Page 94 of Montana Mystery

Everything slowed. The next two that came at me didn’t stand a chance. A knife flicked out, and I knocked it from his hand, returning the punch I’d been given straight to his gut.

Liam was fighting too, and went down. Not dead, but head bloodied from a blow. I turned back to the man coming at me. The only way to help Liam and Kate was to get through this army. And I wasn’t sure if I could.

This kind of rage made me cold. Ruthless. Blood sprayed from nose and mouth as another went down.

It took three of them diving, bringing me to the ground, putting every limb I had in a lock to make me stop. And still I fought until they had me. Until they forced me to my knees, and amused laughter sucked the air out of the room.

“Right on time. I appreciate that you military men are punctual. Even if it does make you predictable.” The man on the phone. “I was right. I knew you’d come for her.”

I said nothing. What was there to say? He wanted me here and I’d come. And he’d put Kate in a cage. At the moment, I was fantasizing about the sound his neck would make when it snapped.

“I do like it when loose ends present themselves. It makes my job easier.”

“I imagine so,” I said. “And I did as you asked. So let me talk to her.”

He rolled his eyes but jerked his head. The three of them didn’t let me go until they threw me down in front of the cage, the barrel of a gun to the back of my neck a silent threat that if I tried to fight them again, it would be the end.

They didn’t let me close enough to reach through the bars to touch her, and my whole body ached because of it. But this way, at least, I could buy us a fraction more time. The others had to be close. They had to be.

In the cage next to Kate, there was another girl. It was clear that she’d been here a hell of a lot longer.

“Noah.” Kate looked terrified. Pale, and tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t,” I said gently. “Don’t be sorry. Never be sorry for trying to protect your family.” There was so much more that I wanted to say to her. How much I fucking loved her, and how, now that I’d realized it, a life with her was all I could think about. But these men would mock those words, and if I didn’t make it out of here, she would suffer for them.

I wouldn’t do that to her.

When we both made it out, I would tell her.

Simon cleared his throat, and they dragged me back, away from Kate. I couldn’t see the fear in her eyes anymore, but I felt it as surely as I could feel my own heartbeat.

“I expected something more dramatic,” Simon said. “After you fought to get to her.”

“If anyone’s dramatic, it’s you.” I tested their hold on me. It was solid. “All this cloak and dagger shit. You haven’t even introduced yourself, Simon. I imagine that’s not a name you ever want to get out. Because then you’d be in the mess, and despite the blood on the walls, I get the feeling that you don’t like messes.”

There he was. The man’s face hardened. He was older, and the ease with which he carried himself told me he’d been doing this a long time. There were dead animals here, a dead body on the floor, a gun in his hand, and he was as relaxed as if he was having a fucking spa day.

“You’re right,” he said. “I don’t. Which is why I don’t leave loose ends.”

“As long as my friends are alive, you’ll never be rid of loose ends,” I said. “They will find you.”

“I took care of them.”

“Did you?”

The flicker of uncertainty in his face was erased as he raised the gun in his hand, pressing it to my forehead. His men released me, backing off so they didn’t get caught by the bullet meant to kill me. “If I didn’t, I will. I’ll kill them too.”

I took a breath and closed my eyes. I’d been here before, but not like this. “Kate,” I whispered. “Close your eyes.” I wouldn’t have her relive this over and over again.

Wetness sprayed over my face, the sound of a silenced shot whizzing through the room. Simon cursed, the barrel falling away from my skin. That was the chance I needed, and chaos erupted.

I knocked the gun out of his hand and lunged for it where it fell. More shots fired, and the men surrounding us dropped. Simon held his shoulder, backing toward the exit.

One of the men grabbed me from behind, and I dropped into action, twisting and firing. There was no more time for restraint. Daniel was there, and Jude. The sound echoing through the house was loud. Shots and screams and calls for surrender.

Now there were too many bodies to tell who was who, and I raised my hands, placing the gun on the floor. It wasn’t just Resting Warrior—it was SWAT. And Charlie, looking grim as he strode in the back door to survey the damage.

Slowly, things stilled. Everyone in Simon’s ring was dead or down. Subdued.

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