Chapter 26

Styx

A full minute before the plane touched down on the runway, I could tell the island was under attack. Or maybe I just sensed it as I always did. As soon as it landed, I had two different weapons in my hands, another strapped to my shoulder as well as my usual hunting knife ready.

It was time to go hunting.

My way.

"Jesus. I can't get in touch with anyone at the house or at the communication station," Axe growled.

"Fuck. Fuck!" This was the most rage I'd felt my entire life. There'd only been one other time I'd felt this… savage. And I refused to think about the night Mary and Josh died. Not again. Yet my anger was also being internalized. How could I not know that after all this time, Chase has chosen to betray our… relationship.

He'd obviously been friends with Gideon for years. If the man wasn't stopped, Gideon wouldn't be charged after all. If I had to venture a wretched guess, I'd say the entire situation would be turned out so that I was to blame.

However, my life didn't matter. All I could think about was getting to Emily. My angel. My little sparrow.

My salvation.

She was everything good in the world, softness and kindness. She certainly didn't deserve to be born into this life. The pilot cut the engine, wind already howling against the windows.

The storm was horrific, adding to the danger, but that didn't matter in the least.

"We will find them." Maybe I was trying to convince myself we would get through this shitstorm. When I hunted down the bastard, and I would, he would face the kind of horror that he'd never experienced in a single nightmare.

"I'm right behind you, boss." Axe had an arsenal of weapons attached to his body, the man capable of handling four or more enemies with ease.

As soon as the door was opened, I bolted outside, seeing headlights from an approaching vehicle. I rushed down the stairs, jumping onto the ground, leveling my weapon at whoever was headed in my direction. "Find out what we're dealing with," I yelled over the rocky thunder. The damn island could have the most horrific storms I'd ever experienced, ten times worse than in Boston.

I was already drenched but it didn't matter. I felt nothing but fury. Thankfully, the power was still on, although I knew the satellite had been knocked out, communications nonexistent. That was par for the course. And something Chase would know how to do given some of the buddies he'd served with in the Marines.

Axe rushed away just as the Jeep approached, Rico tumbling out the second after he shoved it into park, jogging forward.

"Thank God, you're here," he said. I could tell by the pained look on his face he'd been shot.

"Where is fucking Chase?"

"You know." He took several gasping breaths, the man injured.

"Yeah, Axe figured it out. He purchased one of the planes and was stupid enough to do what he thought was a clandestine flight plan."

"Fuck. I think he's taken the house. This is a full military operation, but one of the helicopters they used was torched by our guys before they were killed. They have one that's operational, with heavy-duty weapons. I haven't seen Chase. Just a bunch of masked men. Satellites were taken out, the security system after that."

This had been planned for a long time.

With Chase's military background, it had been much easier for him to locate the island. A long time before, I'd considered exterminating the man, instead keeping him around thinking he could prove useful. I'd need to warn my brothers that the man might have directed some unwanted attention their way. This was a single mistake but one that could be more deadly than all the others I could have committed.

However, I had every intention of eliminating the issue once and for all.

"And Emily? Where the fuck is Emily?"

"She was alone at the house," Rico said. "I was forced to send her into the woods or the girl would have been captured in the raid on the house. But she was looking for me to warn me. She knows."

Dear God, no. The fucking woods. I hadn't lied about the booby-traps. There were dozens of them. I scanned the area, hearing a single gunshot. "How many soldiers did you take out?"

"I don't know. We've resorted to walkie-talkies, but the reports are sketchy. Maybe six or seven. But they have at least double that. What do you want to do? You know they heard the plane coming in."

"Send at least two men to the coordinates where you sent Emily so they can take her to safety. We're heading to the house. I will take care of the fucking bastard." Without taking Chase and his men out, we could be sitting ducks or worse. With military helicopters, they were equipped with the kind of weapons that could take out the entire compound if they wanted. What they were looking for was Emily.

But they couldn't have her.

At least there was a secondary secure building, but it was on the other side of the island. That had been done on purpose.

"I don't know how many of us are left," Rico admitted. "They have fucking cannons, for God's sake."

"We make do with what we have. No one is going to hurt her. And no one is taking my goddamn island. Let's get moving."

Axe followed us to the Jeep, all three of us jumping in. He wasted no time, taking a route that was only to be used in case of an attack. Rico had piled additional weapons into the back of the vehicle, enough to start a fucking war. There were no additional shots fired, three of remaining men already surrounding the house, two others headed into the woods to locate Emily.

Rico pulled the Jeep to the outskirts of the main house, cutting the lights and the engine. We were undoubtedly being lured like prey. That had never stopped me before. There was too much at stake and it was all about the light to my darkness, the woman I'd promised to protect and I intended on keeping that promise come hell or high water.

"Axe. Go find the other men and enter through the rear. Rico and I will head in through the fucking front door."

"Will do. Take care of yourself, boss. You got a wedding to plan." Axe rushed into the shadows.

"A wedding?" Rico huffed. "You leave for two days and everything changes."

"Not everything. The damn treachery continues."

We were very careful in our actions, the only sound that of the rain pattering against the roof and the wind blowing through the trees. Once at the front door, I glanced up at the dark camera, smirking just in case. The door was unlocked as I'd expected, allowing for easy entrance. I had a feeling the man had taken up camp inside my office.

Rico was directly behind me as we headed through the house, my Capo keeping watch on my back. The quiet was eerie as fuck, which I loathed. When we were a couple of doors away, I grinned, feeling Talon's heated existence burning within me. I wanted this shit over within a matter of minutes. It was non-negotiable.

I kicked in the door, hopefully bringing a slight element of surprise. Whether or not I had remained to be seen, but with my high back leather office chair turned around facing the window, I wondered if the man seated knew that Axe had a clear shot and would take it if necessary.

There were four men in the room, the odds not in our favor but that had also never stopped me before.

"Hello, Chase," I said quietly, as if I didn't have a care in the world.

He took a full five seconds before spinning around to face me. In one hand was a Cuban cigar he'd plucked from my humidor. In the other was a brandy snifter, undoubtedly filled with my very expensive Courvoisier. That alone was grounds for termination.

After taking a couple of puffs, Chase finally addressed me, the look of amusement as if he'd won the battle already making me see red. "About time you showed up, my friend. How've you been? I noticed you were a busy boy taking out your worst enemies, or at least most of them. You just underestimated your most dangerous enemy."

I wanted to laugh. He thought he was the most dangerous? It would be like child's play to end his motherfucking life.

"You were the one who put out a hit on your buddy's daughter. Weren't you? What did Gideon do, piss in your Wheaties?"

Snorting, he gave a quick glance to Rico. "Well, Gideon was starting to breathe down my neck and when he told me he was planning on running for the same office I'd already announced, well, I couldn't allow him to take away my glory. He always thought he was better than I was. I had plans on putting a bullet in the man's brain until you pulled that little stunt. Shame on you. I would have allowed you to keep your prize had you not done that."

"Here I thought I'm the deranged one. You're completely nuts if you really think you could get away with such bullshit."

"I not only think it. I know it. While I've been forced to have Gideon arrested, altering my plans, that doesn't mean he won't die a horrible death behind bars at my direction. He'll suffer. I'll watch then act like it's a horrible crime."

"And I would care why?" I could feel Axe and the other men were right outside, knowing to wait until I gave the sign in need of their assistance.

"Oh, I'm certain you don't. It's a shame you couldn't come to me. Maybe we could have worked something out."

He was enjoying playing a game. "What is it that you want, other than my death of course?"

"Want? It's what I'm going to give you before I put a bullet in your brain. I figure our special… relationship means you deserve that."

"My, oh, my. You're afraid of me."

He laughed again, but there was a distinctly different sound to his tone that I couldn't put my finger on.

"You've simply become an attachment that I won't tolerate since I will be the front runner for the nomination in the next few months. Some would say your very existence was a threat to me. In case you haven't figured it out. I will be the next president of the United States."

"You're forgetting one vital thing, my friend. I have some pertinent information that will be released from my attorney to the FBI and to members of the press if anything should happen to me."

He laughed and slapped his hand on the desk. "I assure you that I've already taken steps to discredit you. Soon, people will know about the notorious Talon and his ugly deeds. And I think you're going to want to learn some news before you make the determination."

At least the person responsible for telling Mickey about my true identity had been revealed.

I could tell the man was getting angry. Why not push him a little further? I took two giant steps forward and the three bastards he was with directed their weapons at my chest. Bully for them. "What news do you have to tell that would matter to me in the least?"

He stood, taking another puff before stubbing out the bright red end of the cigar on my desk. Fuck the bastard. I couldn't care less about things. "I know who killed your wife and son."

I don't know what I was expecting but that wasn't it. My wife's death had been only a year or so after Emily's mom had been killed. My father had been openly brandishing his brutal power, my two brothers along with my father actively challenging our enemies while thwarting the police.

Or so we'd believed.

My father had developed more enemies than I could count, including Gideon. At the time, Martin had gained more power over the Boston police than my father had simply because his actions were more brutal, including refusing to grease any palms, something Gideon had excelled at.

I shifted my gaze outside as I tried to think things through. And in those few moments, I remembered a conversation I'd overheard, one that involved an unknown player. It had been a threat made to the family when we least expected it. Of course, I'd mistakenly believed that I wasn't included since I'd been out of the business for years.

When I lifted my gaze once again, his smile was all I needed to confirm what I'd been too fucked up to see before.

"You!" I hissed. There was a startling change in my body temperature, my vision suddenly cloudy.

He nodded, as gleeful as could be, thoroughly happy that he'd managed to shock me. I did what I could to resist pulling the trigger just yet. I even lowered the weapon, watching his soldiers who were eyeing me carefully.

"Yes, me. Surprised? Now, I will admit that Gideon had a hand in making the suggestion. But he wanted it off the books so to speak. At that point, we were still good friends. Then I find out he's nothing but a fucking traitor."

As he babbled on about what he'd done, my thoughts drifted to Mary. Her laugh. Her face. The giggles of my son. And a cold shiver trickled down my spine a split second before there would be no way of holding me back. The moment I lifted the weapon, I pulled the trigger several times.

But so did his three men.

Bullets came from almost every direction, several slamming into me as I bellowed not from pain but rage. As I was pitched right then left, everything slipping into slow motion, a bright light appeared in my periphery of vision. The sweetest images of the life I'd shared, the one I'd lost spiraled out of control, allowing me to see a moment of peace and Mary's outstretched hand. As if she'd been waiting for me.

As the sounds of continued gunfire began to fade, I hit the floor.

The rush of memories was gut-wrenching.

Meeting Mary.

Our first date.

Asking her to marry me.

Our first Christmas.

The birth of our son.

His first birthday.

Then flames…

I closed my eyes, the sounds fading away until all I could hear was the slowing beat of my heart.

And Mary's voice as she whispered into my ear.

"You'll always be in my heart as I will be in yours. Emily loves you. She needs you. Go to her."

Then there was a flash, my angel was right there in the forefront of my mind. My sweet Emily. She needed me. She was my everything… I would save…

Emily

I pounded my fist against the slick mud sliding down the walls of the pit. "Styx. Where are you? Styx…" Sobs rushed into my system. I had a terrible feeling he was already dead, shot to death. I felt it in my bones. No. No…

My voice was as weak as my muscles, my body continuing to shiver. No one was coming to save me.

After taking several additional deep breaths, I was determined to climb my way out. I clawed at the mud as I'd done before, thrusting my feet into the muck in hopes of finding a rock, a stump, anything could put my foot on to hoist myself up.

After three more tries, I was ready to give up. Something sparked in me once again and I moved to another location, repeating the exercise. Do it. Do it. Do it. I gasped for joy when my foot landed on something. I took another deep breath, shoved my hand into the mud and fought my way up by a couple of feet. I tried another time, certain I'd found a second stump.

As soon as I tried to move again, I tumbled down, landing on my butt. Tears sprang to my eyes, the realization that I wasn't getting out finally kicking in. I folded my knees against my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs, taking a few seconds to sob. I was a fighter, yet I couldn't do it any longer. I didn't have the strength.

No. No. No.

When I heard a noise a few seconds later, I struggled to my feet, ready to call out for help when the little voice told me to keep my mouth shut. Styx would know the location of the hole but if I called out and it was one of the enemies, then I was a dead woman. Oh, God. What was I supposed to do?

He's dead. No one is coming to save you.

Shut up, little voice.

I peered up, thankful the rain was starting to let up, but with no moon, it was impossible to see anything. My mouth and throat were tight, my nerves on edge and it seemed like a full five minutes passed hearing nothing.

But the next sound was unbelievable. A growl. A series of shivers rushed down my spine. While I was no expert on wild animals, I'd say it was a coyote or a bobcat. I slunk back, barely able to breathe.

When the growl sounded as if it was coming closer, I knew in my heart the beast had gathered my scent. I sensed the creature's presence and could tell he was pawing the ground, taking a deep whiff of his prey.

I had one choice, one moment of control. I was a dead woman anyway. I let off a bloodcurdling scream.

A strange foreboding sense rushed into my system seconds before the beast issued a bellow. It was a bobcat. I was positive of it. And it was getting ready to claim his dinner.

As I backed all the way against the muddy wall, I allowed the tears to fall.

A rush of air.

A group of sounds.

A cry so pitiful that I covered my ears.

A rustle of activity.

Another scream I let off.

And finally, a sharp cry of anguish followed by silence.

As I stood shivering, a bright light blinded me, voices surrounding the hole. Then the beast was tossed into the pit beside me, his neck obviously snapped in two. I stood gaping in horror and joy, barely able to catch my breath.

"No. No. No! Who's up there?" I whispered, the racking sobs taking what was left of my strength.

And the moment someone jumped into the hole, my legs almost gave out.

"No. Please," I whimpered. "Don't hurt me."

"Baby. I found you. I have you." As strong arms were wrapped around me, a heated body crushed against mine, I didn't just recognize the man's voice but his incredible scent as well.

"I thought you were dead. I knew it. I felt it."

Styx chuckled, the sound full of exhaustion. "If I hadn't worn the bulletproof vest, I would be. But my ghost would have protected you. Nothing will ever keep me from you. Nothing and no one."

"You saved me," I managed, pushing away from him. I wanted to see his face, his eyes. And I did and it was the best vision in the world. I was shocked and horrified, grateful and tingling all over. He was here. He was alive. He was my hero.

He cupped both sides of my face, his chest heaving as he lowered his head. "You're safe now, baby. Safe."

Styx was here. He was alive and he'd saved me. I repeated it over and over again like a mantra, still finding it hard to process everything that had occurred. As he crushed his mouth over mine, I clung to him with everything I had left in my shaking body.

I never wanted to be away from him again.

My stalker.

My lover.

My savior.