Page 13 of Fight for You
Out of ammo. Prepared to charge, shoulder dropped, I slammed into the man’s chest like a wrecking ball.
The force knocked the weapon away from us. The Russian reached for a knife sheathed in his belt. I snapped my wrist upward and buried the paring knife I’d gotten from the kitchen into the man’s neck. A wet gurgle preceded the pulsing spray of blood from the man’s severed artery.Drop. The Russian hit the ground in silence.
At the sound of barking, I pivoted. Not fast enough to stop a Siberian Laika from landing on my chest. How many dogs did Chelomey have?
Claws tore through my suit jacket. Teeth sank into my forearm. Locked on. I grunted and slammed the paring knife into the animal’s rib. Quick stabs like a prison house shank.Again.Again.Again. The dog went limp on top of me, whimpering. I kicked it off, rolled to my feet, and went to where Jordyn stood. The rifle from the man I’d downed was in her shaky hand.
“I’m here to help you!” My voice was sharp, chest heaving with each word. She seemed frozen in shock, and I removed the rifle from her fingers.
One shot was all it took. The Laika stopped whimpering and dropped without a sound.I’m sorry they trained you like this.I had my life saved so many times by Belgian Malinois, who’d sniffed the dirt for explosive devices and tangos alike.
I went to Jordyn and held out the rifle in a safe position. “Do you want to hold this?” I flicked my fingernail into the torn flesh of my thumb. A habit. I didn’t know how to talk to girls, not if they weren’t wearing military cammies.
“I-I don’t want anything from you. You left?—”
A shout echoed across the land.
“Aleksandr?” she whispered. “He’s alive.”
What did her facial expression mean? Surprise? Elation? Anger? I didn’t have a second to process it because light flooded the night on the opposite side of the fence.
Leith climbed from a Ferrari Purosangue. “Let’s go! Let’s go. The cops,bràthair!”
While Jordyn ran to the fence, I wiped a hand over my face to clear my vision. I kicked up the rifle until it rested against my shoulder. Glanced through the scope, tracking for movement.C’mon. Where are you? I needed to sight my mark. Too blurry. I adjusted the dial.
“Jamie, your friend needs help!” Crouched, Leith had thrust his hands between the fence opening, and Jordyn stepped into his palms. With a grunt, he tried to push her upward.
While she reached higher up, she grumbled a cussword, falling.
I swooped her up into my arms. The dim moonlight did nothing to obscure the intensity and clarity of her glare. It was as if we stood under a thousand suns. I lifted her onto my shoulder and then higher until her bare feet found purchase between the jagged fence toppers.
“Ouch,” she screeched, her ankle abraded by the sharp metal.
“Just jump, lassie,” Leith ordered from the other side.
I spun around and searched for movement again. I’d downed every last one of Aleksandr Chelomey’s men and assumed the crack I heard when hitting the Tsar with my briefcase had been enough to snap his neck. Sure looked like it under the circumstances.
Sirens sounded closer.
Gritting my teeth, I wiped my prints from the weapon, threw it into a bush, and pulled myself up. Since the driver’s side was closer to the fence, I assumed Leith hurried to the passenger side to give me less ground to cover when I jumped down. Behind the wheel, I slammed the door and pressed the pedal to the metal.
My gaze flicked over to him. “You handled the other two?”
“About that.”
“You at least grabbed my briefcase, right?”
“Och! What sort ofnumptydo you take me for? Of course. It’s next to the girl.”
I glanced into the rearview, where Jordyn eyed the metal briefcase at her side. Arms folded, she said, “So, I was free this time?”
The Adam’s apple in my throat jumped. What should I say?
Leith chortled. “You are more valuable than you realize, love.Besides, a thank-you might be in order. Once we get past the cops.”
She snorted. “Why did you come? And why are we running from the cops?”
“First, we don’t know if the authorities are on the take. Chelomey might’ve called them. They could be his backup. Or a neighbor called, and we don’t need that type of heat. Andwhydid I come?” I flicked another glance through the rearview mirror. “Because you’re not his to keep.”
