Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
S askia paced the small bedroom.
She didn’t pay much attention to the space. The walls were large logs, and there was a bed and an armchair. Everything was decorated in a modern-rustic style.
She suspected the two large windows would offer amazing views, but right now, it was pitch black outside.
Cam was alive .
She released a shuddering breath. She was half afraid she’d imagined him on the plane. He’d stood there, alive and very real. For a second, she was back in that truck, watching the man shoot Cam. Her stomach did a sickening turn. When her legs turned to water, she dropped back on the bed.
When she’d thought he was dead…
Her chin dropped to her chest. She tried to pull air into her tight lungs. It’d been like someone had cut her open, and all her hope had bled out.
She was in love with Camden Morgan. Every shattered part of his soul.
Thinking she’d lost him had been pain beyond imagining.
She wanted to go to sleep with him every night.
Wake up with him every day. She wanted to coax laughs from him.
Feel his strong hand squeeze the back of her neck.
She wanted him inside her, fucking her hard.
He could be rough, and it was exciting, but she never doubted he was also making love to her at the same time.
One day, she wanted to see those scarred, callused hands cradling their baby. A little girl to help love her wounded-warrior daddy.
God, Saskia had almost lost him.
A sob tried to escape. She’d been so trapped in her grief that she hadn’t cared that she’d been loaded on a personal jet to be carted to Mikhailov.
But when she’d seen Cam…
Of course, her protector wouldn’t leave her. He’d promised to get her free of Mikhailov.
The only place she was truly safe was in Cam’s arms.
Saskia took a deep breath. Now, she just had to wait for him to make his move. She knew he was coming.
She wished she knew exactly where they were.
Suddenly, the bedroom door cracked open, and her pulse spiked. She shot to her feet and grabbed a pretty hunk of amethyst off the bedside table.
Cam slipped inside.
His gaze dropped to the rock in her hand and his lips quirked. “That’s quite a welcome, sweetheart.”
“ Cam .” She dropped the amethyst onto the rug and ran to him.
She threw herself into his arms, holding on tight. His arms closed around her and something wrenched inside her chest.
She tore at his shirt, needing skin, needing to confirm he was alive. She slid a palm in, over his chest, and felt his solid, steady heartbeat.
He was breathtakingly real and alive.
“Saskia.”
She cupped his stubbled cheeks and pressed her mouth to his.
His taste filled her, his tongue stroking hers and his hard cock pressing into her belly.
So very alive.
“I saw them shoot you.” She felt that raw pain all over again.
“Baby.” He kissed her. “I was wearing a vest. Apart from some bruises, I’m fine.” He gripped her wrists. “We need to go.”
She nodded. She noted that he was now wearing a sheepskin-lined coat and boots. There was a backpack on his shoulder.
“I raided the place and found some gear and supplies.” He dropped the backpack on the bed. “I have extra clothes for you. You’ll need to bundle up.” He pulled out a drab, olive-green coat and boots. “These will probably be a bit big, but it was the best I could do.”
She nodded, then started dressing. “Where are we?”
“Montana.”
She faltered. “Oh.”
“I scouted around. Mikhailov has a few guards. We’re on a ranch. Looks like some rich guy’s fishing hideaway. My best guess is it belongs to some buddy of Mikhailov’s, so he can stay off the radar.”
She pulled on the coat. Next were the boots, which were too big, but an extra pair of socks did the trick.
“Let’s go.” He took her hand.
“Where are we going to go?”
“We get out of the house, and make it to the trees.” He released a breath. “I’m not going to lie, Saskia, we need to put as much distance between us and this place as we can. We have to do what they least expect. Can you do that?”
She lifted her chin. “If it means us getting away, then hell yes.”
He kissed her nose.
They slipped out of the bedroom. He was silent, a ghost, and every one of her steps sounded like an elephant on the wood floor.
They heard the murmur of voices in the distance, and the sound of a TV.
They passed several rooms. One of them was a shadowed kitchen with a huge island.
“Wait.” Cam darted across the room. There was a small phone tucked into a nook. He lifted it, and tapped in a number, waited a beat, then set the phone down.
“Norcross protocol. Ace’s team or Hex will get it and track our location.” He took Saskia’s hand again.
Seconds later, they slipped out a back door and into the cool, night air.
Cabin really didn’t do the house justice.
It was a log cabin on steroids. It was gigantic, with large decks looking out over what she guessed was a valley.
There were no trees close to the house, but she could see the shadow of them in the distance.
There were several sheds and other outbuildings dotted around.
“This way.” Cam towed her around a large building. She saw the line of the trees more clearly now, dense and dark.
Shit, there were bears and wolves in Montana, right?
Still, she’d take vicious wildlife over Mikhailov any day. Hell, she’d walk until her feet bled if she had to. She lifted her chin. She was a ballet dancer. She was made of steel under elegance.
“Wait.” Cam’s voice was a low whisper.
They stopped, backs pressed to the wooden shed.
A shadow of a guard strolled past, along with the scent of smoke. She saw the red glow of a cigarette.
Finally, the guard disappeared.
“Go.” Cam pushed away from the shed.
Together, they ran for the woods.
* * *
They trekked through the trees. The terrain wasn’t too rough, but it wasn’t exactly easy either. Thankfully, while it was cold, Montana hadn’t seen its first snow of the winter yet.
Cam was determined to get Saskia as far away from Mikhailov as he could.
The sound of something crashing through the woods made them stop.
Saskia, walking behind him, gasped.
Whatever animal it was ran away from them.
Thank fuck . Cam had no weapons, except for a knife he’d taken from the cabin kitchen. He really wished he had a gun.
He kept them going at a fast pace. Mikhailov would realize Saskia was gone first thing in the morning. They needed as many miles between them and him as they could get.
“I have a friend, Danie, and it’s her dream to do nighttime walks in the woods. She thinks it would be magical,” Saskia muttered, voice husky with exertion. “It’s not. It’s creepy as hell. If we get eaten by a bear, I’ll be pissed.”
Cam shook his head. “You’ll be fine, city girl.”
They kept moving, and Cam shoved through some dense bushes. He heard Saskia curse behind them.
Slowly, the eastern horizon turned a pale gray.
Some light would help them.
But it would also help their pursuers.
Cam had no doubt that Mikhailov would come for them. The man was clearly obsessed with saving face.
“How are you holding up?” Cam called back.
“Never better,” she huffed with false cheer. “God, I thought I was fit. I was smug about it.”
“There are different types of fitness.” He turned. She looked pale, shadows heavy under her eyes. He touched her cheek. “We can take a quick break and have a snack.”
She sighed. “Whatever you think is best.”
“The more distance we put between us and Mikhailov is best.”
Saskia straightened. “Then onward.”
“Once the day breaks, we’ll look for shelter and rest.”
She swallowed. “And hide from Mikhailov.”
“Yes. He’ll likely send his goon squad after us.”
Cam set off again, keeping up the pace. A few times, Saskia fell back, but she always caught up.
Soon, daylight filtered through the trees. Suddenly, he heard Saskia cry out.
Cam whipped around in time to see her fall.
She landed flat on her belly and didn’t move.
“Sweetheart.” He saw the tree root she’d tripped over. He crouched and realized she was having trouble breathing.
“Shit. Take it easy. You knocked the breath out of you.” He helped her up and patted her body, checking her over.
Then he got a good look at her face.
“Oh, baby, you’re exhausted.”
“No.” She wheezed. “I’m fine. I’ll be all right.”
He pulled her to his chest. “You’re running on fumes. We’ve been walking for hours. You should’ve said you needed a rest.”
Her face looked miserable. “My knee is hurting.”
He crouched and ran his hand up her leg. There was some swelling at her knee, and he sucked in a breath. She had to be in pain. “Sweetheart…”
“I’ve had problems with it before. I’m used to it.”
“You should have told me.”
“I want you safe.”
Damn, she made him feel so damn much. For so long, he’d been numb, cold, believed he was missing something vital inside him. Then Saskia had brought him back to life.
“Come on.” He took her hand. “Let’s find somewhere to rest.”
She nodded against his chest.
When he pulled back, he hated seeing the tears on her face. He brushed them off her cheeks with his thumb.
They continued on at a slower pace.
They needed some decent shelter, and they couldn’t risk the neighboring ranches. That was the first place Mikhailov would search.
A few minutes later, he couldn’t believe their luck.
It looked like an old hunting cabin. The shack wasn’t in great condition, and it was tiny, with a sagging front porch. He guessed hunters used it, or ranchers, when they were doing work in the far corners of their property.
He led her to it and opened the unlocked door.
To call it rustic was being generous. It was one room, with a small area with a sink and stove in one corner. There was a dusty rug on the floor, an empty fireplace, and a metal-framed double bed with a sagging mattress.
“Come on, sweetheart.” He led her to the bed. It was cold inside but he couldn’t risk a fire. There was a wooden chest against one wall and he found a musty blanket inside it.
He wrapped her in it, then set about pulling out some food. He wished he could make her a hot drink, but they had to settle for water.
She ate two granola bars and some bread.
Cam sat beside her, eating his own snack. “You did great out there. Never complained once.”
She gave him a small smile. There was some color back in her cheeks. “Fair warning, after this, any vacations we take are at the beach.”
Her words hit in his gut. She was talking as though they’d make a life together. “Think I could handle that.”
She kept eating. “Mmm, I’m feeling better already.” She yawned.
“Good. Why don’t you try to nap?”
Her deep, brown eyes met his. “I thought they killed you, Cam.”
His chest turned solid. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“It gutted me.” She pressed a hand to his stubbled jaw. “I can’t even express how it feels knowing you’re alive.”
Their mouths met. This kiss wasn’t fast or fiery, but the heat was there. A slow simmer.
When they broke apart, she was panting, her eyes hot.
“I can’t make love to you, baby. I have to stay alert. I have to keep you safe.”
She nodded and leaned in. She kissed his chin, his cheeks, eyelids. She lay tiny kisses all over his face.
“Until I met you, I never wanted anyone this much,” she said.
Everything in him tightened. “I know. It’s the same for me.”
She kissed his temple. “I am so, so glad you’re alive, Cam. I love you.”
His hands flexed on her, his throat tight. “Saskia—”
“Shh, don’t say anything. I don’t need you to say anything. Whatever happens, I just wanted you to know how I felt.”
Everything was a whirl inside him. Was this love? This feeling of so much you couldn’t contain it, of feeling fucking terrified.
People died. He knew that. Just like Kris had died. And when they did, it ripped your heart out.
“Just hold me,” she murmured.
He did. Hell, he could hold her just like this forever.
Then he heard a sound.
He lifted his head.
“Cam?”
His body tightened. “I hear ATVs. Coming this way.”