Page 62 of Heart of a Devil

“Fuck. Unbelievable. They’re going to come down here on foot,” he says. “Which means we don’t have long. It’ll take them about twenty minutes. The question is whether we run or fight.”

“You have enough weapons in your basement to fight off a small army, right?”

“Yeah. We can get tooled up, but there are only two of us, and…”

“One of us is a girl?” I ask, finding a smile from somewhere despite our circumstances.

“No. I meant one of us is the love of my fucking life—and also a civilian. Unless this is the part when you tell me you went to some kind of top-secret Montoya training camp and have the firearms skills of a Special Forces operative?”

“Sadly not. But I can use a gun. I’d rather not, but I can if I need to.”

The way he studies me tells me he’s trying to weigh the options and decide which one would be safest. He opens his mouth to speak when abangechoes through from the front of the cabin. Someone is thumping their fists against the door, and Seb checks the camera feed. “Stay here,” he says urgently. “Let me… Oh, fuck.”

“What is it? Are they here already?” My heart races. I don’t panic easy, but this feels like a tough spot for both of us. Outnumbered, outgunned, and out of options.

“Dunno. It’s that sack of shit Taylor Grant.”

I peek my head out of the makeshift office in time to see Seb throw the door open. Without saying a word, he punches the man hard in the gut. When Taylor doubles over, Seb catches him and drags him into the cabin.

He throws him up against a wall, and Taylor gasps as Seb wraps a big hand around his throat and pins him there. “Was it you, you little fuck? Did you grass us up? Are you in Volkov’s pocket?”

Taylor slaps at his hands and tries to talk, but Seb’s grip is too tight to dislodge.

“He can’t speak.” I rush over to them, concerned by the familiar faraway look Seb gets when his blood is really boiling. The look that means someone could die. “Let him speak and maybe he can tell you.”

After a few beats, he finally seems to hear me and nods as he drops the young man to the ground. He places a boot on Taylor’s chest to keep him there. “You heard the lady—speak, you fucking cunt.”

“It wasn’t me,” Taylor says quickly, his voice croaking and his eyes wide. “I came to warn you, Boss—I’m here to help.”

“And how the fuck did you know about this place, eh? Gabriel says he hasn’t spoken to you, so how the hell did you know where to find us?”

“I… I got Gabriel’s message saying there was a full alert, that you were going underground, and I knew where you’d have gone. I drove straight here, and I passed those Russian fuckers on the way. I did a full circle and broke in on the other side of the property. You have a hole in the fence there now—sorry. Look, I’m here to help, honestly. I’m not with them. I’m on your side.”

Seb is still furious, his nostrils flaring, but he’s at least listening. Personally, I think Taylor looks and sounds sincere, but the jury is still out for Seb.

“And how did you know where I’d be, shitbag? Nobody knew about this place until today, and suddenly I’m overrun with bloody visitors. It’s like the world’s most fucked-up tea party.”

Taylor clambers to his feet, cautiously eyeing Seb. He’s a big guy, and I’ve heard he can handle himself, but he seems reluctant to take on Sebastian Donovan in a full rhino rage. Can’t say I blame him. “I followed you here once, all right? I’ll explain everything later, I promise, but for now you have to trust me. I’m here to help you, and we don’t have long.”

The force of Sebastian’s glare alone would knock a normal man over, but Taylor stands firm, meeting his eyes. “Let me help you both. Please. You know there’s not enough time for anyone else to get here.”

I see the second Seb makes his mind up. He shakes his head and says, “All right. I’ll trust you… For now. But if you’re lying, Taylor, you won’t leave these woods, you understand?”

“I understand, Boss. Now, do we run or do we fight?”

“I only counted seven of the fuckers. So obviously, we fight. I’ll let Gabriel know what’s happening, and in the meantime, we better get ready.”

He turns to me with regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry about all this, sweetheart. I promised to protect you, and I’ve put you right in the line of fire.”

“Uh, don’t be an idiot. It’s actually me who put us both in the line of fire by taking on Caroline Volkov as a client. Do you blame me for that?”

He looks shocked at the very idea. “Of course I fucking don’t. What a stupid thing to suggest.”

I wink at him, and he smiles. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll stop apologizing. Me and Taylor are going downstairs for weapons. Can you keep an eye on the cameras?”

After I assure him I will keep an eye on things, he heads for the basement, and I take a deep breath and do my part, flicking through the different screens and camera angles. Six of the men have stuck together and are working their way through the wooded landscape as quickly as they can. It’s not easy terrain for anyone who doesn’t know it, and I watch with grim satisfaction when one of them stumbles and falls right into one of Seb’s booby traps, shrieking as he tumbles into the hole.

They’re still a ways off from the cabin according to the camera map pinned to the wall, but I’m relieved when Seb and Taylor rejoin me. Both have guns tucked into their waistbands, and Taylor is also wielding a wicked-looking knife.

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