Chapter 20

twenty

. . .

River

" I don't know why you're asking where his guns are. You're not getting anywhere near that fucker, sparrow. Ransom, where's your panic room?"

I stood, shrugging out of Walker's attempted hold on my arm. "You are not locking me up like I'm a child, Cross. I have as much of a bone to pick with that Russian asshat as you do. More, even."

"Doesn't mean I'm going to let you throw yourself in the line of fire." The insufferable cowboy stepped toward me, trying to intimidate me with his presence.

"Good thing I'm not asking for permission."

This bossy fucking man I was married to was going to drive me to drink.

Cross looked to Bishop for backup, but my giant's silvery gaze was locked on me. "You know how to use a gun, siren?"

"My daddy taught me when I was ten. Bear made sure I kept up with my target practice." A little pulse of grief went through me at the memory. I had my own issues with Dominik Volkov, but it was for Bear that I really needed to do this. He never would have died if he hadn't come here for me. Because I asked him to.

"Get her a gun," Bishop said, turning his attention to Ransom.

Cross's teeth ground together hard enough that a muscle in his jaw popped, but he nodded.

Surprisingly, it was Walker who protested, getting to his feet with a growl in his words. "You can't be fucking serious. We just got her back from them. Ladybug, please let us handle this. Your safety is so much more important than a vendetta. I can't..." His voice cracked, and he had to clear his throat before he could continue. "I can't lose you again. I won't."

I rested my palm on his arm, my heart tugging at the emotion in his voice. "Which is why you'll be right there beside me. I understand why you want to lock me away and keep me safe, but I have to do this, Walk. For Bear. I'm a fighter. I have been for a long time."

My gaze flicked to Cross before I could stop myself. The ghost of our past was there in his eyes. He knew exactly why I'd become a fighter. I went to him, curling my arms around his waist and tucking my head into his chest so he knew it wasn't an accusation. Just the truth. If not for him, I wouldn't have left home. I wouldn't have had to learn how to stand on my own. If anything, I was thankful for the lesson. It saved my life.

Cross pulled me closer, dropping his head and brushing his lips across my forehead. "I love you, sweetness. I just want you safe."

"That's what we all want," Walker agreed.

"Then let's kill the asshole and make sure he never hurts anyone again," I snarled.

"That's my girl," Sterling said.

Pride bloomed in my chest as I turned my attention to Ransom, a silent demand on my face.

"Follow me. I have just the thing."

Ten minutes later, we were back in the main living room, the telescoping glass doors closed once more.

"Why does this house have so many goddamn windows?" Bishop grumbled.

"So sorry my vacation house is more resort than fortress. I'll try to do better with the next one."

I rolled my eyes at the pretentiousness of the statement.

"You had a damn arsenal downstairs. It's a bit of a fortress," Walker said. "Even if you didn't have a rocket launcher."

Ransom laughed. "Guess you'll have to make do with the shotgun."

Walker patted the butt of the firearm strapped across his back. "Me and Rosie are just fine."

"I can't believe you named your gun," Cross muttered.

"My gun," Ransom corrected. "I want her back."

Sterling and I rolled our eyes. He'd gone with the sniper rifle and a second Glock, planning on heading to the roof as soon as the cars came into view. I'd selected one of Brett's revolvers for myself since it was what I was most familiar with.

The air was thick with nervous energy as we waited, watching with bated breath for the Russians. With each moment that passed, restlessness got the better of me.

"Where are they?" I asked no one in particular.

Ransom surprised me with an answer. "Looks like they're waiting. The cars are stalled at the end of the service road."

"Anyone get out of the cars yet?" Bishop asked, all of us turning to face Ransom, who was staring at the security feed on his cell.

"Hard to say. I didn't know how many were in the cars to begin with. They were already parked before I'd pulled up the feed on my phone, and who knows if they let anyone out en route."

"So we know fuck all," Cross said. "Excellent."

"We know they're here. That's better than the alternative," Bishop said.

None of us needed a reminder of what happened the last time they'd caught us off guard. If any of my men got hurt because of me, because of Volkov's sick obsession with owning me, I would never forgive myself.

"Fuck," Ransom breathed.

"What is it?" Walker asked.

"He's alone." Ransom showed us the screen, and sure enough, there stood Dominik Volkov in a pristine black suit, looking for all the world like he was just here for a business meeting.

The head of the Bratva lit a cigarette and leaned against the side of the SUV as he smoked.

"Where's Tex?" Walker asked.

"Hopefully he's digging his own damn grave," Cross answered.

Without warning, glass exploded inward as shot after shot broke the silence of the afternoon.

"Fuck! Everyone get down," Bishop shouted, pausing only long enough to point at Cross, but my husband already had me on the floor, his big body shielding mine. "Cover her. She gets so much as a scratch, you're answering for it."

I barely had a chance to catch him before he raced from the room, but terror had me shouting his name. I couldn't let him go without some kind of acknowledgment. "Sterling!"

While Cross and I took cover behind a heavy leather couch, Bishop glanced over his shoulder at me.

"Come back to me."

He winked and left without another word. I couldn't help but notice he hadn't made me any promises.

"Bishop's trained most of his life for shit like this. He'll be fine, darlin'," Walker said from his position beside us while the spray of bullets continued.

"They're in the fucking trees," Ransom growled.

"How'd you miss that?" Cross demand.

"I think they fucked with the cameras somehow."

"It doesn't matter," I said before they could keep bickering. "Bishop will take care of them."

"Until they figure out where he is," Ransom shouted, popping up from where he was hiding behind the loveseat and firing off three rounds into the brush.

"Not helpful," Walker said as he popped up to do the same.

I made to push up and help, but Cross kept me down with a hand on my back while he took aim and fired off several rounds himself.

"Let me help!" I demanded.

"Not until they stop shooting. I'm not risking you with a stray bullet, sparrow."

Silence fell in the trees for the briefest moment.

"What's happening?" I whispered.

"They're not gone. They're reloading," Ransom explained. "Stay down."

The sharp crack of a rifle shot echoed. Once. Twice. A third time. Someone shouted in Russian, and I knew Bishop had taken some of them down.

Pride flowed through me, along with the need to participate. I wasn't here to play damsel; I was here to avenge Bear's senseless murder. Not giving Cross a chance to stop me, I jumped to my feet and whipped out my gun, taking aim at the figure I saw moving toward the house. I held my position just like my father taught me. Everything went quiet and still around me as my focus centered solely on my target. I breathed in, my finger squeezing the trigger as I exhaled.

I was a little rusty, but my bullet only strayed a little from where I was aiming, hitting the Russian in the chest. He faltered, but managed to get one shot of his own off.

"River!" Cross shouted, shoving me aside as he moved into the space I'd just occupied. I tumbled sideways as I went down, my eyes never leaving him as my mouth opened on a silent scream.

The bullet tore into his shoulder, blood spraying from his back as the slug went clean through and embedded into the wall.

"Cross! Fuck."

He grunted in pain but didn't stop, taking aim with his other hand and firing until he was out of bullets. Blood soaked his shirt rapidly, running down the light gray fabric, the stain spreading too fast.

"Cross, get down!" Walker shouted just as something came flying into the room, landing with a deafening boom and a blinding flash.

We fell back together, Cross on top of me, my ears ringing so loud it was all I could focus on. Muffled shouts came from above me, and Cross's frantic eyes found mine as he took my face in his hands. His lips moved, but the words didn't register. I couldn't get my bearings. Nothing made sense until, finally, the world came into sharp relief again.

"Get her out of here, Walk."

"No, I'm not leaving you," I said, fear digging its claws deep. His pallid complexion proved he'd already lost far too much blood. What would happen if I left him now? What if I never saw him again?

"Yes, you fucking are. This isn't a game, River. These men are here to kill you, or worse, take you."

It said a lot about the kind of man Volkov was that being taken was the worse of the two options.

"Cross," I whimpered.

His grip on my face tightened briefly before his lips crashed into mine. "You are the most important person in my world, baby. I can't lose you. Not when there's still a chance for you to get free. Go. Please."

Ransom army crawled over to us, reaching into his pocket and fishing out a set of keys. "Take the yacht. Get to the other side of the lake. A car's already waiting."

"How'd you manage that?" Walker asked, taking the keys from him.

"I always have an escape plan. Or three."

The cryptic response must have been good enough, because Walker took my wrist in a rough grip, pulling me away from his brother. "Come on, ladybug. We got to go."

I knew this was the smart play, but my heart protested every step. "Ransom, help him."

He gave me a solemn nod. "You have my word."

It was going to have to be enough. With only a second left, my eyes clung to Cross's, drinking in every detail possible. Memorizing what they could.

"I love you," he mouthed.

"Go! I'll cover you," Ransom urged.

"I love you too!" I shouted as Walker started to run, my arm still in his unyielding grip.

Barely processing my surroundings, I followed Walker as gunfire punctuated our flight. It was a war zone, and we'd become refugees.

"This way," Walker said, his voice tight as he dragged me down the dock. "We have to trust they'll get out of this."

I nodded, clinging to the hope that Bishop would take care of the remaining men so Ransom could get Cross the medical attention he needed before it was too late.

"Hurry, River, Dom's still out there. Ransom lost sight of him when they started shooting. He could be anywhere."

God. Would this nightmare never end?

Another bone-rattling bang echoed from the house, and I couldn't help myself; I looked back and saw smoke pouring from the broken windows.

"Walker," I wailed. "They're not going to get out."

"You can't worry about them right now."

"How can you say that? Your brother is in there!"

"And I promised him I would take care of you. You are the only thing that matters, River."

"Not to me."

"We outnumber you, three to one. Deal with it."

I would have laughed if my heart wasn't breaking into a thousand pieces.

He walked up the gangway, then as soon as he stepped onto the boat, turned and held out a hand. "Trust me. Trust them . This is what Bishop does. They'll get out of this."

The reminder that Sterling had survived far worse situations went a long way toward easing my anxiety. He was an ex-SEAL; he could kill men with his bare hands. He wouldn't stop fighting until the bitter end. I couldn't think of a better person on this planet to watch my husband's back.

I looked around the thirty-five-foot ship, wondering why the hell Ransom had a yacht on a lake before the answer came to me. Because he could. It was his private lake. What other reason mattered when you had more money more money than you knew what to do with? I was willing to bet this wasn't his only boat. He probably had a whole damn fleet.

"Get below deck. I'll take care of the ropes and launch us as soon as I can."

"I can help."

"No. River, I know your independent streak is strong, but I need you to listen to me this once, please. Get below."

Walker rarely spoke to me with such a commanding tone, but I could tell he meant it. With a sharp nod, I made my way downstairs and into the cabin. It would have been nice to experience this level of luxury if we weren't running for our lives.

There were a couple of bumps which I imagined was the rope hitting the deck as Walker worked to unmoor us. Sooner than I expected, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"All done?" I asked, turning around to greet him.

But it wasn't Walker staring back at me with a malicious grin. "Hey there, Mrs. Cross."

Dread was an icy fist around my heart as I stared at Tex. The man had a gun pointed at me and nothing but hatred in his eyes.

"Proud of yourself, you fucking traitor?" I spat.

He let out a bitter laugh. "I'll be even prouder after I watch the life leave your eyes."

I shook my head, struggling to figure out why this man hated me so much. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Personally? Nothing. But those motherfuckers are obsessed with you, and I can't wait to see the expressions on their faces when they realize I took away the only thing they cared about, just like they did to me."

I wasn't familiar with the history between Tex and the Crosses. "Who did they take from you?"

It was like watching a dam burst. Rage twisted his face as the words poured from him. "My family. My father gave Senior everything, and what did he get for a lifetime of loyalty? A bullet to the brain and an unmarked grave. You have any idea what that did to my mama? Not knowing why her husband was hauled off to jail for a crime he didn't commit? Why he never came home after his supposed escape? Those bastards ruined my family's name. Robbed us of our honor. And they couldn't even do her the courtesy of telling her the truth. Instead she drank herself to death."

My stomach churned. "Senior was a heartless bastard. But Cross and Walker... you're like fami?—"

"Shut your goddamn mouth. I'm nothing to them. Just another disposable goon. But not anymore. Now they're the ones who will be disposed of. Maybe I'll send them pictures of your corpse first. Draw it out and make them suffer like I did."

He seemed taken with the idea, his focus turning inward as he played out the scenario in his mind. Seeing that he was distracted, I slowly reached behind me for the gun holstered in the waistband of my pants, only to come up empty. My gun wasn't where it was supposed to be. Fear stabbed deep into my chest. I must've lost track in the confusion of our escape. Stupid, River.

"Now, be a good girl and cry for me, Mrs. Cross. Put on a good show for your snake of a husband." He held up his phone as he approached, pressing his gun up against my forehead.

I backed away, shaking and frantically scanning the space for something I could use as a weapon but coming up empty. My shoulders hit the wall, and terror finally won as tears spilled down my cheeks. I wouldn't make it out of this. Not if I didn't fight like hell.

Bringing my knee up as hard and fast as I could, I made contact with his balls, knowing he might pull the trigger but fully aware I was dead anyway. Thankfully he'd underestimated me, and instead of squeezing off a shot, he doubled over.

I didn't waste a second, making a break for it, screaming Walker's name and racing toward the stairs, only to be pulled up short by a fist in my hair.

"Not so fast, you stupid bitch."

Stars exploded behind my eyes as he threw me to the floor, the back of my skull hitting the floor a second before his fist collided with my cheekbone. Tex stood over me, gun trained on my head.

"I wish I could say it's been a pleasure working for you, but?—"

Tex's words cut off as his entire face exploded outward, blood and bits of brain spraying all over me before his body slumped forward. I rolled away just in time to avoid being crushed by him.

"River! Fuck, are you hurt?" Walker was there, hands on my wrists, gently pulling me to him.

"I'm okay. It's not my blood," I said with a tremor in my voice as a flashback to the last time I'd been covered in another man's gore flickered through my mind. "God, Walker, he was going to kill me."

"Not on my watch. I'm sorry it took me so long to get down here. Fucker clocked me in the back of the head." He wrapped me in a fierce hug, his racing heart pounding beneath my ear.

"You got here just in time."

"Thank fuck for that. I'd never forgive myself if I'd been too late."

I stopped him with a kiss. "It's not worth thinking about because you did. I'm alive. I'm safe. Because of you."

"We'd better get the fuck out of here."

"What about the body?" I said, through chattering teeth as shock set in.

"That's Ransom's problem. I just want to get you out of here."

We climbed the stairs to the upper deck on shaking legs, each of us leaning heavily on the other. Me because my limbs were trembling with the aftereffects of adrenaline. Walker, because he'd pushed himself too hard on his still healing leg. I could see it in the lines of his face, drawn tight with pain.

Walker and I had only just made it to the upper deck when we once again stopped short.

"Fuck."

I didn't need him to elaborate. There was no missing the flashing lights or sirens wailing in the distance. The cavalry had arrived, but not before one final gunshot rang out.