Chapter 14: Jack

I meant it when I told Ruth the next twenty-four hours were going to be hairy. I can predict exactly what's going to happen. Mike and Lexi will return to the cabin. Diego and Lenny will show up shortly after, around dawn. And sometime tomorrow evening, after darkness falls, the Yevgeny crowd will arrive with the intention of killing me, as well as anyone with me. That puts not only my guys at risk, but Ruth as well.

I'd give anything to be able to talk my team into leaving while there's still time, but I know my pleas will fall on deaf ears. Just as Ruth refuses to leave town. Stubborn folks, all of them. But I guess I can't blame them as I'd do the same for any of them.

It's going to be a long night, so I put on a pot of coffee. All of the interior lights are off. The windows and doors are locked. The curtains are drawn, except for those hanging in the front living room window. Those are wide open, giving me a wide-angle view of the front of the cabin. From my vantage point in the living room, I'll be able to see any vehicles coming up the drive. I can also spot anyone trying to sneak up to the front of the cabin.

Earlier this evening, I'd gone out to the barn to scout around and was gratified to find a second story loft at the east end of the structure, with a small window that provides the perfect line of sight across the clearing to the lane. From there, any one of us could hunker down with a sniper rifle and provide some serious support. It'll have to be Mike, as next to me, he's our best sharpshooter. I can't do it because I need to stay close to Ruth. Diego would be my next choice, but I don't want him up there in the sniper's box. I want him on the ground where I can keep an eye on him. He and Lenny are our two possible snitches.

Diego Ramirez served in the US Marine Corps for ten years. Lenny Maxwell was an Army Green Beret with just as much experience. I've known Lenny for years. Diego is new to the group. He joined just eighteen months ago. I suspect one of them has been selling intel on me to Yevgeny. The alternatives are Mike and Aleksa, which I just can't accept. If I'm wrong, though, it could get me killed. It could get all of us killed. Including Ruth.

I haven't completely given up hope that I can talk Ruth into leaving town, or at least leaving the cabin. Maybe she'd consider staying with her friends at The Lodge for a few days, or maybe with her brother. I'll try talking some sense into her in the morning.

I'm on my second cup of strong, black coffee when I hear Ruth's bedroom door open. She walks into the living room, barefoot and dressed in gray flannel lounge pants and a form-fitting white tank top that reveals her muscular arms and hugs her firm breasts. Her skin is a gorgeous shade of light brown.

My dick stirs at the sight of her, undoubtedly remembering what we did together last night, and again early this morning.

"I can't sleep," she says as she sits on the arm of the sofa, just feet away from me. She peers out the window at the moonlit clearing. "Everything quiet out there?"

"The calm before the storm, yeah. Hey, I made coffee." I nod toward the kitchen.

She smiles but shakes her head. "I came to get an update."

"Mike and Lexi are on their way back. ETA one hour."

"They succeeded in doing what they set out to do?"

I nod. "Mission accomplished." When she frowns, I remind her that the guy I offed had orders to kill both of us. "So they know you're here. You're a target now. That's why I want you to leave. It's too late for me to move the party elsewhere. This property is the last known location for the scout. They're going to come here regardless of where I am."

She runs her hands up and down her bare arms. "This feels so unreal."

"I assure you it's real. It's going to get really real when the bullets start flying." I turn to look her in the eye. "When Yevgeny's men arrive, I want you holed up in the bathroom. It's the safest room in the cabin—interior with no windows. I want you to lock yourself in there and stay put until the coast is clear. Take your handgun and shotgun with you."

"This isn't anything new for you, is it?" she asks. "A life and death situation, I mean. You're used to it."

"I spent the past two decades of my life right in the middle of shit like this."

She's quiet a moment. Finally, she says, "I owe you an apology, Jack, for being so bitchy to you. I was angry—upset—but that's no excuse."

"There's no need to apologize. I understand."

"It's just that I thought you were leaving. When I agreed to have sex with you—hell, I'm the one who initiated it—I did it thinking you were leaving."

"Are you saying you wouldn't have slept with me if you knew I was going to hang around?" That's a new one. In my experience, women bitch at guys for leaving.

"Yes." She gets up to check the wood stove, stirs the embers, and adds another log. "It wasn't so complicated when I thought you weren't staying. Now, well, everything's changed."

I figure I might as well put my cards on the table. "Ruth, I slept with you because I wanted you. I like you, a lot. It wasn't just a one-night stand for me."

She smiles. "I know." She sighs. "To be honest, I wanted you, too. Badly."

"But?"

"But, I'm not looking for a relationship. You weren't supposed to still be here."

I bite back a chuckle. "Well, the situation changed on me. My plans changed." I get up and walk to the kitchen to refill my cup. "Why are you so dead set against a relationship?"

"I was married once, and it ended badly. A few years later, against my better judgment, I tried again, but it ended just as badly. Fortunately, that time, I wasn't stupid enough to marry him."

"Maybe you just haven't met the right guy." I smile. "Maybe the third time's the charm."

"I'm not holding my breath." She gazes out the window at the front yard cloaked in darkness and shadows. "Apparently, and I'm quoting here," she says, "I'm too strong-willed. I'm difficult. I'm a ballbuster."

I can't help laughing. "Who said this? Your husband?"

"Pretty much every man I've ever dated."

"Then you're dating the wrong men. They were intimidated by you, Ruth. They resented your strength. You threatened their sense of power or dominance. You challenged their authority. But you know, some of us actually admire strong women. I, for one, do."

"I don't need a man," she says. "I do just fine on my own. I have a successful business, I own my own home, and I can deal with my own spiders."

I smile at that last bit. "I know you don't need a man, but maybe it's okay to want one. Maybe there's room in your life for one who respects your independence and your boundaries."

She gives me a wry glance. "Don't talk to me of boundaries, pal."

"Okay, point taken. But still."

When she opens her mouth to reply, the sound of tires approaching on the gravel diverts our attention to the front window.

I reach for my rifle as I wait to get a look at the vehicle. When I see the make and model of the black SUV with Kansas license plates, I stand down. "It's okay. It's just Mike and Lexi." I check my watch. "They made good time getting back."

Lexi parks the SUV across the yard from the cabin, perpendicular to the tree line to create a barrier between the lane and the barn.

I meet them at the door. "How'd it go?"

"It's done," Mike says as he walks into the cabin. "It'll be a long time before anyone finds anything, if ever. And there sure won't be any physical evidence left at that point."

I nod. "Good."

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Mike asks me. "I'll take over watch duty." He looks at Ruth. "You, too, ma'am. You should try to get some sleep. You're going to need it."

Ruth retreats to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"Anything to report?" Lexi asks me.

"No," I say. "It's been quiet. I don't think they'll show up before nightfall."

"We'll be ready," Mike says. "We can deploy motion sensors around the property in the morning. They won't be able to sneak up on us."

Standing by the front window, I point up at the window on the second story of the barn, overlooking the yard. "That's our best vantage point for a sharpshooter."

Mike nods. "I'll do it." He lays his hand on my shoulder. "Go get some sleep. Lexi and I will split up watch duty for the next few hours."

"Just don't shoot Diego and Lenny when they arrive," I say, chuckling. "We need all the help we can get."

I leave everything in Mike and Lexi's hands, hit the john, brush my teeth, and then walk into the guest bedroom. It's pretty barebones, but comfortable.

I crash on the mattress, lying on my back. Thanks to all the caffeine, I'm a bit buzzed. I don't think I could sleep even if I weren't. Ruth's words keep replaying in my head. It infuriates me that men have criticized her for being too strong. I see a strong woman as an asset, and men who don't are weak and easily intimidated.

At some point, I must have dozed off, because the next thing I know, sunrise is filtering through the curtains, and I hear quiet voices coming from the living room. I check the time—it's seven already.

I leave the bedroom and find Diego and Lenny in the kitchen, drinking coffee. "Hey, guys. Thanks for coming."

Diego approaches first, his hand out. "Long time, no see, pal," he says, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me into a quick embrace.

"Good to see you, too, Diego."

Lenny steps forward, offering me a lopsided grin as he pulls me in for a bear hug. "I've missed you, man. How about you come back to the team after this is over? It's not the same without you."

I have to admit, the thought of all five of us together again feels good. But I'm not going back. I left that life for a reason, a good reason. I want to put down roots. I want a family. I want to deserve that. "Thanks for coming, guys. Thanks to all of you. I really appreciate the help. I can't do this alone."

Ruth's bedroom door opens, and she walks out dressed in jeans and a burgundy sweatshirt with a Ruth's Tavern logo on it. She pauses as she scans the new arrivals.

"Guys, this is Ruth," I say. "This is her cabin. Ruth, allow me to introduce you to Lenny and Diego, two of my former teammates."

Ruth shakes their hands. "Welcome. Now, how about some breakfast?"