Chapter 20
Montgomery
Pop! Pop! Pop!
The three bullets were shot from a distance, two shattering the bark on a tree only twenty feet away. The other came from a slightly different direction. A clear indication I was dealing with at least two assailants.
Given every hired assassin worth their salt worked alone, I surmised the people shooting at us likely were the men sent to eliminate Danny.
Fleur’s questions were all valid, her fear palpable and to be expected. What I hadn’t told her was that I was probably the only person capable of keeping her alive.
And that the new life she’d made for herself was likely permanently shattered.
I pulled her behind me, using a large oak as a shield while I scanned the woods. The bastards had also come from the same direction where I’d parked the SUV.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered, clinging to me. Her entire body was shaking, the tremor in her voice infuriating me. She’d been through way too much in her life.
“We need to get back to the vehicle.” At least there was some protection built in.
Another noise highlighted that the fuckers were getting closer. When one appeared from behind a thick band of foliage, I immediately fired. A miss. Goddamn it. I’d need to be careful.
Her screech filtered into the air, birds responding with wings flapping overhead.
“I need you to run. Do not look back. Find somewhere safe.” I pulled her close, darting my eyes from the direction of the assailants.
“No. No!”
“Don’t argue with me. I’ll find you. Now, run.” The shock and terror on her face yanked at every protective part of me. She shot a single look toward where the assailant had stood before breaking free, running in the opposite direction.
As cover, I stepped from behind the tree, firing off several shots to allow her a head start. I prayed to God she didn’t stop until she found somewhere safe.
The instant I pulled back, additional shots were fired. I calculated the distance and moved to the other side of the tree. Another form appeared like clockwork. The fuckers were trying to box me in. They obviously didn’t know my capabilities.
I swung around with my Glock in both hands, holding the line until the fucker showed himself again.
The single shot was a direct hit, the force knocking him flat on his back. There was no need to check his breathing status. The fucker was dead.
Two seconds later, the crunch of dry debris indicated the second assassin was on the run, heading deeper into the forest. What I didn’t want was for him to escape. Their deaths, meaning their silence, would buy us at least a few hours.
Sadly, I’d already concluded I’d need to leave Vermont. My cover had been blown. So had hers. A hard question faced me of what to do with the woman I couldn’t seem to get enough of.
No matter the choice, she’d fight me all the way.
I threw a look over my shoulder toward where she’d run, thankful there was no sound coming from that direction and no sight of her. She was a survivor. There was no doubt, yet she had no idea what she was facing with the Russians.
If these were soldiers, they might not have the extensive training as those listing their services as assassins, but they were down and dirty. They had no decency or humanity, just as easily killing women and children as they would a man. That made them that much more dangerous.
Keeping low, I shifted forward, narrowly ducking another shot taken. The hard thud of the bullet driving into the tree indicated the asshole wasn’t too far ahead. I stood where I was, doing nothing more than listening.
Another crack of a limb and I bolted forward. Now the fucker was running as if for his life. I had no intention of allowing him to make it out of the woods alive.
The agony in my thigh forced me to grit my teeth, the atrophy in my muscles more evident with every long stride. But I refused to stop, powering forward through the pain, determined to chase the fucker into hell if that was possible.
He disappeared only to reappear seconds later, positioned on the other side of the tree with his weapon raised.
And, I’d be damned, with a smile on his face.
He had the jump, forcing me to dive to the ground to avoid getting shot.
Before waiting to see if the hit had taken me out, he took off running again.
Stumbling, I almost fell from my leg giving out, but the goddamn motherfucker wasn’t getting away from me.
I bolted forward, gaining some momentum, but my patience had worn to the breaking point.
I stopped long enough to take a deep breath, holding the frigid air in my lungs and taking aim.
Without allowing anything to unnerve me, I fired a single shot.
Catching the motherfucker in the back of the head.
Only when his brains splattered and he fell face first into the dirt did I take another breath. Bending over, I pressed my hands against my knees, calming my thudding heart while the pain went from a twelve on a scale from one to ten down to an eight.
I stood, wiping sweat from my face with my arm and hobbled toward the fallen man.
A simple check of his pockets didn’t indicate shit.
I grabbed his gun for good measure. At this point, I had a feeling I’d need all the weapons I could get my hands on.
After scanning the area, I took long strides in the direction of where she’d gone.
The ache became bolts of lightning, the pain shooting down to my feet, which was almost numb at this point, but I kept going.
“No!”
The shriek once again shot through the forest, every creature within a mile reacting to Fleur’s shrill scream.
She was in trouble.
Asshole number two had obviously lured me further away, allowing a third to track my French flower. Rage drove the adrenaline like a drip line, keeping me on my feet. There was no agony, no discomfort whatsoever. Just the need to get to her. To keep her safe.
My teeth were gritted, a deep growl rumbling in my chest. I constantly twisted from side to side, moving quickly through the trees. Every sound was amplified, every crunch of leaves and fallen debris noted in the back of my mind.
“Montgom…” She barely yelled out my name before she was cut off. The bastard had no intention of killing her. Someone wanted her alive. Like hell they were getting her. Over my dead body.
Picking up speed, I kept the sound of her voice in my head, moving in a straight line. A minute later, I caught sight of the two, a man in dark clothing dragging her through the woods. I also realized we’d doubled back, going in a complete circle, the picnic tables up on the left.
She was fighting the man with everything she had, stumbling to keep her feet on the ground. When he stopped short, turning toward me, I ducked behind a tree, yet she’d seen me. I could tell by the look in her eyes. Another moment of perfect calculation.
As soon as the assailant took off once again, I darted in a perpendicular line, catching his attention once again at the last moment.
When it was too late.
Somehow, my little flower was connected enough she managed to read my mind.
The assassin needed to lift his weapon to fire.
As soon as he did, she kicked and jerked, pulling free, tumbling backward into the leaves.
He made the last mistake of his life. He glanced in her direction, furious she’d managed to break free.
Pop! Pop!
Her scream was cut short when she slapped her hand across her mouth.
Very slowly, I lowered my weapon and rushed toward her. The moment I gathered her into my arms, I was faced with the reality that there was no chance of allowing her to return to her normal life.
“You’re okay. Everything is fine.” Like hell it was.
“Oh, God. Is it over?” She pressed her face against my chest, her entire body shivering as she clung to me.
I pressed my hand against the back of her head, remaining alert. “For now.”
She pulled away, her fingers white knuckled as she peered up at me. “They won’t stop. Will they?”
“No, my little flower. They will not. Come on. Let’s get you into the SUV.”
“Then what?”
A laugh almost bubbled to the surface. “Then I’ll figure it out.” When she realized I was hobbling, she wrapped her arm around me. Together, we made our way to the vehicle.
“Who were they?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say Russian soldiers from Papovek’s Bratva.” The worst part was that my instinct told me there were others. We would soon run out of time. Another forced realization that we were all alone.
“You need help.”
I pressed my hand against her lovely face. “Don’t worry about trying to help me. I’ve got it from here.”
“I can help you.”
“The only thing I want you to do is to promise me you’re going to follow my orders.
That’s the only way I can keep you safe.
” In taking the time to brush my thumb across her bottom lip, pulling it open slightly, I could see her wrangling with her need to trust me versus the fear that had closed in on panic. “Come on. Try and relax.”
Her look of defiance gave me a feeling of normalcy even though nothing about the situation was anywhere close.
What the hell would I do from here? Take her with me? I closed the door, scanning the area before checking the vehicle to ensure the bastards hadn’t sabotaged the SUV or placed a bomb underneath. Then I moved toward their vehicle. They hadn’t bothered to lock the doors.
Inside was exactly what I’d expected. Whoever they’d been, their training had included how to keep their identification locked down in case they were captured.
There was nothing inside to indicate who they were.
There were no additional weapons, no extra magazines. Not even a drink in the cup holder.
I found the registration over the driver’s visor. A rental car. Sure, I could have the damn thing traced, but my guess was that a fake identity had been used. What was the point?