Page 56 of Single Mom for the Mountain Men
I wait until Sophie obeys me, and then, I turn back in time to see Brody punching James in the face. I glance to the side and see that Aiden is still trapped in the grasp of one of the henchmen with a gun aimed at his temple. His wide eyes are pleading with me, but for what, I’m not sure.
“You’re all disgusting.” James is panting as he rolls on top of Brody, who was distracted by Aiden’s situation. He starts punching him back. “I saw all of you fucking her. I didn’t know she was such a slut, but I guess I’m not surprised. She wasn’t much good in bed, so maybe that’s the only way to enjoy her.”
The words still have the power to hurt me, but only a small part of my brain accepts his spiteful words. I glare at the large, hulking form of my ex as he holds Brody down and tries to choke him. I look at Aiden again, whose eyes are even wider than before, if that’s even possible.
I can’t risk Aiden being shot, and I know that the man that Brody knocked over will be back at any time, ready to get into the mix. I close my eyes for a moment, then look down at the gun that tumbled out of the hands of the man that Brody shoved.My fingers tremble as I pick it up, flipping it around so that I’m holding the long barrel, the thick stock extending before me.
I don’t have the heart to try and shoot someone, despite my hours of practice trying to hunt for rabbits in the woods with Tanner. I suck in a deep breath and start making my way toward where Brody and James are grappling. The man beside me shouts to warn James, but then, Aiden begins wrestling with him, trying to break free from his grip while also distracting him.
“You’re scum!” Brody says to James as he struggles in his grip. “How dare you say shit like that about her. Lena is the kindest and most sincere person, and she’s the best mother in the world.”
James snorts derisively, then groans as Brody manages to tumble him onto his back in the snow. “The woman I lived with for years wasn’t fit for anything other than cleaning the house and making dinner. She never told me what she liked, but I don’t think she enjoyed sex that much. It was always boring fucking her.”
“You’re as stupid as you are greedy,” Brody hisses, landing a solid punch to James’ face.
I inch ever closer, the barrel of the gun clutched in my hands, my eyes trained on the combatants. I think of the things that the brothers have taught me, slowing my breathing, watching my prey carefully, looking for the right moment to strike. This situation is really different than killing a rabbit, but I know that if I just focus, I can help Brody, and we can all escape.
I spare a moment’s thought about where on Earth Tanner is with the cops.Maybe they aren’t going to make it up the mountain, and once they do, how will they know that we are all the way out here at the Jesperson place?
No, it’s up to me to help Brody and Aiden, so that we can all get out of here with our lives.
“I’m going to enjoy killing you two, and then, when your brother thinks I’ve given up on finding him, I’ll kill him, too,” James taunts Brody before shoving him onto his back and going back to choking him.
It’s now or never, I think to myself. I take one more step, and then, I lift the gun over my head. I bring the butt of the gun down on James’ head as hard as I can, the shock of the strike reverberating up my arms painfully and making me drop the gun from my nerveless fingers.
“Lena!” I hear Aiden cry out, and I whirl around in time to see Aiden grappling with the henchman, trying to wrestle the large pistol that is in his hand away from him. I glance to the side and see that James is lying flat on his back, blood pooling under his head, as Brody tries and fails to get to his feet.
“Lena, run!” Aiden cries out, but then, there is the loud, sharp bang of the pistol as it fires.
There’s no pain at first, just the shock of impact as the bullet tears into my side. I stumble a little, wavering on my feet,wondering if I just imagined the sensation of the bullet hitting me.
I press a hand to my side, confused at the lack of pain, but as I lift my hand up to my face, it’s covered in bright red blood. The pain rushes in along with the knowledge that I have, indeed, been shot. I stare at the bright red blood dripping off my palm and running down into my sleeve with a strange sense of detachment.
It hurts, but not like I had imagined that it would. I feel like I’m floating somewhere above my body, just watching the events around me unfold, and then, suddenly, I’m staring at the night sky, dotted with stars now that the heavy clouds that brought the snow have moved along.Why can I see the sky?I wonder, just before my back hits the ground with a shock, driving all the air from my lungs.
I pant and gasp, trying to get my breathing under control, the pain like a vice gripping my ribs and lungs. “Brody,” I croak out, groping in the soft, icy snow, unable to turn my head to look for him.
“I’m here,” Brody gasps out, clambering over to me in a spray of snow. “Oh, God, Lena, you’ve been shot,” he says, all of his usual composure gone in the face of my injuries.
“It seems like that’s the case, yes,” I say in a mild kind of way. I wonder why I’m not more upset, but then again, it’s too hard to care, so I let that train of thought go. “Is James dead?” I ask bluntly, my voice sounding breathy to my own ears.
“No,” Brody reassures me. “He’s going to be out cold for a while, though. You hit him really hard.”
“Good for me,” I mumble to myself before my vision goes dark around the edges. I blink hard, and Aiden’s face swims into view.
“Your distraction helped me to get the other guy under control,” Aiden tells me, hunkering down in the snow to touch my cheek.
“What would we have done without you here?” Brody says and clasps my freezing fingers with his own.
“Tanner’s text just came through,” Aiden reports to us. “They’re about fifteen minutes away. I sent him a pin with our location.”
I smile a little to myself. It’s probably too late for me, but the boys and Sophie will be safe. The thought makes my heart feel light and carefree.I managed to find people to love Sophie, even if I’m not able to anymore. What more could a mother want?
“Lena, don’t pass out on us,” Brody orders me, then slaps my cheek lightly.
I want to listen to him and stay awake, but my eyelids are so heavy. I peer at Aiden and Brody, wanting to make them feel better, to say that I know Sophie will be okay now, and that I don’t need to worry about anything else, but the words catch in my throat.
I open my mouth to try again, but then, the darkness hovering at the edges of my vision spreads out, and suddenly, the world fades away.
