Page 65 of Heart of a Devil
“I can almost see your brain working, Mr. Donovan. Are you trying to figure out what to do next? Wondering if the cavalry will be coming any time soon? Imagining that you could throw me to the ground before I manage to get my shot off? My advice would be to simply ask forgiveness from any god you believe in, because this game is over.” I don’t suppose he lasted this long without good instincts. He narrows his eyes at me. “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t. You are going to die, but it can be clean with a bullet to the head, or I can take my time with you. Keep your hands where I can see them.”
Fuck. I don’t want him taking his time with me. I don’t want to be tortured by this sick cunt, and I don’t want him here any longer than he needs to be. He needs to get gone so Lauren has a chance. At all costs, I want her to live. I blink as I look up and around me, at the green canopy of the woods, the sunlight dappling down onto the earth. The birds calling, the breeze whistling through the trees, the scent of grass and green.
It’s beautiful here, and if this really is the end, then at least I knew love. Real love. I turn back to Volkov and grin. “See you in hell, you fucker.”
He drops his chin in acknowledgment, and his finger tightens on the trigger. This is it.Please, Lauren, stay still. Stay hidden. Stay safe.
As if thinking her name summoned her, she explodes from the wooden hide with a sudden burst of wild energy, her curls tumbling and her feet flying as she leaps down the grassy slope toward us in a blur of speed and fury.
“No!” I shout as Volkov twists around to meet her head on. The gun moves from me to her, and I scramble to my feet, desperate to stop him.
She looks so unwavering, so determined that I don’t even recognize her face, not an ounce of fear in her as she hurtles toward a murderer and his gun. She is a warrior on the war path, an avenging angel bearing an axe. She comes at him, screaming full blast, the sound shrill and ear-piercing, an aural assault. She throws the axe, and it spins, two, three times and lodges itself in his body with a crunching thud.
He stops dead in his tracks and looks down. The pistol falls from his fingers, and his hands fly to his chest to be immediately covered in gushing blood. Skin pale and eyes wide, he stares at her, and blood trickles from the corner of his mouth as he mutters something in Russian.
I run over and kick the gun away just in case, then whirl around to watch Lauren calmly approach him. Her eyes are blazing and her lips are parted, giving her the look of a feral animal as she reaches Volkov, who by some miracle is still standing.
She stares him in the eyes and says, “You arenothing, Ivan. Nothing but a cruel piece of shit who nobody loves. This man here is worth a thousand of you, andnobodymesses with him, you hear me?”
His mouth opens, but no words come out, just blood pouring from his lips. She shoves him hard on his shoulder, and he topples to the ground, the axe sticking up from his chest like a prop in a horror movie. She looks on as his eyes glaze over and the final seconds of life seep out of him, and I take her in myarms, remembering how affected she was by the same moment with Brad Schmidt.
“You saved my life,” I murmur, kissing her hair and inhaling her scent. “You’re a goddamn miracle of a woman. Don’t waste any guilt on this bastard.”
“I’m not,” she replies, relaxing into my arms as the adrenaline fades. “It was easier the second time around. Not sure that’s a good thing. I just wish… I wish I’d been able to make him tell us where Caroline and Nicky are. You okay? What about Taylor?”
Shit. Taylor. We both crouch down by his side, and it doesn’t look good. His whole torso is painted red, and his skin is pale and clammy. “There’s a pulse,” Lauren announces, her fingers at his neck. “We need to get him to a hospital right now. It wasn’t only me who saved your life, Seb, it was him as well.”
She looks distraught now, like everything is catching up with her physically and emotionally. Tears stream down her cheeks, and she holds Taylor’s hand, squeezing his fingers as though she can bring him back with touch alone. Maybe she fucking can—she’s so magnificent, I wouldn’t rule anything out.
It goes against all my instincts to involve the police, but we need an ambulance here right away, and I can’t mess around when Taylor’s life is in my hands, no matter how much explaining I’ll have to do. I’ll call the emergency services first, my lawyer second.
As I’m about to dial the number, a cry comes from the direction of the cabin, and I’m instantly on my feet, gun out, ready to go again. “Seb! You out there, my friend? I’m finding a trail of injured Russians so I’m guessing you might be.”
I smile with relief. Thank fuck, it’s Sasha.
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
SEBASTIAN
He emerges into the clearing with Jacob and Alex alongside him, dragging an injured Russian between them. Their captive appears to have been shot in the leg, and they’re taking extra special care to bump into every dip and ridge on the ground as they go. He’s yelling in pain and trailing blood and only shuts up when he sees Volkov lying dead before him. I can’t imagine a man like Volkov inspired any genuine loyalty in his people, but he was at the top of the tree for a long time. Seeing him defeated is clearly a shock to this man.
“We need an ambulance.” I gesture at Taylor. “He’s still alive, and I’d like to keep him that way.” Lauren is still crouched at his side, showing no signs of letting go of his hand. I want Taylor to live because I’m not a twat and because I owe him—but I also need him to live for her sake. This has been a day of death and loss and too much spilled blood, and she needs a victory. Needs to keep some hope. It’s unlikely that Caroline and Nicky are alive, but I could be wrong, and I won’t give up on them until I know for sure.
Sasha makes a call in Russian while Alex and Jacob join their fallen comrade. “Fuck, Taylor,” says Alex, stroking his hair back from his face. “Don’t give up on us, mate.”
“Help is on the way,” Sasha says, staring at Volkov’s corpse.
“Real help?” Lauren asks, glaring up at us both. “I know this is messy, but he needs a real ambulance and a real hospital, not some shady-as-fuck field medic bullshit.”
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Sasha says reassuringly. “It will be real help. A private company I deal with on a regular basis, and they’ll do their very best for him. He is young, he is healthy, he is clearly a fighter. He’ll pull through, I’m sure of it.”
“You really think so?” The wobble in her voice breaks my heart. A warrior queen one minute, a scared little girl the next. I couldn’t love her more.
“Yeah, he’s right, babe,” I say, kneeling down beside her. “I reckon Taylor’s too stubborn to die. Now, listen to me—I’m going to go with Sasha and see what we can find out about Caroline and Nicky, okay?”
Lauren glances at the injured Russian on the ground. She obviously knows that us finding out about Caroline and Nicky won’t be something that he enjoys. He knows it too and tries to crawl away. Jacob kicks him hard in the leg wound, and he howls. Unless he gets wise quickly, there will be a lot more of that before this night is over. “Yeah, okay. Take him away. I’ll stay here with Taylor.”
