She landed on the snow-packed earth.
Still on his knees, the soldier took aim at Noel again.
Rage as red as the sky above filled me. I ran at the man, pulled my right leg back, and kicked him in the face. He made an “umph” sound as he crumpled forward, landing face-first in the snow. I kicked his gun away from his hand before bending to pick it up, eyes on his slumped body the whole while.
Noel stood up and dusted snow off her pants. “Thanks,” she said.
A shot fired from around the bunkhouse followed by two more. They sounded more distant then they had a moment ago.
Ashley came running around, gun raised. She lowered her weapon when she saw Noel and me. “What happened?” she demanded.
“This one came sneaking around the other side and tried to shoot me . . . twice,” Noel said, giving the downed soldier a kick in the shins.
“Is he dead?” Ashley asked.
“No,” I answered.
Ashley brushed past me and knelt beside the fallen soldier. She set down her gun and pulled a knife from a hip holster then held the man’s head up by his hair before slitting his throat. He gave a gurgle and sputter before going still. Luckily, it was over quick.
“We can’t risk him coming after us again.” Ashley looked up and met my eyes.
“I know,” I said.
She nodded like we’d come to a mutual agreement then grabbed her gun and got to her feet. Another shot ripped out. Ashley quickly holstered her knife and kept hold of the gun.
“What’s going on out there?” Noel asked.
“It’s another one of Melcher’s soldiers,” Ashley answered, nodding toward the man she’d just sliced. “He was heading into the bunkhouse when we came out. He took off on foot, but he’s wounded. We saw a blood trail in the snow. When we heard the shots Dante sent me back to check it out.”
“Does he need our help?” Noel asked.
Before Ashley could answer shots exploded in the distance. These ripped up the road. We all went still. Noel’s mouth hung ajar. She snapped it shut and stared glassy eyed in the direction we’d last left our group.
“Those came from the area of the recreation hall,” she said.
I followed her gaze.
“How did they get past us?” I asked.
“They didn’t,” Ashley said. “They must have crept around the outskirts of town while we fired at the other two agents.
A shiver crawled up my spine. My chest rose and fell, taking in shallow breaths. Jared was on the opposite end of town. I just knew it. I could sense him lurking in the dark.
“Go help Dante,” I said to Ashley. “Noel and I will check it out.”
Ashley gave a quick nod then took off around the bunkhouse. She knew how to make tracks. As I rounded the corner, she was already disappearing into the darkness. I walked up to the two snowmachines. I never dreamed I’d be riding one so soon after my stint on the lam.
Keys dangled from both machines as they purred in waiting. I walked up to the closest one and unzipped the bag strapped on back, depositing the two guns and knife inside before zipping it back up.
“We’ll leave one for Dante and Ashley,” I said to Noel as I threw my leg over the machine and sat down. Ski goggles dangled from one handle. I put them on, adjusting them over my eyes. I didn’t have far to go, but I’d be happy to have them on the eleven-mile return trip to Goodnews Bay.
Noel pulled at her earlobe, gaze jumping from the direction Ashley had taken off to me then down the road toward the recreation hall.
“Noel, we need to go,” I said urgently.
Her brows drew together and her gaze flicked over me.
“I’ll sneak in,” she said. “On foot.”
My limbs weighed heavily on the seat of the snowmachine. There was a good chance Jared would think I was one of his teammates coming to catch up with him. Then again, so could Team Reindeer.
I wet my cracked lips, decision made.
“See you on the other side,” I said.
Noel nodded then sprinted toward the closest bunkhouse. I took off as she disappeared, squeezing the throttle, holding tight as the machine ripped forward across the snow, the drone of the engine drilling holes in my head. My heart thumped against my chest as if it wanted to be heard over the noise.
I sailed past the abandoned bunkhouses, all still intact unlike older mining towns across the state. The goggles kept the wind out of my eyes, but it ripped at my hair and clothes, stinging my cheeks and causing my teeth to chatter. I needed to block the cold out a little longer.
About fifty yards from the spot where we’d last met up with everyone, I slowed the machine and braked. I didn’t want Reinhardt or Gunter to accidently take a shot at me if I came in too close.
I stopped the machine and pocketed the key. No reason to leave it in the ignition for Jared or one of his two remaining men to grab should they attempt to get away. The numbness in my fingers made it difficult to grasp the bag’s zipper on back of the snowmachine. Once I got a grip on it, I yanked it open and collected my knife and the gun Gunter had lent me. Weapons in hand, the next step was getting off the road. I moved quietly toward the nearest bunkhouse, clutching Noel’s knife in my left hand. Gunter’s handgun was ready, should I need it, in a steady right-handed grip.
As I approached the bunkhouse, I scanned the area for human-shaped shadows. The only shadow I detected was that of the A-framed house. When I reached it, I moved with my back to the wall to the corner and looked around to the back of the house half expecting Jared to be lurking mere footsteps away.
Heart pounding in my chest, I squinted into the dark, checking every shadow in the vicinity. All looked clear. I rounded the corner and froze, straining my ears for any sounds. My eyes darted all around looking for any movement.
Nothing.
It felt as though I was all alone on this end of town. I had yet to hear any more gunshots from Dante’s end. Perhaps Ashley had slit that guy’s throat. She’d certainly upped her game since her informant and training days. I hadn’t been away that long. I guess it helped having a personal instructor. What a relief they actually did take time out of their budding romance to train.
I proceeded to the adjacent bunkhouse with the same precaution. Frosty silence followed me every step of the way. A chilling thought occurred to me. What if Jared and his remaining two men hadn’t snuck into town? What if they’d turned around on their machines and headed back to Goodnews Bay to call for reinforcements? Or worse, to finish off Fane?
That’s why they hadn’t slipped past. That’s why we hadn’t heard the sound of their snowmachines skirting the edges of town.
They were probably halfway to Goodnews Bay while I crouched in the snow, stalking after shadows.
My stomach turned to lead.
Someone had to meet Fane’s plane in case Jared had gone back. I didn’t have time to find Reinhardt or Gunter. I had to leave now.
The gunshot earlier could have been a misfire. Or maybe one of the four agents Dante had shot earlier hadn’t really been dead. Maybe one of them had managed to get up and fire on the boys.
Warning Fane took priority over investigating, and Noel would show up soon to help.
I turned around, retracing my steps to the next bunkhouse. I skirted the wall and went to round the corner. As I did, a fist flew at my face and rammed me between the eyes. Pain exploded across my forehead and the bridge of my nose. I stumbled backward, blinded by white spots swimming across my vision.
While I struggled to breathe, to see, the fist returned, this time knocking me out. The shadows swallowed me whole.
18
Last Stand
When I came to, the heavens opened up above. A blur of green tinged with white along the edges had joined the light show above. It filled the lower horizon, meeting the wider expanse of crimson.
Green and red. Christmas in the sky.
I was lightheaded, but I couldn’t have been out long. The outer wall of the bunkhouse lay bes
ide me. Snow iced my back. It would have felt good on my aching face.
I sat up slowly and nearly vomited. White spots danced across my vision. Once they dissipated, I got a clear look at the barrel of a gun aimed at my face. My mouth fell open as I took in a gasping breath.
One of Melcher’s soldiers towered over me, gun pointed down. He stood with a wide stance staring me down. The guy couldn’t have been older than twenty-five. He had a buzz cut and no facial hair. His lips formed a grim line.
I blinked the last of the spots away.
“Look, I don’t know what Melcher told you, but he’s not following protocol,” I said. “You can check with Lieutenant Pearlman. Fane’s not the enemy. Neither am I.”
“You’re worse. You’re a traitor,” said a voice from behind the soldier.
Jared rounded the corner and took a stand beside me.
My lips parted and I smiled, relief flooding me. If Jared was here that meant Fane was safe.
“Happy to see me?” Jared asked, his voice laced with amusement. Even silhouetted by the night he managed to look smug.
“Yeah, I’ve been looking for you.” As I started to get to my feet, soldier boy’s gun made contact with my temple.
I stared down the barrel and held my breath.
“Easy does it, commando.” Jared swept the soldier back with his arm. “Let the prisoner get to her feet.”
I picked myself off the ground, eyes on Jared, the soldier, and his gun the whole while. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw the gun and knife I’d been holding earlier had been set beside the wall of the bunkhouse behind the soldier. I rubbed the bridge of my nose and winced.
Jared looked me up and down. “I see my little black bird broke free from her cage.”
“I value my freedom. Go figure,” I said with a wry smile.
Jared returned it with one of his own. “What happened to Henry?”
“I overpowered him,” I said. It was hard not to smile too much when Jared was standing around talking, making it easy for Noel to locate him. Depending on how long I’d been conked out, she could be here or, if she wasn’t, she would be soon.
Jared thought he had me, but I had Jared. I had him right where I wanted him.
He grinned at me. I grinned back. I had never stopped grinning. It felt plastered on my face.
“I don’t think so,” Jared said, kicking at the snow with the tip of his boot. “You were restrained. Someone killed Henry and cut you loose.”
My smile widened.
Jared’s eyes were on my lips, watching them closely rather than my eyes.
“Who was it? Fane?”
I fought back laughter. Even better. He didn’t suspect Fane of flying in after him any longer.
“I know Fane isn’t acting alone,” Jared continued. “Who all is here?”
I stopped smiling, only to press my lips together defiantly.
Jared dropped his smile. He leaned into me in a threatening manner.
“Answer me. Who else is here?”
Melcher’s soldier lurched forward. With the two men closing in, they didn’t notice Noel creeping up from behind. Jared was about to find out who else real quick.
“All right, I’ll tell you!” I yelled to cover the sound of Noel’s approach.
Jared and his backup soldier stared at me expectantly. I tried to think of what else to say without mentioning real names. Then it hit me.
“We’ve got Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Comet; Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.”
Laughter burbled up my throat. My shoulders shook with it.
Jared’s eyebrows slanted over his eyes.
The soldier shook his head. “I must have hit her too hard.”
I didn’t risk looking for Noel.
“And don’t forget Rudolph,” I added with a wide grin. I touched the tip of my nose. “He’s the red-nosed reindeer.”
The soldier jerked his head to the side. “She’s not going to cooperate. We should kill her now.”
Jared’s fingers balled into fists. “I decide when she dies,” he bellowed.
The soldier leaned back. As he did, Noel lifted her gun, aiming for Jared. My breath accelerated. The soldier turned as Noel fired. Her bullet entered the soldier’s shoulder. He gave a grunt before launching himself at Noel. She lifted her gun, but before she could fire another shot, the soldier tackled her to the ground.
A silent scream rose up my throat. Without thinking, I jumped on top of the soldier, going straight for his gun before he could use it on Noel. He tried fighting me for it while struggling with Noel, who clawed at his face, screaming at the top of her lungs. The soldier struggled to keep hold of his weapon. I pounded the back of his head with my fist. His grip loosened, and I wrenched the gun out of his hand just as I was yanked backward.
I swung around, gun pointed, and pulled the trigger, taking a blind shot at Jared. It would have been poetic justice if the bullet had landed in his brain, but Jared had a maddening ability to evade justice every damn time anyone attempted to serve it up. The bullet didn’t even graze him. It cracked in the sky like a firework without colors.
Damn it all to hell.
Jared yanked the gun out of my hand and hit me over the head with the barrel. White spots reappeared and I swayed in place. It wasn’t enough to knock me out, but it was enough to cause temporary disorientation.
Brain blizzard. Not cool.
Jared yanked me against him by the arm, pressing the barrel of the gun against my temple.
“Let’s go, Raven,” he hissed into my ear.
Go? Go where? I thought, still feeling dizzy. What about Noel?
I craned my head around and saw the young soldier on his knees, covering his face with his hands where Noel had clawed him. She crouched on her hands and knees crawling toward the outer wall of the bunkhouse where my small stash of weapons had been set aside.
Jared’s grip tightened around my arm. It helped redistribute pain to another part of my body. I wasn’t sure how much more my head could take. Behind us, Noel yelped in pain. As I pulled away, Jared’s fingers dug into my flesh. He dragged me forward, yanking when I tried to dig in my heels. I was jerked and pulled away from the back of the bunkhouse, forced across the frozen ground to the next house.
Noel gave another cry that made my legs go weak with terror. Jared released my arm, but only so he could push me from behind. As the next bunkhouse loomed before me, Jared shoved me. I stumbled forward and fell to my knees. Rough hands closed in on the back of my head and pulled me up by the hair. Tears ran in rivers down my cheeks, nearly freezing in their tracks as my scalp screamed in agony.
The barrel of the gun returned to my temple as Jared gripped my arm yet again. Somehow the bastard managed to grasp the same spot, bruising my already tender skin.
“Time to cross the road. Call for help and I’ll blow your brains out.”
His voice sounded inhuman.
He pulled me around the bunkhouse. I hated how difficult it was to fight my way free of Jared’s death grip. It was hard enough fighting off a concussion. The throbbing in my head and arm started to subside, fear slipping away replaced by apathy. I tried to hold on to the pain. Anything was better than getting sucked under by unconsciousness.
I walked onto the road in a fog. Jared’s head jerked as he looked around for hidden threats. This did nothing to relieve the pressure of his fingers around my arm or the kiss of the barrel against my temple. The tension only made him press harder.
When we were halfway across the road, Reinhardt and Gunter emerged from around the recreation hall, guns trained on Jared.
“Stop right there!” Reinhardt bellowed.
Pride swelled inside my chest at the authority in the teenager’s voice. There wasn’t a trace of uncertainty or fear. If only Dante could see him now.
Reinhardt headed slowly toward us.
Gunter got into position in front of the hall, keeping his gun raised.
Jared stopped in his tracks, pulling me to a h
alt beside him. He chuckled. I hated how amused he sounded.
“Couple of new recruits, I see. Mere boys. Is this the best Fane can do?” Jared sneered across the road.
“Lower your weapon,” Reinhardt said, coming at us one step at a time.
Jared lowered his gun. Reinhardt came to an abrupt stop, blinking in surprise. His mouth opened. I don’t know what his next words would have been—likely he would have told Jared to drop the gun.
The moment Reinhardt stopped was the moment Jared lifted the gun right back up and fired.
Reinhardt’s body jerked back. He didn’t scream. He was probably dead before he hit the ground. His body landed in a motionless heap in the snow.
My heart rate sped up, trumping the numbness that had begun to settle over me. Adrenaline spikes shot through my veins. Everything felt ready to explode in my chest.
“Run!” I screamed at Gunter, who stood staring slack jawed.
Jared swung the gun around and closed one eye as he took aim. As his grip on me loosened, I threw the weight of my body at Jared, ramming into his stomach. His arm jerked up as he fired, sending the bullet soaring over Gunter’s head. Wood splintered in the wall of the recreation hall as Gunter took off running around the back of the building.
A figure emerged, walking down the road. Jared’s body tensed. The man blew a piercing whistle, and Jared relaxed again.
As he neared, I could make out the camo pants in the darkness. My heart dropped, thinking it was the soldier who had jumped Noel returning triumphant. Thankfully, it was someone else. This soldier wore a black ski cap and held a handgun at his side.
“One of them took off that way,” Jared said, nodding at the recreation hall. “Go after him. And when you’re done, check on your buddy behind the bunkhouse across the street. He might need your help putting down another agency traitor.”
“Copy that,” the soldier said evenly. He walked with wide steps past Reinhardt’s body, which remained motionless in the snow.
Blood pounded in my ears.
“You motherfucker!” I screamed into Jared’s face.
True North (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter, Vol. 6) Page 26