Chapter 38 Briar
brIAR
My chest feels constricted, almost, not uncomfortably, like I’m strapped to something. Or someone.
Ugh. I wince at the pounding headache and pain that seems to be throughout my bones. It’s loud and sounds like I’m on the highway or somewhere windy, but everything is muffled.
I open my eyes and flinch when I realize I’m wearing a helmet. My breaths increase, and before I can panic too much, Roman’s lovely voice comes in through the headset.
“You’re okay. I’ve got you, Squirt.”
My eyes widen. That’s right, the truck flipped… John. My throat knots up, and I can’t bring myself to say anything. Where is Grahm? Did he get out okay? I can’t bring myself to ask, so I just let my head rest against Roman’s shoulder.
“We’re heading to the lake to end this once and for all. I’m not letting you get hurt again, and I’m not letting Nolan take you away from me.” His words thread through me.
I want to be angry with him. I don’t want to feel the way I do for him. But I do. And I can’t stop myself from wanting to be close to him again.
“Okay” is the only thing I can seem to get out.
He wraps his hand around mine, and it melts my heart a little more. “I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve your forgiveness either, but fuck, I want it more than anything. And I’ll do anything to get it,” Roman murmurs, his voice raspy from shouting.
Taylor cuts in. “Movement ahead on the satellite map. I think we’re going to have company.” The heads-up display on the helmet glass shows an aerial view of the mountain coming up, and several little arrows indicate vehicles that aren’t us.
“We should go back,” I say, grabbing Roman’s jacket tighter.
“No can do, Squirt. We’ll just be hunted down. It’s better if we’re outside the town so we can take them out,” Bensen chimes in.
“But you couldn’t last time,” I argue.
“That’s because our orders were to take the fucker in alive,” Roman retorts.
My heart races. “And now?”
“Fuck the orders. We’re taking over. Nolan can reprimand me later.” Roman doesn’t sound worried about it, but I’ve never met their general. From what I gather, he’s not a good man.
We pull onto the trail leading up to the lake and the snow almost immediately falls thicker. The elevation makes the air colder with each second we climb higher.
“Lieutenant, they’re closing in from the rear!” Gale’s voice cuts in through the headset.
“Get into formation, Icarus,” Roman says tersely as he unstraps the handgun on his chest and hands it to me. His attention is focused straight ahead, but his voice comes in smooth and calm. “Aim for their chests, Squirt.”
My breaths are sharp, and the pain in my bones starts to fade as the adrenaline hits my veins. “Okay.” This can’t be worse than when I shot the man point-blank in the face.
Within seconds I hear trucks and motorcycles trekking up the hill and gaining on us. Roman smacks the front right side of his motorcycle, and a compartment pops out with a pistol, grip facing him. Roman grabs it and keeps it clutched firmly in his hand.
“We’ll loop them around the lake trail. Take out as many as you can before we meet in the middle. Hopper and Zeus, take the left side, Viper, you’re with us.”
“Roger that, Syxx,” Taylor says as he and Gale turn off to the left sharply.
“Ten-four.” Bensen adjusts his speed so he’s lining up to be parallel to us.
I check the clip of ammo before looking over my shoulder and spotting the pursuing vehicles. “Here they come,” I say with a knot in my throat.
“We got this, Squirt,” Bensen says. His helmet tilts in my direction, and he nods reassuringly. He puts his hand to his waist and unhitches his pistol from its holster.
The small dirt road narrows as it winds around the lake, full of turns and divots. All I can do is hook an arm around Roman’s chest and hold on for dear life.
Four bikers catch up to us first; their motorcycles are more like dirt bikes and allow them more control on these roads. The first shot that flies by my head makes me hold my breath.
Bensen lifts his arm and dares a look back as he returns fire.
He hits one of them in the shoulder, and the force of it knocks the man clean off his bike.
I swallow and tighten my grip on Roman’s chest before I aim at the next one. He lifts his gun and shoots at us several times before I line up my shot and pull the trigger.
The bullet misses him but hits the fuel line on his bike. It makes a tink sound before it erupts into flames.
“Hold on!” Roman shouts as he revs his engine and speeds up as we hit a huge bump in the road. A scream tears out of me, and I wrap my arms around Roman’s chest. We have a few seconds of airtime before the wheels are back on the ground.
Bensen lets out a victory sound as his bike lands behind us.
I look over my shoulder and have a manic smile curling my lips as I watch the motorcycle on fire hit the jump, and his bike explodes.
Metal and fire scatter across the road and fall into the lake.
His comrade crashes into the wreckage and gets sent off his bike, colliding with a tree and making a grotesque sound.
A laugh I don’t recognize tears from my throat.
“Fucking Squirt for the kill!” Bensen cheers, and Roman’s chuckle comes over the radio, making me more confident.
“Good job, Squirt, but we’re not done yet.” Roman’s shared heads-up display zeros in on movement up ahead. It’s Taylor and Gale, and they’re still trying to shake one of the trucks.
A bullet whizzes past Bensen and he ducks, throwing his head back and firing off more shots behind us.
These guys are relentless. Two more file in from a fire trail ahead of us. Roman’s arm is up before I can even try to get a shot off. He shoots twice and nails them each in the center of their visors.
“Holy shit!” I can’t keep the awe from my tone. Who knew he had crazy accuracy like this. I’ve never even seen him fight.
Bensen laughs. “He’s a lieutenant for a reason, Squirt.” I don’t know how he can talk so casually and drive while evading bullets.
I swallow my adrenaline and focus on shooting our last pursuer. One of us hits his chest, and he loses control of his bike, driving himself straight off the cliff and into the rocks and water below.
“Hopper, we’re going to loop back to the front.
I think I see them on the lake. Far right corner,” Roman says calmly as he slams on his brakes and firmly plants his boot on the ground to pull us into a one-eighty turn.
He nearly does a spinout on the gravel, kicking up a ring of dust as we lunge back toward the front of the lake.
“Show-off.” Bensen sounds annoyed as he slowly turns around.
Roman laughs. “Keep up, Viper.”
I stare off into the lake where Roman said he spotted them, and I can just barely make out the form of a boat.
We blow past the wreckage from the Sub-Rosa men and enter the flat part of the road before it banks around the lip of the lake where the docks are.
I narrow my eyes at something in the dirt ahead, but we’re going too fast, and I realize what it is too late.
Roman sees it a moment too late too. He shouts as he banks to the left to evade the mine. “Viper, get off the road!”
Our motorcycle goes flying down the side of the cliff, toward the dark water below. Roman grabs on to me and kicks off his bike as hard as he can with me in his arms so we don’t get crushed by it. I cling to Roman tightly and hold in my scream, hoping Bensen hears his warning.
“Wait, where did you go?” Bensen shouts in the headset, and a half second later a huge explosion shakes the sky as we plunge into the water.
“Bensen!” I scream, panicking as I watch the bright fire curl above. But my fear quickly turns to the water that’s swallowing us whole. My helmet is filling up fast, and we’re sinking.
Roman pulls me up and wraps his arm around my chest as he swims until we’re back above water. It’s difficult to move my limbs with the clothes weighing me down. Fear pounds louder than my pulse does.
He quickly takes my helmet off, and I sputter in the cold air as it sinks into my lungs. The water is frigid and makes my jaw clatter.
“B-Bensen,” I stutter.
Roman’s eyes are struck with pain, but he shakes his head. “I don’t k-know, Briar. But we have t-to keep going.” He’s shivering too but drags me to the shore and props me up on a rock before pulling himself up.
My body curls into itself to try and warm up, but I straighten the moment I see a boat approaching us. “Roman!” I point out into the lake.
“Fuck, come on.” Roman urges me to get up, and I struggle to my feet. “You have to start climbing.” He helps me reach the first rock, but they are so spread out and slick. I try to get hold of the next one, but my hand slips.
A scream gets caught in my throat just as a hand extends down and clasps mine tightly. My head jerks back as my arm goes tight and my feet meet the rocks once more. My eyes widen.
“Oh my God, Bensen!” I cry, and tears are already streaming down my cheeks.
His helmet is broken, but other than that he seems fine. The second he pulls me up I throw my arms around his shoulders. “Thank God you’re okay!”
He gives me a quick squeeze before letting me go and helping Roman up.
“Thanks to Syxx.”
Roman pats his back. “You scared me for a second there, Viper.”
Gunshots echo through the valley and snatch our attention back to the lake. The boat is getting closer, and on the road in the distance I see headlights flashing as they race through the trees. It must be Gale and Taylor. Please let them be okay.
“Still have that boat?” I throw the idea out there. Bensen and Roman share a look that makes me regret mentioning it.
Luckily Roman had the foresight to keep a few handguns stashed on their boat. I lost mine when we fell into the water, and Bensen dropped his when he leaped off his motorcycle.
We stay in the dark cover of bushes along the edge of the lake, waiting for Gale and Taylor. Bensen is the only one with a working helmet, and he’s already called out to them a few times now.
Bensen takes it off and shakes his head. “I don’t hear them. They aren’t responding.”
That doesn’t make me feel good.
Roman nods. “We can’t wait any longer, we need to get moving—” A bullet hits the side of Roman’s neck and knocks him clean off the boat.
“Roman!” I scream and dive in after him.
The moon peeks out from the fading snowstorm and lights the water just enough for me to realize how much of Roman’s blood I’m trying to see through to find him.
Where is he? Where… My heart drops when I spot him. His eyes are staring up at the moon, and bubbles escape his parted lips.
A rush of air bursts from my mouth as I swim toward him and quickly check his neck. It ricocheted off the bulletproof mesh.
Thank God.
I pull him to the surface where my relief is short-lived as we’re met with Callum’s crew on a large boat. Taylor, Bensen, and Gale are beaten and bloodied as they kneel at the edge of the boat, assault rifles aimed at the backs of their heads.
Horror hits me as I stare up and meet Callum’s eyes. He gives me a timid smile before extending his hand down.
I shake my head and hold on to Roman tighter. I’m fighting with all I have just to keep us afloat and his head above water, and I know Callum won’t show him mercy like he did last time.
“Let them think I’m out for the count,” Roman murmurs against my ear. It occurs to me that Sub-Rosa doesn’t know about Roman having an upper hand when it comes to bullets.
Thank God he’s okay.
“Briar, I won’t hurt him. Look, he’s already half dead. It will only happen faster if you stay in the water.” Callum squats at the edge, waiting for me to make a decision.
“Lift him first,” I mutter.
Callum smiles as he nods. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving the lieutenant out of the fate of his men.”
I swallow the dread as Callum lifts Roman up to the boat and then reaches for me. I allow him to help me out and quickly move to Roman’s side.
His eyes are shut, and he has the most peaceful expression even though I know he must be in so much pain right now. I want this to end already. Tears brim in my eyes.
I cover Roman’s neck to stop the bleeding, even though it didn’t hit an artery, and look up at Callum for help. If I can get him close enough, Roman can kill him.
It’s so quiet on the boat that I can hear my own heart racing.
“Help him,” I beg.
Callum flips his lighter and sparks his cigarette. “Why? So he can keep fucking up my life? Not a chance, babe.”
I let my eyes shift to a man I’ve never seen before. He’s dressed in an expensive suit and has a cane that looks like it’s from a different time period. An heirloom maybe. My eyes widen when I look up at his face. He’s handsome and has the coldest green eyes I’ve ever seen.
“Nolan’s gotten sloppy. His soldiers just get worse as he sends them. Although I’m impressed he found Bane Falls,” he says stiffly to Callum as he assesses us.
I wrap Roman in my arms and keep my hand firmly over his neck.
“I’m sorry, sir, this is not how I intended for you to meet Briar.”
Wait, this is the boss? Chills spread over my arms, and the shivering gets so bad my teeth start to chatter again.
The man helps me up. I glare at him and shrink closer to Roman. He pauses and watches me closely. “May I check your neck?” he asks.
I nod, unsure if Roman will attack this man or not but prepare for it nonetheless.
He dips down and moves my wet hair enough to inspect the backside of my neck. A small scar is there, from the tracker, according to Grahm.
“Who removed this?” he asks Callum.
Callum lifts a brow. “The tracker? Grahm. He traded secrets with that sleeper agent before we took him out. We gave him the fake locations to the dark cities, and he gave us a box that lets you take those high-grade trackers out. It’s how we got that one soldier last year before we left him in the field. ”
The boss narrows his eyes. “What was the man’s name?”
“Arnold,” I answer.
The man looks down at me, the scar over his eye is intimidating, but I don’t find him to have any malice.
He nods and is about to say more when Roman thrusts his knife into Callum’s ankle. Callum shrieks in pain, and the other Sub-Rosa men abandon their positions over the squad to help him.
Roman doesn’t give Callum time to do anything; he’s already on his feet with his fists up, the KA-BAR with the blade facing out in one hand. Callum puts all of his weight on his good leg as he jerks his hand up and fires his pistol. He’s not even close to hitting Roman in his panicked state.
Roman takes advantage of that, ducking out of the way of the Sub-Rosa guard swinging his rifle at Roman’s neck. They follow through too far and end up smacking one of their comrades in the back of the head and knocking them clean off the boat.
“Let’s leave it to them, shall we?” I flinch as the boss speaks to me, grabbing my arm and guiding me to a small paddleboat tied off at the back. “Come, Briar.”
He extends his gloved hand, and I hesitantly take it.