Chapter 23
They just might make it. Lev didn’t want to hope too hard because life had a way of kicking his feet out from under him when he became too cocky. But things were certainly looking up.
The schnapps was good. Or maybe it was the company. It could be because, for the first time in days, there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel. It was faint, but it was there.
Reyna smiled at him as she ate her second bowl of soup.
She had only sipped her schnapps, preferring water instead.
The warmth, food, and safety did her good, though he knew they couldn’t remain with Helge too long.
Already, they’d put him in danger. It didn’t matter that he wanted to help them.
Lev couldn’t have the old man’s death on his conscience.
Lev looked at the clock on the wall, tallying up the time they’d been at Helge’s and figuring out when they should leave.
“Stay,” the old man said. “You could both use the sleep.”
Lev’s gaze slid to Reyna. She needed the rest, that was for sure.
As if reading his mind, she shook her head before she looked at Helge. “We’ve already stayed longer than we should. The Saints will come looking for us.”
“They’ve already searched,” Helge argued.
Lev twisted his lips. “I know I’d come back and look again. Especially as vocal as you were about your dislike of them. I’d figure you’d be the one to find whoever I was hunting.”
“And bring them back for food,” Reyna added.
Helge poured more schnapps into his glass. “Let them come. I can hide you.”
Reyna put her hand over his. “We appreciate that, but neither of us wants anything to happen to you.”
Helge’s aged eyes locked on Lev. “If you take her out there tonight, neither of you will make it. You know this.”
“We might,” Reyna said, not giving Lev time to respond.
Lev knew Helge had a point. However, he also knew how good Reyna was. If it were anyone else at his side, he might think twice. He very much wanted to stay and curl up in bed with Reyna beside him so she could sleep through the night. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Helge made an irritated sound and shook his head. “It’s the wrong decision.”
“You need to be around to help others the Saints are after,” Lev told him.
“Finish,” Helge told Reyna. “You’re going to need your strength.”
Lev rose and retrieved his weapons. He checked each of them and loaded the magazines. Once that was done, he grabbed Reyna’s and repeated the process.
Both took their guns and put them on their body. Lev stood the rifles in the corner so he could grab them easily if it were necessary.
“You’re nearly out of bullets,” Helge said.
Reyna yawned and said, “We’ll make do.”
He snorted and drained the alcohol in his glass before he got to his feet. “I have some. Let me get them.”
Reyna looked Lev’s way when the old man was gone. “I’m fine.”
It was her way of telling Lev that it was time to go. He gave her a nod and grabbed his glass to finish off his schnapps when Helge stumbled into the room. His eyes were wide, and his hand clutched at his throat where red poured through his fingers to fall down his chest onto his shirt.
In the next heartbeat, Lev was on his feet, grabbing the rifles. Reyna rushed to Helge as he fell to the ground, but the old man was already dead.
She held out a hand, and Lev tossed her one of the rifles as she stood. He moved in front of her toward the entrance where Helge had come from. Reyna tapped his shoulder to let him know that she was ready. Then he leaned around the doorway.
Bullets pierced the wood by his head. Lev jerked back and pointed to the back door.
Reyna took the lead, moving swiftly. No sooner had they gotten to the door and opened it than more bullets flew at them.
Lev grabbed Reyna to pull her back before she got shot.
He kicked the door closed as they put their backs to the wall.
“We’re not getting out of here,” he said.
She raised a brow. “I’m not going to wait for them to come for me.”
“You want to run out there and be gunned down?”
“That’s what’s going to happen either way.”
Lev glanced at the doorway he’d been in. “I’m not so sure.”
“What are you talking about?”
“They obviously know we’re here. Have for a while. Why haven’t they busted through the door to contain us? I was in the shower. You were wounded.”
Reyna thought about that for a moment and then jerked her chin at Helge. “Then why slit his throat?”
“Maybe he saw something he wasn’t supposed to. Or heard something.”
“They shot at us, Lev. I saw the bullets.”
“They shot toward us,” he corrected. “Not one of the rounds directed at me went past the doorway. They were in a cluster.”
She looked at the wall where the holes from the bullets fired through the back door were and blew out a breath. “Another cluster. So, if they don’t want to kill us, what do they want?”
“Information is my guess.”
“If you’re right, and they don’t want to kill us, then they’ll do anything to keep us in here until someone comes for us.”
“And that someone will be Lorraine.”
Reyna’s lips turned down into a frown. “No doubt.”
“I don’t relish waiting for that to happen. If we’re not going to wait here, then that means we need to leave.”
“And take our chances that none of the bullets hits us.”
He shrugged. “You have a better idea?”
“No,” she said.
He glanced at her wound. “You up for this?”
“Even if I wasn’t, I would still say yes.”
Lev smiled. “I know.”
Reyna blew out a loud breath. “I think we should go out different doors.”
“No,” he stated. “I’m not getting split up again.”
“Because I’m wounded?” she asked tightly.
“That’s part of it. The other part is that we’re good together. If we split up, we give them an advantage.”
She bit her lip and shrugged one shoulder. “I could argue and say that by splitting up we weaken them. Both opinions are valid. The truth is, I’d rather have you beside me. And it has nothing to do with me being injured.”
“I know.” He held her gaze, letting her make the decision of when they went.
“You ready?”
“Say the word.”
She closed her eyes. “I’ll be shooting to kill.”
“As will I.”
After another deep breath, Reyna’s lids lifted. Her dark eyes met his. “We will get out of this.”
“Absolutely.”
Neither wanted to state the many and various incidents that could occur to sideline their plan. They needed to focus on living. It had gotten them this far.
“You take the lead,” he told her.
He could see the argument beginning to form on her lips, but she nodded. With her injured and slower than usual, it would be better for him to watch her back. It also meant that he could get to her if her wound gave her trouble and didn’t allow her to run.
“Even if we get past these men, there will be more,” she said.
Lev shrugged. “There has always been that threat.”
“Yes, but they found us.”
“They’ve had us before.”
She looked away. “I’m trying to tell you that I want you to get away if they get me.”
“They won’t get you.”
“Lev—”
“Reyna,” he stated. “I didn’t leave you when you were shot and unconscious. I’m certainly not now.”
Her gaze met his as she smiled sadly. “I could kiss you.”
“No one is stopping you,” he replied with a grin.
She laughed softly. As soon as she maneuvered toward the door, their conversation halted. Lev wanted to pull her into his arms for one last hug, but the time for romance was over. For now, at least.
Reyna looped the rifle over one shoulder and palmed her handguns. She looked back at him and smiled. Then said, “I’ve fallen hard for you, Lev Ivanski.”
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she threw open the door and rushed outside. Lev was right on her heels. Bullets flew all around them, and he heard someone yelling, “Cease fire!”
Reyna lifted her weapons and began shooting the same time he did. He didn’t care that the Saints were being told not to kill them, because he knew what would happen if they captured him or Reyna.
He’d seen for himself the atrocities of the Saints, and he would do whatever he had to in order to keep that from happening to either him or Reyna.
Besides, he hadn’t been able to digest her confession fully. And he wanted a chance to respond.
Lev winced when a bullet grazed his shoulder. Despite the orders of the soldiers to stop firing, they weren’t listening. Lev saw one of the Saints turn his rifle on Reyna. Lev fired, putting his bullet dead center of the soldier’s forehead.
The trees made it difficult for the Saints to get a lock on them as they put more distance between themselves and Helge’s house. Lev had counted at least twenty Saints, and yet luck was once more on his and Reyna’s side.
They weaved their way through the trees as they went down the mountain, slowing only when they had no choice. Lev eyed her injured side often to see if she was bleeding, but so far, everything looked good.
They didn’t stop until the trees gave way to a road. Lev looked behind him to see if the Saints were coming. He caught movement about three hundred yards behind him. To linger meant capture and, ultimately, death.
“We need a car,” Reyna said as she bent over to gulp in air.
Lev nodded and went to reach for the map. That’s when he remembered that it was in his pack back at Helge’s house. “Dammit.”
“They know we’re going to the coast,” she said as she straightened. “They’ll have Saints everywhere.”
He looked back up the mountain. Whatever he’d seen was gone now. “That’s why they aren’t chasing us.”
“They’re allowing us to think we got away. False sense of security.”
Lev faced her and lifted his brows. “We have to get to the coast. I say we pick the city with the highest population. We’ll blend in there more, which means, it’ll be harder for them to find us.”
“Like you said, we have to get to the coast.”
“We’re running out of land.”
She nodded and looked up at the dark sky. “It doesn’t matter where we go. Anyone who helps us will be killed.”
Lev moved to stand before her and waited until her gaze met his. He smoothed her hair back from her face and pulled her into his arms. “If you thought you could make that confession back there and I would forget, you were wrong.”
“I just wanted you to know in case I died.”
“Then let me tell you that I’ve fallen for you, Reyna Harris. Hard. I know that when I’m with you, I feel as if I can do anything.”
She lifted her face to his and kissed him. “Then let’s go conquer the world.”
He took her hand as they turned toward the road.