Page 63 of Heart of a Devil

“We have a plan,” Seb informs me. “Taylor’s going to stay here and pick off as many as he can, and I’m going to run to the hide—you know the one I said would make a good sniper assaultpoint?” I nod, remembering it well. “The idea is we split them up, make it easier for us. I’d like you to stay in the basement, as far away from trouble as you can. How does that sound?”

“That sounds like crap,” I answer honestly. “I’m coming to the hide with you. If your plan works, we all get away. If your plan fails, we all die—so there’s really no point cowering in the basement and hoping nobody notices me. They’ll probably set the place on fire, and I’ll burn to death. No thank you.”

Taylor averts his eyes, but not before I catch the hint of a smile on his face. Seb glares at me, sees my determined expression, and shakes his head. “You’re so fucking stubborn. You’re going to make my life hell when we’re married, aren’t you?”

I lean up to kiss him. “Damn right I am, handsome. Now, I just saw six of them about a half mile out, making their way here. One is AWOL. How do we do this?”

Seb hands me a revolver from the back waistband of his pants. “We let them see us.” He goes to look out the window. “And then… They chase. You’re familiar with being chased through these woods, aren’t you, babe?”

Even now, a whisper of desire curls through me at the memory of how our last chase concluded. “Oh, I am. I’m assuming this one won’t end with you fucking anyone up against a tree, though.”

“Fucking them up, maybe. Taylor, you good?”

“Yes, Boss. You two run, and as they pursue, I shoot. Easy peasy.”

Ah, the confidence of youth. Seb’s brown eyes are reassuring.We’ve got this, they seem to say. Well, at least I’m already wearing my workout gear.

We creep out of the back of the cabin, and I tug his Viking lord axe out of the thick log it’s wedged in and heft its weight. I can run with this if I’m careful, and it’s better than the gun,which I hate. Thankfully, Seb doesn’t argue when I hand him back the pistol.

He holds up a hand, and we pause at the corner of the cabin. It takes me a second to identify the eerie feeling I have, but I eventually put it down to the complete lack of birdsong. The woods are usually alive with their calls, and they’ve been replaced by an ominous silence and the occasional crunch of leaves underfoot. They’re trying to be quiet but not really managing.

He looks at me and mouths,Ready?

I nod, and we both take off for the forest. We make plenty of noise as we go, which was all part of the plan, and a cry immediately goes up from our pursuers, who shout back and forth in Russian as they give chase.

They have no clue that there is someone waiting in the cabin we vacated, and they predictably move in, running straight for us. That all changes when Taylor fires his first shot and catches one of them in the leg. I risk a glance behind me, see blood spurt as he goes down. I don’t know this man, but he means us harm, and his bloodcurdling scream moves me not at all.

The men chasing us scatter, taking cover now that they know they’re vulnerable. Taylor manages to wing one more, a shoulder wound that I’m sure hurts like hell but doesn’t take him down. Then come more shots, more shouts in Russian, followed by the sound of glass smashing.

“Is he okay?” I ask, panting as we run.

Seb looks behind us. “Yeah. He just knocked the window out on the other side of the cabin. I’m guessing he’ll make a run for it, try to flank them. Come on, we need to make the most of the distraction.”

He grabs my hand, and together we run, jump, and stumble through the woods. He knows where his traps are laid and guides us around them, but it’s still hard going over challengingground. My ankle turns after one leap, shooting jagged pain up my leg, but I force myself to run through it. I’ll have worse than a twisted ankle if I don’t keep moving.

I’m not in bad shape, but the pace Seb sets is taking its toll. Gunshots are still cracking and booming behind us but become fainter with every step we take. I finally spot the hide we’re heading for as one more shot echoes through the forest, scattering the remaining birds from the trees in a squawking mass of flapping wings.

Seb pushes me inside the small wooden structure and shoves my head low. There’s a slit cut into it at eye level, presumably so nature lovers can watch the wild world go by without being seen, and he crouches down to look through it. I sprawl across the floor, heaving in oxygen and rubbing my sore ankle. “You okay, babe?” he asks when he notices.

“Yep. All good here. Can you see them?”

He goes back to his surveillance. “Not yet. No idea how many Taylor managed to take out or where he’s got to… or what the fuck he’s doing here. But that’s a puzzle for another day. For now, I’m just glad he is here. He wounded at least two of those motherfuckers, hopefully more now. How many did you say there were in total?”

“Seven, but only six of them were approaching the cabin.” Suddenly, a flush of fear invades my mind, ratcheting up my pulse. It’s like now that I’m still, my anxiety has caught up with me, ambushing me and making my insides tremble. “Do you think… Do you think we’ll be okay?”

He kneels in front of me and places his big hands on my cheeks. Our eyes lock. “We are going to get through this, Lauren. I promise you. We only just found each other, and I’m not going to let some Russian scumbags get in the way of our future. We’re getting through this. We’re getting married and going onhoneymoon, where I will be fucking you ’til you can’t stand up straight. Is that clear?”

Rubbing my face on his callused palm, I murmur, “Crystal clear, sir.” I drop a kiss on his fingers and decide not to be scared anymore. It won’t help, and anyway, I believe him. If anyone can protect us, this man can.

Right at that moment, there are more gunshots, and Taylor comes hurtling through the greenery like an enraged bear. There’s blood smeared on his face and oozing thickly from a wound on his arm. He’s holding that knife of his, and it looks like it’s been busy.

“Four of ’em are down, Boss,” he pants after skidding inside. “One permanently. He went over a trip wire as I was aiming at his legs, and I got his head instead. The other two followed me here, so I thought I’d give you the chance to have a go.”

“Nice of you to save them for me, mate. Now sit yourself down before you fall down. Is that serious?” He gestures to Taylor’s arm, and the blond man shakes his head.

“Nah. Need a bit of duct tape when I get home, that’s all.” The gash is about six inches long, and it’s deep. I pull off my fleece jacket and fashion it into a makeshift bandage, which at least stems the blood loss.

“Thanks,” he says, wincing. “And congrats, by the way. Nice ring.”

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