Haydn (Steele Protectors 5)

by Carole Mortimer

  “My guess is Silva has arrived and your beloved is giving him a warm welcome,” his brother answered calmly behind him.

  Haydn scowled. “She’s out there with a gun?” He didn’t attempt to deny that Hailey was his beloved. Because she was. His always-and-forever beloved.

  Bryce nodded. “It sounds like one of Dad’s sniper rifles.”

  “For God’s sake!” Haydn took the stairs down two at a time, throwing open the door to the cottage as another shot rang out, quickly followed by another.

  He was so going to spank Hailey’s arse once this was over.

  If she lived that long…

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hailey kept Ernesto in her gun sight even after she’d grazed a bullet along the back of his left hand that caused him to drop the handgun he was carrying. Fortuitously so, as it allowed her to fire off another couple of shots at his feet to keep him standing in place once he got over the shock of being shot and gave a thought to retrieving his handgun.

  This probably wasn’t her best idea, and Hailey had no doubt Haydn was going to be furious once he realized she wasn’t still in bed beside him. But this thing between Ernesto and herself had to be stopped if she was ever going to have even an inkling of a normal life.

  Although quite what “normal” represented for her, Hailey didn’t know anymore.

  Whatever it was, the night they’d just spent together had told her she would like for that future to include Haydn. Which meant she had to find a way to put an end to this continued vendetta—possibly deadly for her?—that Ernesto felt toward her.

  She’d come up with the idea of confronting Ernesto after Haydn had fallen into a deep sleep following their third time of making love. She smiled slightly at the memory that each time had been more pleasurable than the last as they became more and more familiar with each other and what they both liked.

  Hailey wanted that again, and again and again. But to be able to be with Haydn in the way she wanted, she had first to deal with Ernesto. Once and for all.

  It had been barely dawn when she slid out of bed to pick up her unpacked bag to carry it downstairs so that taking out her clean clothes before dressing didn’t disturb Haydn. She also tucked the silver necklace she always carried into the pocket of her jeans.

  The two sniper rifles and ammo were in the basement, as Haydn had said they were, both lying on top of the cover that was draped over the green baize of the snooker table. They were a Barrett M82 and Steyr SSG 69. Both were sniper rifles, confirming that Simon Steele really had been involved in the hardcore security of his country.

  Hailey chose the Steyr SSG 69 because its fiberglass stock made it lightweight and she was more familiar with it. She tucked a bulky spare magazine into the waistband of her jeans. Although she hoped the five bullets in the original magazine would be more than enough for what she needed.

  She’d then given one last lingering glance up toward the bedroom where Haydn slept—completely unaware Hailey was about to go out to meet her nemesis—before she quietly opened and closed the door behind her as she left.

  A little under an hour later and she knew that three of the Steele brothers had arrived on foot before taking up position on the hillside across from where she was hidden on the other side behind a rocky outcrop.

  Half an hour after that, she’d been able to see through the scope of the gun as a car approached and then stopped at the end of the rough track in the next valley. Following close behind, on foot, was Atticus Steele. He’d now taken up position close to two of his brothers, Bryce having doubled back and entered the cottage a few minutes ago. She had no doubt that Haydn would now be fully aware of the situation outside too.

  Her heart had sped up when she saw Eduardo’s double, his twin Ernesto, unfold his length from inside the car before his gaze leveled on the narrow entry into the valley where the Steeles’ cottage was nestled.

  Her heart had stuttered and stopped completely before beating faster and louder when she saw Ernesto take out and check the gun he had tucked into the waistband of his trousers. He kept that gun in his hand when he began the walk to where he no doubt believed Hailey and her lover slept on in ignorance of his arrival.

  When Ernesto was near enough for Hailey to take the shot, she had fired to disarm him. It was only a flesh wound, but gave enough of a sting to cause him to drop his gun. The following two shots on the ground prevented him from bending down to retrieve it.

  He glanced in the direction of the hillside she’d fired from. “Too cowardly to come out and face me, bitch?” he shouted loud enough for her to hear.

  Hailey’s gaze remained fixed on him even though she heard Hadyn and Bryce leave the cottage. Although he was unaware of it, Ernesto now had six guns aimed at him rather than just one.

  Hailey, who’d always had every intention of confronting him, now straightened before moving out from behind the rocks. “On the contrary, I’ve been looking forward to it,” she assured, the rifle still trained on him as she continued walking toward him.

  A sneer twisted his darkly handsome features. “Was it because you were so eager to meet me again that you ran away from me in London?”

  Hailey came to a halt several feet away from him. “I left London in the full knowledge you would follow me here.”

  “You couldn’t have known that,” he sneered.

  “Couldn’t I?” she mused. “Bianca was the only one I telephoned and told where I was going. I did so because it would seem her office has more leaks in it than a sieve.” She was shooting in the dark as to who was responsible for the security leak, but the fact Ernesto had found her so quickly confirmed it had to be someone who worked in the office of her WP handler, or someone close to one of them.

  Ernesto’s confident smile confirmed it. “I have to admit, Bianca has been very…helpful.”

  Hailey kept her expression bland, unwilling to allow this man to see how much it hurt to know that it was actually Bianca herself who had betrayed her. The two women might have met face-to-face only once, seven years ago, but their regular telephone conversations since that time meant the other woman was the closest thing to a friend Hailey had allowed herself for the first six of those seven years. Meeting the Steele family had changed all that. But it hurt to know Bianca was the one who had thrown her under the bus.

  “Which of her children did you threaten?” Hailey challenged. “Or was it both of them?”

  “Why threaten one when it can be both?” Ernesto scorned.

  She nodded, some of the pain easing in her chest. She knew how much Bianca’s children, aged five and four, meant to the other woman. “I left London so that no one else could be hurt in the crossfire of this vendetta you’ve felt toward me for the past eight years.”

  His face twisted into a snarl. “You’re the reason my brother is dead.”

  She winced. “Actually, I think if we’re going to apportion blame, then his death was forty percent your fault, fifty percent my father’s, ten percent Eduardo’s, and no percent mine.”

  His expression became ugly as he bent down to grab up the gun before aiming it straight at her.

  The merest fraction of a second later, a single shot rang out and blood sprang up from the bullet wound going through and through the back of Ernesto’s hand before hitting the grip of the handgun and sending it flying to land several feet away.

  A shot that had been made by one of the Steele brothers. “As I was saying…” She kept back as Ernesto took a handkerchief from the pocket of his jacket. “Forty percent you, fifty percent my father, ten percent Eduardo, because he was a little greedy,” she continued as Ernesto wrapped the piece of cotton round his bleeding and no doubt painful hand. “No percent me.”

  He eyed her skeptically. “How did you reach that conclusion?”

  “Your percentage is because all Eduardo ever wanted to be was like you,” she told him gently. “That was the reason he agreed to kidnap me when my father offered to pay him for doing so. He didn’t tell you ab
out it because he wanted to show you how capable he was of running the family business at your side.”

  “Your father paid Eduardo to kidnap you…?”

  “Mm.” Hailey nodded. “And you thought you had a dysfunctional family!”

  “What do you know of my family?” Ernesto demanded through the pain he was obviously feeling from the injury to his hand.

  “I know what Eduardo told me. He told me a lot of things during those weeks of my kidnapping,” she continued firmly as Ernesto looked about to challenge her claim. “Of the hardships the two of you suffered as children. Your mother’s death. Not knowing who your father was. Your first years alone in the US when you were teenagers. How five years later the two of you killed the head of the Petruzzi family, and those loyal to him, so that you could take over his illegal business empire.”

  Ernesto’s face was deathly white. “I don’t believe you. Eduardo would never— Where did you get that?” he gasped as Hailey pulled the silver chain from her pocket before holding it up for him to see the silver cross dangling from the length of it.

  “Eduardo gave it to me—”

  “That’s a lie!”

  She gave a gentle shake of her head. “Eduardo wanted to marry me. He gave me this necklace, your mother’s necklace,” she added pointedly. “As a promise of the life he wanted us to have together.” She could see no point in telling Ernesto that, also because of her, his twin had eventually decided to change the terms of her kidnapping and keep all the ransom money for himself so that he and Hailey had enough money to live somewhere comfortably together where the authorities couldn’t touch them or Ernesto find them.

  “What you’re saying is not true,” Ernesto bit out shakily.

  She winced. “Do you really think I enjoy admitting my own father arranged to have me kidnapped?”

  “None of what you’ve just said came out in court.”

  Her top lip curled back with distaste. “Our government agencies protect their own, and despite his sins, or because of them, my father was a US senator.” She shrugged. “I believe the administration decided they didn’t want another scandal during their term of office. That was all too easy to avoid with my sister was already in protective custody and I was on my way there. It helped that Eduardo hadn’t confided in his cohorts as to who was behind my kidnapping. I wasn’t in love with Eduardo,” she continued softly. “But he loved me and protected me as much as he could. Please believe me, Ernesto. Why else would Eduardo have given me your mother’s necklace?” She hammered home that point when he still hesitated.

  “You stole it from him.”

  “No, I really didn’t. You—”

  He made a lunge toward her, only to halt in his tracks as several bullets were fired at once. One entered his shoulder, three more landing at his feet. Ernesto cried out, swaying for several seconds before his knees buckled and he dropped heavily onto the grassy floor of the valley. His eyes were closed, and blood poured from the wounds in his shoulder and hand.

  “We’re going to have a serious talk once Atticus has finished sewing Silva up,” Haydn growled as he glared across the small sitting room of the cottage at Hailey.

  He and Logan had carried the unconscious Ernesto to the cottage before depositing him onto one of the chairs they’d pulled out from around the breakfast table in the kitchen. Atticus was in there right now cleaning and stitching up the other man’s wounds. Logan, Rourke, and Bryce had opted to stay in there with him to ensure Silva didn’t attempt to distract Atticus and make a run for it. Although Haydn suspected they’d really made that choice because they knew exactly how furious he was with Hailey and they wanted to stay out of the line of fire.

  She kept her gaze averted. “I haven’t finished talking to Ernesto yet.”

  “I’m the only person you’re going to be talking to in the near future,” Haydn bit out grimly.

  Hailey looked at him with a steady and cool gaze. “I can’t leave here until I’m sure that Ernesto understands and accepts what I’ve told him is the truth about eight years ago.”

  Haydn growled his fury. “The fucker was going to kill you just now.”

  She gave a calm shake of her head. “I knew you and your brothers wouldn’t let that happen.”

  “You knew no such fucking thing!” he exploded, hands clenched at his sides.

  “Of course I did.” She stepped toward him. She wasn’t close enough to touch, but enough that Haydn could feel her warmth. “I knew the moment Rourke, Logan, and Bryce joined me out there on the hillside. I saw Atticus following behind Ernesto.” Her expression softened. “I also knew that you would be joining them once you were awake. And you did.” She smiled at him.

  Haydn scowled. “I’m also responsible for shooting the fucker in the shoulder.”

  She nodded. “I know.” Her fingertips lightly touched his cheek. “Haydn I want to be free of the past. But I can’t do that without first settling this situation with Ernesto.”

  He raised skeptical brows. “How do you intend doing that?”

  “By continuing to talk to him, reasoning with him, until he accepts the truth.”

  “That’s bullshit, and you know it!” He stepped away from her caressing fingers, too close to wanting to spank her now to be able to tolerate even her lightest touch. Because she had put her life in danger, their possible future together in jeopardy. “Plotting and planning his vengeance on you is what’s kept this bastard going for eight years!”

  Her hand dropped to her side. “And all I can do is continue to tell him the truth about his brother.”

  “If you think—”

  “All patched up,” Atticus announced lightly as he stepped into the room. “Do you have anything else you want to say to him, Hailey, before we send him on his way?” He looked at her enquiringly.

  “Yes—”

  “Not happening,” Haydn bit out between gritted teeth. “I fucking well forbid it. Do you hear me, Hailey?”

  “I think the whole of the Highlands can probably hear you,” Rourke remarked calmly as he joined them. “Hailey is an adult, Haydn,” he pointed out softly. “It’s her decision.”

  Haydn glared his fury. “Would you allow it if it was Sophie wanting to do something so reckless?”

  “Hm.” Rourke grimaced. “I would like to think I’d give her the opportunity to do it if that’s what she’d decided to do.”

  Haydn turned narrowed eyes on Atticus.” I suppose you agree with him?”

  “Not at all,” his eldest brother answered dismissively. “I have no doubt Jenna wouldn’t give me any choice in the matter, to agree or disagree, once she’d made her mind up what she was going to do.” The affection in his tone spoke of his obvious love for his strong-willed wife.

  “You’re no fucking help whatsoever,” Haydn muttered angrily.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.” Atticus shrugged. “I’ve sewn Silva up well enough that Hailey can go and finish her chat with him.” He turned to her. “If he agrees to back off and never come near you again, Rourke says to offer him the deal that we’ll get him flown back to the States on Markovic’s private jet. That way, he’ll be able to make his weekly check-in with his parole office without the other man being any the wiser as to his having left the country for several days.”

  Haydn gave a disgusted shake of his head at the realization he was the only one who disagreed with Hailey’s intention to continue reasoning with Ernesto Silva. To the degree his brother Rourke was willing to use his friendship with Gregori Markovic, the head of the Russian bratva in London, to facilitate Silva’s return to the United States. Once Hailey had Ernesto’s agreement he would stay away from her in future.

  “Fine.” Haydn flung his hands up in an I-want-nothing-to-do-with-this gesture. “I’m going for a walk.” He didn’t even glance at Hailey again before turning on his heel and slammed out of the cottage.

  “He’ll be back.”

  Hailey looked at Atticus through the blur of the tears now stinging her ey
es. “I’m only doing any of this because I want to see if the two of us might have a future together.”

  Atticus nodded. “Haydn will realize that once he calms down.”

  Her wince was pained. “You think?”

  “Hell yes.” The eldest Steele brother chuckled. “Haydn never could stay angry for long.”

  Hailey sincerely hoped Atticus was right.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Where did everyone go?” Haydn had watched his brothers leave the cottage half an hour ago with Ernesto in tow. Only Hailey had remained behind.

  “You came back.” She gave him a nervous smile as she rose to her feet from where she’d been sitting at the breakfast table.

  He snorted. “I have almost no ability to continue to bear a grudge normally, and where you’re concerned, it seems I have zero tolerance for remaining angry at or with you either.”

  A blush colored Hailey’s cheeks. “Your brothers are taking Ernesto back to London. Rourke spoke to Gregori Markovic, and as Atticus hoped, the Russian is going to arrange for Ernesto to be flown back to the US before it becomes known he left the States at all. This way, we’re ensuring he won’t go back to prison for breaking the terms of his parole. Rourke is going back with him to deal with the leak of information from Bianca’s office— She has a family to protect, Haydn,” she pleaded when she saw the scowl that no doubt darkened his brow at the mention of her WP handler.

  “Then it’s time she took up another profession,” he snapped.

  “I believe Rourke intends to suggest that to her.” She grimaced. “I looked on it as a positive move that Logan wasn’t the one to volunteer going to the US with Ernesto,” she added ruefully.