had been blown off. He dropped to his knees and reached for Leah, pulling her close. “Are you okay? Were you hit? Are you good?”
She blinked several times, her vision fuzzy as the world spun around her. “You got shot in the ear,” she said. Then she passed out.