Chapter 22
“Reyna.”
She lowered the rifle when she heard Lev’s voice. He wasn’t alone, however, and that worried her.
“It’s okay,” Lev said. “Helge is a friend. He wants to help.”
Reyna trusted Lev, but she also knew how deep the Saints went into communities. It was the very young and the very old that people never expected, and yet that’s exactly who the Saints sent after you.
Lev squatted beside her. He smiled in the darkness and put his hand over hers that held the gun. “Trust me.”
“I do.”
“Then let’s get you to Helge’s.”
“If he’s a Saint, it’s a trap. If he isn’t, then we’re signing his death warrant.”
Out of the darkness came a deep Norwegian voice, rusty with age. “It’s a chance I’ll take.”
Lev gave her a nod.
What choice did she have, really? She was bleeding again. She’d felt it seep into the bandages. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough that it caused her to worry.
Reyna let Lev help her to her feet. The next instant, she had him on her bad side, and Helge was on her other. The Norwegian was bent slightly with age, but his gaze scanned the area as stealthily as an eagle.
The three were silent as they crossed the border. Reyna didn’t brush Lev’s hand away when he wrapped it around her to help support her. She was concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, so she was surprised when Helge suddenly stopped and motioned them behind him.
Lev moved to a large boulder seconds before two armed men came into view. The three stood as still as the dead until the men passed. After, their pace quickened to Helge’s.
They followed the Norwegian, who took them around boulders to the smoothest part of the mountain. Reyna was shaking from exertion by the time they finally reached Helge’s house.
They entered through the back door with Helge closing and locking the door behind him. Lev led her into the kitchen where she sank gratefully into a chair before her legs gave out.
She lifted her shirt as Lev knelt beside her so he could get to the bandage. His lips flattened when he saw it stained with blood, but he didn’t admonish her.
Reyna closed her eyes as he cut through the bandages with the first-aid supplies. She hadn’t noticed the pain too much while they were dodging the Saints, but now that she was sitting down and relatively safe, it slammed into her.
“Good work,” Helge said.
She opened her eyes to see him peering over Lev’s shoulder at her injury.
Then Helge’s blue gaze met hers. He gave her a nod. “How about some soup?”
“That sounds delicious,” she replied as she realized how hungry she was.
He smiled and turned to the stove. Reyna closed her eyes once more. Lev’s touch was light and quick. When he finished, she lowered her shirt but remained leaning back in the chair.
Lev’s lips touched her forehead in a quick kiss that made her smile. She opened her eyes to look into his. Once more, she found herself thankful that luck had been on their side so they could make it this far.
“How much time did we lose while I was unconscious?” she asked.
He shrugged and took the chair beside her. “About four hours.”
“We could be at the coast by now.”
Helge snorted, his back to them as he stirred the soup in the large pot. “There are roadblocks everywhere. And you saw them in the forest. They don’t care whose land they’re on.”
“Why are you helping us?” Lev asked.
Helge shifted to the side to face them. “I don’t trust these people. They say they’re part of my government and the police, but something isn’t right. Why are they after you?”
Lev didn’t reply. He looked at her, letting Reyna decide how much to tell the Norwegian.
She took a deep breath and released it. “They’re called the Saints. They’re a global organization that has infiltrated every government around the world. Their reach now extends to the military and other authorities, as well as common people such as yourself.”
“You think I’m one of these...Saints?” Helge asked with a frown.
Reyna looked into his face lined with age. “I was undercover with them for five years. The Saints turn people you would never suspect.”
“Like my grandson,” Helge said. His gaze dropped to the floor as his eyes became unfocused with memories.
Then he blinked and drew in a deep breath.
“I didn’t know the name of them, but I knew whatever he was involved in, no matter that it was for the government, wasn’t good.
” He looked at Reyna then Lev and touched his chest over his heart.
“I knew it here. I tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t listen. ”
“Every person makes their own choices,” Lev replied.
Helge sighed loudly. “I lost my grandson to them. I won’t lose anyone else. Not even you two.”
“They’re after us,” Reyna said. “They know I was spying.”
Lev then said, “And I’m working with a group from the US who is fighting them.”
“Good,” Helge said with a smile. “People need to stand up for what they believe in. We don’t need another world war.”
He walked out of the kitchen then, leaving them alone. Reyna found her gaze sliding to Lev, who watched her.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
She took stock of her body. “I’ve felt better, but I’ll be fine with a bit of rest.”
“You heard him. We’ll have a hell of a time getting to the coast.”
“We can’t stay here, and we can’t backtrack.”
Lev rubbed his eyes with this thumb and forefinger. “Then I don’t know what to do.”
“Here,” Helge said as he returned to the kitchen and handed clothes to her and Lev. Then he jerked his chin to Lev. “Go take a shower and change. It’ll be another hour before the soup is ready.”
Reyna nodded when Lev glanced her way. She had a handgun in the waist of her pants if Helge tried anything. Lev walked from the kitchen and disappeared around the corner.
“He cares a great deal for you.”
Her head snapped to Helge. “We’re in this together.”
“Together, yes,” he said with a nod. “But I see it in his eyes. Just as I see it in yours.”
“What do you see?” She couldn’t help but ask.
“A deep connection. There is love growing.”
He said it as if he spoke about the weather, then turned back to stir the soup.
Reyna glanced in the direction that Lev had disappeared. “I loved once.”
“You are again.”
How could this stranger see what she couldn’t? She knew she cared about Lev. That much was clear by how far she’d come with him. Then there was their night in Sweden.
When she glanced at Helge, he was grinning at her. “What?” she asked.
“You’re blushing.”
Her hands went to her cheeks that were indeed warm. She lowered her arms. “He’s amazing. I wouldn’t be here without him.”
“The two of you are a good team. I suspect, in all things. My wife and I were the same. The best day of my life was when I met her. The worst was when she passed.”
“I’m sorry,” Reyna said.
He grinned and shrugged. “I’m not. We’ll be together again soon.”
She realized that as much as she’d loved Arthur, she didn’t feel that way about him. She could’ve had a good life with him. But when she thought of a future with Lev, she knew it wouldn’t be good. It would be great.
Spectacular, actually.
“This may be the only time I have with Lev,” she said.
Helge’s lips twisted as he frowned. “Then I suggest you take every second you can. Everyone should do that with the ones they love because they’re gone all too soon.”
She was thinking about the Norwegian’s statement when Lev returned. His hair was wet, but he had on clean clothes. The navy sweater was a little frayed around the edges, but the khaki pants were in excellent condition. And the fit was good, as well.
“The food smells delicious,” Lev said.
Helge smiled and jerked his head to Reyna. “Take your woman and get her changed.”
She laughed but took Lev’s hand. They walked to the back room. As they did, she couldn’t help but pray that Helge was indeed on their side and not with the Saints. She liked him, and she didn’t want to have to kill him.
“I can remove the bandage if you want a shower,” Lev said.
She shook her head. “As good as that sounds, I’m not sure I could stand up for it.”
“You’ll feel better after some food.”
“I’m so hungry, I think I could eat the entire pot myself.”
Lev laughed and reached for the hem of her shirt. Then he paused. “Your skin is chilled.”
“A little.”
“I think you should keep the tee shirt on and put the sweater on over it.”
They put the cream sweater on together, and as soon as it was in place, she sighed. She’d had no idea how cold she was until then.
“I can’t wait until I can remove your clothes instead of putting you in them,” Lev said with a grin.
She laughed and lifted her face for a kiss. Their lips met and lingered before she pulled back. “I can’t wait for that either.”
Reyna swayed, but Lev easily caught her. “Whoa. Let’s get you sitting down.”
They returned to the kitchen to find three bowls of soup on the table, but Helge was nowhere to be found. He came back in a moment later with a bottle in one hand.
He lifted it up and said, “I thought we could have some akevitt.”
Lev frowned as he glanced at her.
Reyna nodded to Helge and told Lev, “It’s schnapps.”
“I won’t pass up that offer,” Lev replied.