Chapter 30
She was healing, but not as fast as she’d like. Reyna and Lev might be in a fight for their lives, but at the moment, it seemed as if they were the only two people on Earth. And she quite liked it.
The solitude out on the water gave them a false sense of security.
It could be shattered at any time. Hell, for all she knew, they were being tracked under the water.
It wasn’t as if a plethora of vessels made the trip from Norway to the States daily.
In fact, they had only glimpsed one, a cargo ship that had been miles away.
Lev seemed to really enjoy driving the boat. They took turns, but he was always eager to take the helm. In the three days they’d been out on the water, he hadn’t exhibited any signs of seasickness.
They kept the engine opened up, eating up miles of water in a day. But it was taking a toll on their gas stores. They had already used one of the cans stored on the boat, and they were on the second and last. They had no choice but to make a detour to Greenland.
Reyna glanced over her shoulder as Lev appeared from below with both gasoline cans in hand. Two hours ago, she had altered their course toward Greenland. Lev had taken that time to check the guns and get everything ready for when they reached land.
“If we fill up these cans as well as the tanks, will that get us to Maryland?” Lev asked as he set down the cans.
She shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. We could always stop in Canada if we have to.”
“That’s just it. I don’t want to stop.”
“Neither do I, but that’s the choice we made when we decided to run the boat at eleven knots an hour.”
He glanced out the front of the boat. “Is there anything else we need since we’re stopping?”
“We could restock the food.”
“Only if there’s a store near.”
She nodded in agreement. “You get the gas, and I’ll get the food.”
“I’ll take care of all of it.”
Reyna shot him a hard look. “Just because I’m injured doesn’t mean I can’t pull my weight.”
“I know that.”
“Do you? Because you’re not acting like it.”
Lev ran a hand down his face. “I just...there will be Saints everywhere.”
“I’m aware.”
“You could get hurt again.”
She held out her hand, waiting for him to take it. When he did, she wrapped her fingers around his. “So could you.”
“Maybe.”
“Don’t,” she told him. “The minute you begin putting my life above yours, you hurt us. We’ve survived this long because we’ve worked together, pulling our own weight.”
Lev’s lips thinned. “You haven’t healed.”
“And I won’t for weeks. I can do this, and you need to let me.”
He looked away once more, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “I don’t have a choice, do I?”
“None.”
Lev issued a slight laugh and swung his gaze to her. “All right. Which do you want? To stay with the boat? Or get supplies?”
She might have won a small victory, but she wasn’t blind to why Lev had wanted her out of harm’s way. “Which would you rather I take?”
His lips turned up in a smile as he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Stay with the boat.”
“I can do that.”
“Thank you,” he whispered as he leaned down and kissed her lips.
Heat instantly filled Reyna. She and Lev hadn’t made love since Sweden. He’d kept his distance because of her wound, but at least they’d shared a bed for a few hours each night. She liked having his arms around her. Being held by him was the best way to end each day.
They remained holding hands as she looked back out the window as Greenland drew closer.
“You know, we might have enough to reach Newfoundland.”
He quirked a brow. “You want to take that chance?”
“Maybe.”
“Why Newfoundland instead of Greenland?”
She licked her lips. “We could head back over land again.”
“That means crossing another border. I think I’d rather take my chances on the water, even if it means there are few places to hide.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”
They grew silent as they slowed in their approach to the southernmost point of Greenland. Prince Christian Sound was stunning with its mountains, glaciers, and deep blue water. A tourist destination that even cruise ships used, the beauty drew everyone.
“Damn,” Lev murmured as his gaze moved over the glaciers. “It’s gorgeous.”
“I love the fjords. We didn’t get to see much of them in Norway.”
Lev nodded, his gaze never leaving the view.
Reyna took her hand from Lev’s to maneuver the boat toward the small port village of Aappilattoq. The brightly colored Nordic-style houses were a pleasure to look at. She pulled her gaze from them and made her way to a dock. As soon as she got the boat close enough, Lev leapt out and tied it off.
He looked around before coming back onto the boat to get the gas containers. “You sure?”
“Yes,” she told him.
Lev took the cans to the dock and helped her off the boat. They walked together to the petrol station, but Lev diverted toward the store as she smiled at the young man who greeted her.
In no time, the boat tanks were being topped off, and the cans filled. She then bought a third one and had that filled as well, just to be safe. After she’d paid, she bent to pick up one of the cans and winced when her side pulled.
“Let me,” a young man said with a Greenlandic accent.
She let him take two of the cans to the boat as she waited with the third. When he returned, she walked with him. He made idle conversation, but his accent was so thick that she couldn’t understand much of what he said.
Reyna stopped him when he started to get on the boat. A moment later, she heard her name and looked over her shoulder to find Lev making his way to her.
The young man smiled and nodded before he walked away. He and Lev exchanged a pleasant greeting as they passed. Reyna eyed the bags in Lev’s hands as he approached.
“Everything good?” he asked.
She smiled. “Absolutely. You?”
“I got us stocked. Why don’t you get in, and I’ll hand you the bags? Then I’ll get the cans.”
Reyna eagerly climbed into the boat and reached for the bags.
She brought them down to the galley and began unloading them.
She smiled when she saw the bag of peanut M&Ms. They were one of her favorite candies.
There was some vegetables, chicken, shrimp, and crab, as well as a baguette of bread.
And to her delight, two individual sandwiches, and snack-sized bags of chips.
But it was when she saw the two bottles of Coca Cola that she squealed.
She heard the engine start up, and a moment later, they were moving.
“How’d I do?” Lev asked as she came up with the sandwiches, Cokes, and chips.
“Perfect.”
“I was getting tired of water and coffee,” he said with a shrug as he took a bottle of soda from her.
She sat opposite him at the helm and unwrapped his sandwich before she handed it to him. Then she opened the bag of chips and placed it in between his legs so he could easily reach it. After he was settled, she got her food ready.
The first drink of the soda was like Heaven. She sighed loudly, which caused Lev to chuckle.
Reyna couldn’t hold back her smile. “What? I have a weakness for soda.”
“You won’t hear me saying anything about it. How’s the sandwich? I didn’t know if you liked ham or turkey.”
She looked down at hers before she glanced at the sandwich Lev held. “I’ll eat either. Do you want mine?”
“I’ll eat either, as well. Just wanted to make sure you had a choice.”
A man who looked out for her. Yeah, she could certainly get used to such treatment.
They ate as they slowly made their way back out to sea. In just a few days, they would reach Maryland. The quiet solitude they’d enjoyed would be gone.
Until then, she was going to enjoy every second she had with Lev. It might very well be their last. But she’d been saying that since they first ran from the Saints.
“What are you thinking about?” Lev asked.
She smiled. “You.”
“Good things, I hope,” he said with a grin and a wink.
“Very.”
“We’re going to be fine.”
She flashed him a bright smile because she knew his words for the lie they were. He was telling himself as much as he was telling her. Perhaps if they said it enough, it might come true.
The Saints thought they had struck a damaging blow to Lev by murdering Sergei. They had no idea that it strengthened his resolve. Nor did they realize—yet—what it meant for them.
Lev was the type of man who would evade death itself in order to carry out judgment against those who had taken his friend and mentor from him.
Reyna hadn’t understood people like that before.
But she did now. And she wondered what it would feel like to have someone like that love her.
Then she remembered that he did. She stared at his profile, amazed that they had found each other out of the billions and billions of people on the planet, in a country that neither of them was from.
It defied the odds. But it also meant that they were supposed to be together. She wouldn’t have made it this far alone. And neither would he have. However, as a team, they had managed to evade capture again and again. Hopefully, their luck would hold once they reached the States.
Reyna had no idea how long it would take them to find Mia and Cullen. Despite the excitement of knowing that she and Lev wouldn’t be alone in Dover, she agreed with him. The Loughmans should’ve remained in Texas.
But the fact that Mia and Cullen had gone to Sergei’s memorial said a lot about what the family thought of the Russian.
“Tell me about Yuri,” she urged Lev.
He shrugged at the mention of the Russian general. “He killed Orrin’s team after they stole the bioweapon from Russia. And he kidnapped and tortured Orrin for weeks.”
“Yet they’re working together now?”
“Orrin’s entire team worked for the Saints. Yuri thought Orrin did, as well. He was looking for the bioweapon to destroy it.”
Reyna nodded, understanding. “That’s when they began working together.”
“They’ve actually known each other for years. They worked closely together back when Orrin was still in the military.”
“It’s lucky that Yuri is on our side.”
Lev met her gaze. “Absolutely. But it’s hard to trust anyone.”
“Because you’re always wondering if they’re really working for the Saints,” she said with a nod. “I understand. I hope to one day discover who it was that leaked me the information to get into the headquarters building. I’d like them on our side.”
He grunted and finished off his soda. “You’ll probably never know.”
“But anyone willing to take that kind of chance against the Saints is exactly who we need on our side. I bet there are more of them out there. We have to find them.”
“If we survive this, then we will.”