a problem.”
I could hear the anguish in her voice as she did what I asked, doing her best to hide her body from the windows. When Travis’ Bronco slowed, I took aim.
Then I saw his face through the driver’s door.
“Shit. It’s okay.” I opened the door, struggling to crawl out. It had been one hell of a long time since I’d experienced this kind of pain.
Travis didn’t look a hell of a lot better than I did. His face was swollen, his lips puffy. But he was alive. He waited until I’d walked around the front of the SUV before opening his door. “Jesus Christ. I thought you were dead.” He approached, eying me up and down. “You look like shit, buddy.”
“You’re not much better, my friend. What the hell happened?”
He sighed, glancing at Chloe through the window. “I’m sorry, dude. I didn’t tell them a thing. I fucking swear to God, but they found the phone. Somehow they managed to track you.”
“They used a specialized device pinging the signal. I should have known.”
“What the hell do these guys want?”
“My blood. How did you find us?”
Travis huffed. “I noticed the boat was missing after I got to the cabin. I figured what you’d done. I also knew you had no idea about the falls. The boat eventually drifted to the shore, getting stuck in the mud. Then I saw the tire tracks and several sets of footprints. Didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened. Where are they?”
“Smell the smoke?”
His eyes opened wide. “Remind me not to get into an argument with you. Is that it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then we need to get you the hell out of here.” He nodded toward Chloe. “How’s she taking all of this?”
I turned my head, studying her. There were so many thoughts in my mind, desires that would never go away. I wanted to give her the world. Instead, all I could try to provide was a return to her life. Just not the one she wanted. “She’s okay. No, she’s better than okay.”
“Interesting. If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you really like this girl.”
“Bullshit.”
“You do. Christ. Leave it to you to find love in a Bruce Willis movie.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, huffing afterwards.
“Yeah, we need to get you some medical attention.”
“No hospital. Just some rib tape. Do you know anywhere off the grid we can stay? Can’t risk going back to your cabin or to Waltham at this point.”
“Actually, I do. Just don’t burn my friend’s house down.”
“I can’t promise you anything.”
He laughed. “I guess you can’t. Come on.”
“There’s a couple items I need to retrieve first.”
Nodding, he followed my gaze toward the burning house. “You used to live some kind of life.”
“It wasn’t living at all, Travis.”
“I hear you. Maybe that’s what you need to remember, Nikolai. Life isn’t about money or power. It’s about enjoying your time.”
“Funny. That’s very close to something Chloe told me.”
“I think that girl is exactly what you need in your life, but that’s up to you. Only if you allow it to happen.”
“That’s just it, Travis. I won’t ruin her life in order to find mine. I care about her far too much.”
“Yeah, I got it. You’re a man in love and don’t you dare deny it.” He laughed as he moved toward his Bronco, giving me a wave.
Before heading for the woods, I glared in the direction of the house, watching the smoke rising from the trees.
A war had started, one that had been in process for two generations. It was time to end it the Federov way.
Three days later
Healing.
While my body was in the process of healing, the swelling already gone down, my heart was in the process of fracturing. There were no additional signs of anyone from the Petrov Bratva, but I knew they were still out there searching. I had to rely on my instinct at this point and it was telling me that I’d been betrayed. There was only one person I held responsible. And there was only one way of dealing with the situation.
That alone was enough to drive a knife into my heart.
I found it interesting that I’d had the opportunity to live a far different and thoroughly enjoyable life for several years, yet I’d shied away from it. Travis was right. Only I could allow myself to make a change, but that wasn’t in the cards.
At least we’d found quiet respite, allowing all of us time to heal. I’d been forced to realize