Page 68 of Beautiful Vengeance

Standing, he hid a wince and turned Kiyomi by the shoulders, then pushed her toward the opposite side of the room and the bolted steel door. He opened it, paused to listen, then nodded at Brody. “Go.”

Brody disappeared into the darkness, then Trinity. Kiyomi followed them. When Marcus reached back to shut the door behind him, he found Karas at his heels, ears back, head lowered in a submissive posture. Not understanding why he was abandoning her here.

“No,” he told her firmly. “Stay.”

He stepped into the tunnel after Kiyomi and shut the heavy door once more. The shooters in the house would be hard-pressed to find the entrance to the secret passage. Marcus hoped it would give them the chance they needed to get to the stables.

The passageway was dark and narrow, and he had to crouch down to avoid banging his head on the stone roof. He kept one hand on Kiyomi’s back, staying close to her as they made their way under the garden. His hip screamed at him with every step, his eyes slowly adjusting to the faint light coming from the opposite side. After a minute the tunnel began to rise and the light grew brighter.

Brody and Trinity were waiting at the exit. “I’ll go out first,” Brody whispered. “Wait three seconds. If you don’t hear anything, the coast is clear.”

“Roger that,” Marcus said, adrenaline pumping hard and fast.

This was risky, but it was riskier still to stay here. Sooner or later the enemy would discover them. Their only real chance of escape was to get to the stable and take the horses as close to the southwest wall as possible, then pray the others got there in time to extract them before they were overrun.

The rest of them were silent as Brody slipped outside. Marcus counted down the seconds. When a five-count passed without any warning from Brody, Trinity slipped out of the tunnel.

Marcus squeezed Kiyomi’s shoulder. “I’ll be right behind you,” he said in a low voice.

“Just don’t you dare sacrifice yourself to save me,” she warned, “or I’ll never forgive you.”

No promises.She was worth everything. He squeezed her shoulder again. “Go, love.”

He was right behind her as they burst out of the tunnel and veered right into the cold November air. Brody and Trinity were thirty yards ahead of them, hugging the garden wall as they kept watch. So far they appeared to be undetected, and Marcus prayed it stayed that way.

At the end of the wall they stacked up again. Marcus squeezed Kiyomi’s left shoulder and she did the same to Trinity. Trinity signaled Brody and he took off, darting to the next bit of concealment offered by the yew hedge between the wall and the stable.

The rest of them followed, Marcus last, his limping gait slowing him down. With every step Marcus expected to hear shots ring out. He didn’t know where the rest of the enemy force was, but they had to be close and it was only a matter of time before he and the others were spotted.

They ran for the stable where the daylight streaming through the far door cast long shadows over the floor. The stableman had brought the horses in several hours ago. Marcus hurriedly began opening the stable doors. There was no time to tack up or even put bridles on the horses.

He pulled Rollo around by the mane. “Brody, get on.” An expert horseman who had grown up on a horse farm, Brody grabbed a fistful of Rollo’s mane and swung himself onto the animal’s back.

Grabbing Lucy next, Marcus helped lift Trinity onto her back. Then it was Kiyomi’s turn. He lifted her onto Maple, gripped her thigh gently in reassurance as she adjusted the rifle slung across her chest. “Just hold onto her mane and squeeze her ribs with your legs,” he instructed.

She’d only ever ridden once before, never at a gallop, and that had been with full tack and a helmet. But she could do this. She had to. “Don’t worry about steering her. I’ll lead with Jack, and the others will all follow.” She wouldn’t be able to shoot and keep her seat, but he prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

“Okay,” she said without hesitation.

God, she would never know just how bloody amazing she was to him, facing everything that was thrown at her with incredible courage.

He put a hand on base of Jack’s neck and jumped up, biting down at the searing pain in his left hip as he swung his good leg across the horse’s back. They were about to run the gauntlet.

Without looking at the others, he drove his heels into Jack’s sides. “Hyah!”

Jack leapt forward and bolted out of the stable like someone had fired a starter pistol. Marcus leaned over his mount’s neck and glanced back. Kiyomi was right behind him, face tense but managing to keep her seat in spite of the breakneck pace, followed by Trinity, and Brody guarding their six on Rollo.

Marcus caught only a flash of movement in the distance out of the corner of his eye, then the report of a rifle echoed in the morning air as the clump of grass and dirt kicked up several feet from Jack’s front right hoof.

Marcus steered him to the left using the pressure of his legs. The other horses scrambled to follow, hooves thundering across the damp grass.

Another shot whizzed past, striking the ground to the left. Marcus veered right, glanced back, and put the stables between them and the shooters.

It bought them several seconds, enough time to gain them the distance needed to be at the end of regular rifle range. To hit them now, the enemy would either have to chase them or to use a high-powered sniper rifle, which would take time to set up.

He turned slightly to check on Kiyomi again. She was plastered to Maple’s neck, her body hugging the horse, holding firm.

Good lass. Hang on.

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