Page 20 of My Ruthless Mountain Man

Mikhail freezes, then drops to the ground and doesn’t move. I inch forward just enough to see him. His eyes are open, staring at the starry sky. A round, red wound gapes between his eyes.

Before I can process the dead man, shouts erupt inside, and shots are fired. I duck back to my hiding spot as someone bursts through the door.

Ilya Petrova.

My heart kicks up speed and my brain screamsRUN!

Scrambling to my feet, I don’t think. Don’t even breathe. I just run for the trees.

“Stop!” Ilya shouts. “Grab her.”

An arm snakes out of the darkness and snags around my waist. I flail, trying to break free.

The man spins me to face him, and I’m looking up at Mikhail again. Only this time, there’s no wound between his eyes.

I scream.

CHAPTER NINE

STONE

The Russians scatter like bugs,skittering into the darkness. There were six in total. Two are dead from our initial breach. Bishop stayed to free Ryan, while Mason and I tracked the others.

I hear the muffledthwap thwapof a gun discharge in the darkness. That will be Mason. I rush back out the front door and almost trip over a body. There’s a hole in his forehead. Anson’s handy work. Ilya must be somewhere.

Lightning flashes and I see him scurry toward the trees. I almost miss the shadow shifting in the darkness to his right.

“Grab her!” Ilya orders.

I’m running, tracking the shadow, before I hear Kendall’s scream come from the same direction. Oh fuck no. She’s not getting hurt. Not on my watch.

Kendall is nearly white as she stares at him. Raising my weapon, I line up the shadow. I have a perfect shot. Squeezing the trigger, I fire twice. He drops, and Kendall staggers away.

“I got you, baby girl.” I sweep her against my chest, holding her close, and scan our surroundings. Making damn sure I don’t miss anything else. Ilya is on his back ten feet away, not moving.

“He was dead already!” she wails, pointing a shaky finger at the man I shot. “I saw the hole in his head.”

He’s an exact copy of the one I tripped over. “No, honey. He’s a twin. They’re both dead.”

“Oh my God, I thought I was seeing a ghost.”

I chuckle and press a kiss to her temple. She’s trembling hard. “Not tonight.”

“Ilya?”

“Dead. Ryan is fine. Bishop has him.”She sags in my arms. “Let’s get you home, honey. Ryan’s on his own now.”

She nods. “He’s going to be okay?”

“That’s up to him.” I’m not letting him drag either one of us into his problems anymore.

We make the trip home in twenty minutes. The second we’re in the door, I steer Kendall into the shower and climb in with her, letting the hot water wash away the pain and fear.

Her smile is tremulous.

I wash her hair, then lather the soap and slowly wash her body. Taking special care with every luscious inch.

Kendall kisses me, then takes the soap. Her touch is soft, but as her confidence grows, her strokes become firmer, more arousing.

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