35. Roni

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

It's happening.

I'd hoped we were wrong and we'd have another day. I wasn't ready for the battle of my life. Well, I was—but not, at the same time.

I watched in silent terror as several men started hiking up the path to the cabin. And from the looks of it, they were unified. It wasn't a free-for-all to see who could get up the path to the cliff first. They took their time, knowing they had the numbers. Just as predicted, the leader of the Geneva Project was with the group. For him this was personal, and he was here himself to make sure I wouldn't slip through his fingers. I was his Hail Mary. Without me, his plans fell apart, as stupid as they were. It didn't matter if his plan was never going to work with my cooperation; that's not the issue here. His group was never going to have enough backing to support a coup, and my death couldn't cause the destruction of the country. Even if my dad fell apart at my death, everything else would continue on as normal. But they were desperate to come into power, and desperate people took desperate measures.

With Diego's friends hiding out in the woods in front of the house, Diego and I appeared vulnerable. Just looking at the numbers heading toward the cliff, I knew we were about to fight for our lives.

I thought of Diego and felt nothing but fear for him. He'd rather die trying to keep me safe than let me go with them. I was the mission, after all, and he'd always complete the mission, no matter the price. But now that his friends were brought into the mix, there was a very real possibility that he could lose one of them, and I'd be at fault.

I wasn't sure if he'd ever forgive me for something like that.

Today was the day.

We were either fucked, or we'd win. Whatever the outcome—hopefully the latter—I was going to have to do something. First thing was first: I had to find Diego and warn him, and then I'd have to signal to the others to be prepared.

I quietly tore myself away from my hiding spot and around the side of the house and to the front where he was working on the firewood.

I pumped my arms, willing my legs to go faster. We were lucky enough to have a few seconds head start.

"We've got to go! They're here, and there's way too many of them here to have split up to flank us," I whispered harshly to Diego. I snatched his hand out of the air and started tugging.

"So we've got the full assault coming at us?" His eyes were hard, focused on our odds.

I nodded.

"Fuck. We've got to get to the others, or we don't stand a chance."

He took off like a rocket for the woods, dragging me with him. He didn't miss a beat, matching my stride so as not to cause me to fall. His breath was even, controlled—unlike my labored breathing. I despised running.

We looked behind us, and the group had crested the path, some looking absolutely furious. They must have found some of our traps.

He pulled me to a stop behind a large tree, the force nearly tugging my arm out of the socket. "No, we're never going to make it to them in time." His eyes hardened from worry to quiet fury. "Keep going, and don't stop for anything. Set off the signal, and then run for them. There's safety for you in numbers. When you get too exhausted…continue anyways." His words were rushed and filled with urgency.

My heart sank, even though I knew his hero instincts would kick in. "No!" I shook my head venomously. "Absolutely not!" We were safer together; we could make it to his friends together.

He grabbed my face and held my head still. His eyes stared deeply into mine. His jaw was set, and he was determined. The fury settled some, but not much. "Roni, I'm going to give you your best shot of making it out of here." He shoved his burner phone in my jacket pocket as he finished speaking.

Even though I knew this was coming, it didn't make the situation feel any less desperate and dangerous. It didn't mean that this goodbye hurt any less. In fact, it hurt more, because this really could be the end for him. As soon as they didn't find me with him, they could kill him.

I held back a sob. I didn't want him sacrificing himself for me, and I didn't want to say goodbye. I wanted to curl up on the floor in a cocoon of blankets with him, enjoying the warmth of a fire.

The Geneva Project marched in like an army, and already they were splitting off, heading into the woods as some of them busted in the front door of the house to search it. How did one man stand a chance against all of them? I had to have faith—which was hard for me. It's not like humankind had done anything to prove to me that this would all work out. If anything, it'd demonstrated just how against me the universe seemed to be.

Right now, none of that mattered. I was going to help Diego, whether he liked it or not. I was sure the answer would be not.

I nodded my head, because he was still staring into my eyes, silently demanding that I follow his order. He lowered his face down to mine for a quick, passionate kiss before he grabbed my shoulders, spun me, and pointed me east, toward the signal.

I turned to look back over my shoulder and saw him sprinting back to the house like the flames of Hell were on his heels. He likely only had seconds before the Geneva Project goons would descend upon him. I might not know everything about Diego, but I knew he could be counted on for one thing—to protect my best interest. He was going to do what he could to distract them and give me as much time as he could. I knew he'd take down as many of them as he could, and he'd go down swinging.

He was going to make it out of this with me. I'd make sure of it.

I ran through the woods, following the markers we set out. My lungs burned by the time I got there. I dropped to my knees, my fingers fumbling with the lighter.

Focus, Roni. Get the stupid thing lit.

The shaking of my hands settled just slightly, and I lit the signal. In seconds, there was a cloud of smoke billowing up into the air. I pulled myself back to my feet, and instead of heading to the others, I followed my tracks, heading back to the house.

I was so fucking glad I had multiple bows in the surrounding woods. The idea was to always have a weapon and a backup nearby. I jumped off the path and made my way to the hollowed-out log that held my second bow.

Pick up your feet. Don't fall, Roni.

When I saw the log, I dropped to my knees and slid toward it. I wrapped my fingers around the bow and the quiver of arrows and allowed myself one deep breath in celebration before I shoved myself to my feet and moved through the woods, back toward the house, but off the trail. I needed to remain in cover, hidden to best help Diego, or it was all over until his friends could get to us, but by then it'd likely be too late.

I made a wide perimeter around the house, searching for the perch with the best positioning. I was so glad that I'd taken the time to hunt for them a few days ago and memorize where they were. Now I understood Diego's reasoning for wanting to stay: the home field advantage.

I pulled myself up into the branches. Perched twenty feet high, I had a good vantage point. Shouts in the direction of the cabin pulled my attention there. I looked on in horror as the small army rushed toward Diego. Some of them looked jacked; they would easily outweigh Diego. The first knocked him to the ground as his attention was diverted to the gun pointed at him. Their shouts echoed through the forest and were distorted by the sound of a gentle breeze rustling the leaves. I wished I could have heard what was being said.

I pulled an arrow from the quiver and notched it. I took a deep breath to prepare myself. I was going to take more lives, and that was going to fuck me up mentally at some point. But Diego was the only important soul in that large crowd, and I'd protect him at any cost, just as he's doing for me. My loyalty was earned, and when it was, it's there until my dying day—which was possibly today. It didn't matter what the emotional fall out would be if we survived today, Diego would help me get through it.

I released the arrow, and it went flying through the air and landed right on target. The man who held Diego at gunpoint dropped the Glock in his hand. My arrow went completely through his hand, and he screamed out in pain. I notched another arrow for the kill shot and aimed toward his neck.

My heart raced, and I hesitated. You can do this. You're already a murderer. What's one more notch in that belt?

I was just about to release the arrow when Diego pulled himself off the ground and charged a different man, knocking him into Mr. Arrow-hand. They all fell over, and the force of the fall caused the man Diego charged at to be impaled by the arrow sticking out of the other man's hand. Mr. Arrow-hand's head was smashed on a rock.

A two-for-one special.

Diego stared at the arrow, and I knew he knew I was nearby, that I didn't listen.

Oh well. I was going to save his stubborn ass.

He didn't acknowledge me, more than likely for my safety. I was going to get an earful from him when this was over, but I'd accept that happily; maybe it would lead to some good make-up sex.

I could only imagine how intense it would be after what's about to happen next.

Diego rejoined the fight as two more men rushed him with knives, and they appeared to be very skilled in their handling. They were agile, fast, and showed off by spinning the blades around in their hands like some sort of performer. They were crouched low, on the defensive. One sliced his knife through the air, and blood soaked through the chest of Diego's shirt. I notched an arrow and sent it through the man's neck without an ounce of remorse. It was funny how one action changed my mindset completely.

The man was toast, and I didn't care. In fact, I felt alive.

Fierce. Lethal.

The playing field was at least even for Diego as he took on the second knife guy. I let arrow after arrow fly into the crowd that couldn't get to Diego because there wasn't enough room, but they formed a large, loose circle around him—making it easy to start picking them off.

They shouted as they realized what was happening, and they quickly began to disperse, trying to save their own lives. It was obvious I wasn't right there, and standing out in the open while some of the group took on Diego was pointless.

Too much risk for not enough reward.

Where the hell were Diego's friends? There's no way there were more Geneva mercenaries that went to flank us. What the hell was happening?

I looked behind me. There was no other smoke signal, nothing that indicated they were engaging in a fight as well.

What the fuck?

I hoped they were okay, but there was no way they were in more trouble than Diego and I were. Even one or two of them running through the trees would help. Or at least someone to watch my back while I slowly picked off the onslaught of men.

At some point, someone might realize that I was hiding in the woods. If they took a moment to observe where the arrows came from, they'd easily find me. I should have climbed down and moved to a different spot, making it harder for them to get to me.

I pulled my bow over my head so it was draped across a shoulder. And I leaned forward, grabbing a branch from a neighboring tree. I hauled myself up, my arms straining from my weight. Then I did it again to the next tree. Eight trees later and I was fifty feet from my original spot and even higher up.

I notched another arrow, sending it flying. Another man dropped to the ground dead. Then another. I surveyed the clearing in front of the cabin, searching for Diego in the chaos. There was a trail of bodies left in his path, and all around him were my kills.

Together we were lethal, and we had a fighting chance. We'd made our way through at least thirty men. A third down, we could keep doing this. We could win. Especially if Diego's friends came through.

A man's head turned in my direction, and I could see the exact second he spotted me. He charged directly toward me, shouting, and gained the attention of several of the others. Diego's head whipped around to see what was going on, and in that second someone got their arm around his neck, bringing him to a hard halt.

Fuck. Fuck.

Not now. We were so close.

I only freaked out for the span of three heartbeats before I felt a laser focus take over. It was like I'd been dipped head to toe in a pool of calming water, and everything became clear for me.

I still had precious time to fix this.

I notched an arrow at rapid speed and sent it flying. It hit the man holding Diego in the arm. I didn't bother to watch what exactly happened next. I didn't have that kind of time, but I heard grunts coming from their direction. Diego was back in the fight.

My next arrow flew through the air only two seconds after its predecessor. It landed in the chest of the first man charging me. He fell to the ground, and his friends ran right past his body. The next arrow landed in the leg of another man, bringing him down. He screamed in agony as the man beside him dropped to the ground with an arrow in his gut.

I let seven more arrows fly before out of my peripheral vision I saw movement. I was out of time.

Fuck.