by Ann Jensen
“On if your man realized Viktor sent him into a trap.” She was already packing up her weapon and scooping up her shells.
“Max and Hannibal are heading into a trap?” Avery gave the woman an angry glare. The thought of Max hurt because of her caused her throat to constrict. Damn it, every time she thought she had her feelings under control, something would happen to prove that she didn’t.
“Not really.” Akula stood and started climbing down the ladder at a quick pace.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Avery followed the woman, not wanting her to get away before she had all her questions answered. If Max was in danger, she needed to head after them and see if they could help. This woman’s motorcycle might be her only way to get to him.
“The trap was supposed to be me waiting on a roof to shoot them when they tried to get into Viktor’s house. I am here. So they are safe.”
Avery paused at the bottom of the ladder, trying to process what her new ‘friend’ had said. Max was safe. That was the important part. She took a deep breath as she watched Akula practically slide down the roof and on to the ground. She followed at a much slower pace, her body trembling as the adrenaline wore off.
“I thought you said Viktor was your enemy.” She stood leaning against the house trying to get her body under control as Akula reattached her bag to the bike.
“No, what I said was I wanted him embarrassed then dead.”
“How is that different from being his enemy?”
“We belong to the same family organization. It is complicated.”
Translation, her savior was a member of the same Bratva as Victor. Why would Akula turn on her own organization?
Avery breathed through her nose and tried to remain calm. “So let me get this straight. You were supposed to kill Max and Hannibal when they came to Victor’s house.”
Akula smiled. “Yes.”
“Instead, you came here to protect me.”
“Yes.”
Guess the woman wasn’t in a sharing mood. None of this made sense to Avery. The urge to pull her hair and scream in frustration was building. This woman was obviously an assassin, but for some reason had protected her. It was hard not to be grateful. At the same time, she wanted to smack the shit out of the woman.
“So what now?” Avery was proud her tone was even.
Akula reached into her back pocket and pulled out a phone, and glanced down at it. Was the woman checking for messages? Now?
Whatever she saw must have pleased her, because Akula gave a small smile and nodded. She walked over to her bike and pulled the device she had used earlier to find the bug out of a side pouch. She walked back over to Avery.
“You need to use this to get the bug off your man, otherwise they will be following you everywhere. I don’t think any of the other Brothers still have a tracking device on them. But you should warn them.”
Avery looked down at the device. Shit, every moment that passed made her life feel more and more like a bad spy movie.
“Okay, and what do we do with the bodies?”
The Russian woman smiled. “I’m sure your man has a way to deal with them. I say you search them for anything that might be useful. Then when you talk to Hawk later, you’ll need to tell him some things.”
“What, you’re not going to stick around to talk to your boyfriend?”
“He’s not a boy, and he is so much more than a friend.”
“I’m sure.”
“Tell Hawk that he needs to not trust Andrey. Things are happening in New York. And he needs to be vigilant. I will contact him later.”
“And what about Victor?”
“If I were you I’d kill him because he won’t stop until you are dead.”
“I need him to clear my name and find out who really killed my partner.”
“If you think there’s any evidence left that could clear your name, you are a fool. And if you think he will tell you any information, you’re doubly a fool.”
“Then how am I supposed to prove my innocence?”
“That is not my problem.” She threw her leg over her bike. “Meet me around front.”
She kicked the motorcycle into gear. The sound loud. Avery gritted her teeth and stepped back, allowing the woman to turn the bike around.
Her thoughts were a jumble. Was this a hopeless situation? Was she going to have to remain on the run for the rest of her life? What kind of future was that? Hell, her future had already been confusing enough when she started having feelings for an outlaw biker. Would he be willing to stay with her if she was always on the run?
With her luck, it would be too much baggage, even for him. Akula pulled away, her bike speeding off down the road and Avery realized she wasn’t going slow enough to stop at the front of the house. She started jogging and screamed for her to stop. But it was too late.
Avery surveyed the destruction of the house. The front was riddled with bullet holes, glass broken everywhere Her five attackers laid out like broken dolls in front of their car.
The crazy woman rode off down the road quickly, leaving the mess to her. Fuck, now what was she going to do?
Chapter 22
Relief: (Noun) That feeling when you almost piss yourself after a fucked-up situation.
* * *
Max could taste the adrenaline like acid on the back of his tongue. He swerved through traffic, racing to get back to Avery. Images of her lying dead flickered across his eyes as he tried to coax more speed out of his bike. He had already left Hannibal behind ten minutes ago.
He had left the highway cutting through shortcuts that would get him there much faster. Unfortunately, his Brother’s bike wasn’t customized for speed and off-road like Max’s. It might have been smarter to stick together, but every second might mean the difference between life and death for Cat.
He rode through a dirt trail that bypassed almost five miles of twisting road, dodging trees and debris. He was only a minute or two away from the house when he raced onto the dirt driveway. He couldn’t see the house yet, but he tried to prepare himself for whatever he would find.
It had been stupid not to question their orders. His Dark Sons Brothers weren’t unreasonable. If he had taken five minutes to think, he would have realized Hawk would never have left a woman unguarded.
Racing through the last turn on the dirt road, the sight of an SUV parked in front of the house had his blood chilling. Max pulled a gun from his back, ready for anything. The motherfuckers were still here and would pay for any harm that had come to Cat tenfold.
Screw that. He would see them dead for even trying to hurt her. If he had been thinking straight, he would have stopped a little way down the road and snuck up on the place. But since surprise was no longer an option, he would have to act fast. Max raced past the car, gun extended and ready to fire. He would swing around the side of the home. If no one was back there, he would come in through the back.
Hopefully, his Wildcat had held out this long. There was no one standing between the car and the house. He braked hard and the bike almost skidded out from under him. Wrestling it under control, he stopped. Five men were sprawled out on the ground. From the blood splatter and gore, they were obviously dead.
“Wildcat!” he shouted over the noise of his own motorcycle.
What the fuck was going on? Were the attackers gone, only leaving the dead behind? Heart beating in his ears, he got off his bike. Gun at the ready if there was anyone still alive in the house.
Max looked around. The damage made his stomach drop. They had blown out every window on the front of the house. There were enough bullet holes in the walls that at least some of them had to make it through into the inside.
How could anyone have survived that?
“Max?”
The sound of Avery’s voice sent a thrill through his system. She was alive! Max scanned the area, not seeing his Wildcat anywhere.
“Up here.” Her laughter allowed the last of his tension to flow from his b
ody. “Look up.”
Max looked up and saw Cat sitting perched on what he had thought was a decorative steeple. She had an assault rifle slung across her body in an almost casual manner. In complete contradiction to the surroundings, she had a smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye.
Max couldn’t help but grin back. “I’m guessing they’re all dead?” She nodded, and Max holstered his gun. “What made you think to go up there?”
He was amazed at her creativity. Just imagining the scene had his pulse jumping. The five men should have caught her unaware. How had she had the presence of mind to not only defend herself but take out five obviously well-armed attackers?
“Wasn’t exactly my idea. Let me come down, and I’ll explain it to you.”
He watched as she scrambled down the back side of the roof. Max strode around the side of the house, needing to feel her in his arms. When she started down a rope ladder attached to the gutter of the house, Max couldn’t wait any longer.
He grabbed her by the hips and spun her into his arms. It was awkward at first, as he had to push her rifle out of the way. No amount of oddness would stop him from feeling her body pressed against his.
Hugging her tight, Max inhaled her scent. Felt her breathing against his chest. It didn’t matter how few days they had spent together, how little they knew of each other. Right now, here in this moment, he knew his life would never be the same without her in it.
She tilted her chin up and he took her mouth in a hungry kiss. The sweet taste of her was like a drug. For this woman, he would burn down the world.
Never again would he let anything come between them.
She pulled back slightly, and it took all his willpower to stop the kiss. “How did you know to come back here?” He loved how breathless her words were.
“We caught some idiot tailing us. With a little persuasion, he talked. Once we figured out that the whole thing was a trap, I raced to get back to you.”
She chuckled, and he loved the sound. “There was supposed to be a sniper waiting for you at Victor’s place. I’m glad you figured it out.”
That the trap was for both of them surprised him. How the hell had someone set this up so quickly? Their enemies knew way too much. Had someone betrayed them? The idea that someone within the Dark Sons might have shared information had his gut roiling.
He leaned back and studied her face. “How do you know this? Did you manage to question some of the men who attacked you?”
A look of frustration flashed across Avery’s face. “No, Hawk’s girlfriend stopped by. She’s quite a piece of work.” Max felt her tremble under his hands. “She shared the plan. Victor apparently had some men slip some trackers on us at the motocross rally.”
The thought he had grown so soft he hadn’t noticed trackers was humbling. Confusion and anger swirled inside him. “Hawk doesn’t have a girlfriend.”
Cat shrugged. “She said it was complicated.”
“No, I mean, he’s never been with a woman for more than a single night as far as I know.” Who the hell was the woman who had come to warn Cat?
“Yeah, well, that’s not what she said.”
Max stepped back, his brain trying to process what could have happened. “You’re telling me some woman showed up here claiming to be my President’s girlfriend and you let her in? Then she warned you about the men that were coming. And what, took off?”
He didn’t mean for his words to sound so suspicious, but he could tell by the flare of anger in her eyes that she wasn’t happy with him. She stepped back and crossed her arms, putting more distance between them he didn’t want.
“Yes, I’m telling you. That a badass chick showed up here. Claimed to be Hawk’s booty call. Said she was an assassin hired to shoot you and Hannibal but didn’t want to upset the big guy. Then she dragged me up to the roof, helped to take out five men sent here to kill me. Then took off on her bike.” She pulled a black box out from her back pocket that looked like a bug sweeper. “Oh, and she gave me this.”
Cat thrust the box into his chest while he tried to wrap his brain around what she had said.
Max step forward and cupped Cat’s cheek. “I’m not doubting you, baby. This is a lot to take in.”
She snorted, the sound too cute for the woman. “Tell me about it.”
He held her face, wanting to lose himself in her gorgeous eyes. “I don’t know what I would have done. If they’d killed you.”
Max didn’t like the look of guilt that filled his beautiful warrior’s face. “Your life would be a lot easier if I wasn’t in it.”
“I don’t want to hear that shit. I already told you, you’re mine.”
“Max. You can’t keep saying things like that. You don’t know what’s gonna happen. I might never be able to clear my name.”
“You think I would give a shit about that?” He tipped her face up. “You are mine. If there’s a way to clear your name, I’ll find it. If there isn’t, then who the fuck cares. But whatever we do, we’ll do it together.”
He didn’t like the sight of tears shimmering in her eyes. But he knew his words were getting through to her.
“You really mean that, don’t you?”
The sound of a motorcycle approaching at speed broke up their tender moment. Max grabbed Cat’s hand and together they walked around to the front of the house to see Hannibal pull up. He parked next to Max’s bike.
“Well damn. Is this your work, Max?” Hannibal gestured to the dead men then at the house.
Max shook his head. “Sorry about the house.”
Hannibal ran a hand over the top of his skull. “Ink’s gonna be pissed. But it looks like it’s all fixable. Did you call Clean yet?”
“Not yet. I am still trying to figure out what went on here.”
“What did go on here?” Hannibal looked over at the five dead men on the ground, then back at the house as if trying to recreate the action in his head. As an ex-sniper for The Rangers, Max thought he probably had the skills to figure it out. After a minute, the man smiled and looked over at Cat.
“Did you use my sniper perch?” The man didn’t wait for an answer. He was intent on studying the bodies laid out on the ground “Some of these look like they were taken out with a high-powered rifle. Something I didn’t leave with you.”
Cat shrugged. “It’s complicated. The short version is I had some help, but she’s gone now.”
“She?” Hannibal’s raised eyebrow was a challenge, but Max was proud to see Cat didn’t immediately lash out.
“Yeah, she. A woman named Akula said she was Hawk’s girlfriend. It’s a long story. Do you guys think we should still be hanging out here?”
Max nodded. “You are right, Wildcat. Let me just send my Brother Clean a message and we’ll get out of here. Then we need to figure out who this woman was and why she helped you.”
Chapter 23
Life isn’t fair. You aren’t perfect. Accept those two truths and you’ll be fucking golden.
* * *
The hour-long drive to a secret mountain cabin gave Avery way too much time to think. Akula’s words played over in her mind, eroding her confidence. What if there wasn’t any evidence to prove her innocence? And if there wasn’t, what was she going to do?
A lifetime spent on the run would be a nightmare. Having to change her name, always wondering when she would be caught, and never being safe was a reality she didn’t want to live. But going back to jail, having to dodge assassins for the rest of her life, however short it would be, was even worse.
She’d never been the type of person to give up the fight, no matter how hard. Nate had been her only friend, and he’d paid for that mistake with his life. She needed not only to find the person who killed her partner but also to make them pay. Avery owed him that much.
She also needed to take Victor down. Leaving a snake in the grass like him free wasn’t acceptable. The amount of damage he could do in his position to other innocent people was unfathomable. But would anyone
believe her? Even if she proved she didn’t commit the crimes she was accused of, the taint of doubt would always be there. Who would ever trust her again?
The temptation to walk away was almost overwhelming. She could ride off into the sunset with Max and start over. Now, wasn’t that a crazy idea? Her dreams had definitely changed over the last year.
She had never wanted the usual fantasy of a house with a white picket fence. Hell, she hadn’t even dreamed the more modern ideal of being part of a power couple who lived in a high-rise condo. All she had ever wanted was to make a difference in the world. To be part of what made this country safe for those with idealistic dreams.
Now that was all gone. What small amount of faith she’d held in the system was shattered. The world was a fucked up place. Good and bad were only black and white when you were a child. The grown up world contained nothing but shades of gray. These thoughts were a waste of time.
The only thing she could hope for was the closure of finding out the truth. It was a simple plan. Find out who killed her partner, and expose Victor. It wouldn’t be easy, but even if it meant giving up her own life, she would find a way.
Avery was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed they had reached their destination until the motorcycle shut off. Deep in the woods of the mountains, she had no clue as to their location in relation to any sort of civilization. Max had parked them in front of something that she might generously call a shack.
The one story wooden building was barely big enough to be called a house. Everything about the place screamed, crazy mountain man. She had never believed she was a city girl until now. The thought that the place might be infested with all sorts of wild animals or bugs made her skin crawl. Was there even enough room in that place for an inside bathroom?
After sitting for a few seconds, the bike turned off, and she knew it was time to move. Her muscles screamed in protest as she swung off and tried to get her balance on the forest floor. She had never really realized how many muscles it took to ride on the back of a motorcycle.