Addy’s eyes went wide. No, no, no. She scrambled backwards, trying to escape. If she didn’t get clear before the doorway opened, she’d be sucked into the past.
“Stop the woman!” Quel started after her. “We need her to get through the portal!”
The ground was beginning to shake harder, signaling something far bigger to come. Nonononononono. The denial was one long litany in Addy’s head as she stumbled up the hill. The new grass and waning snow slid under her boots, making it difficult to gain traction. Every trip to the gym she’d ever skipped came flooding back to her. She wasn’t athletic. She’d never been athletic. If she’d tried harder to be athletic, she would already be at the top.
One of the Outlanders tackled her. The guy leapt from his horse, his body crashing into hers. Addy fell, twisting her body to protect the baby as she was slammed into the dirt. Shit! She kicked at her attacker, trying to get free of his hold. He was big enough to withstand her blows. Swearing in two languages, he started dragging her down the hill.
“No!” Addy slammed the heel of her hand into his eye-socket. She was too panicked to remember if she’d learned that in Judo or by watching reruns of Buffy. It didn’t matter. The move surprised him enough that she was able to squirm away.
Behind her, water exploded out of the geyser. Boiling hot jets shot a hundred feet in the air, noise and smoke filling the clearing.
The Outlander rallied, trying to catch her, again.
And that’s when the laser guns started firing. In the grand tradition of John Wayne films, her attacker was struck right between the eyes. Luckily, he only had two of them. The guy fell back from her, his body landing in a heap. At almost the same time, another blast sounded and a second man collapsed. Then a third.
Addy froze, trying to process what was happening. Someone was shooting from the tree line, picking off every Outlander who got within ten feet of her.
There was only one possible explanation for that and it made heart swell with joy. “Cade!” Addy screamed, staggering to her feet and scanning around for him.
He’d come for her. He’d really come!
The Outlanders began wildly firing towards the source of the laser blasts and Addy’s stomach dropped. Several of the men charged towards the trees, ready for battle. “Cade!” She shouted again, instinctively heading after them. If he was hurt, she didn’t know what she’d…
“Addy, get the fuck down!”
Oh good. He was okay.
Addy turned at the sound at his voice and realized that it must have been Deke and Jake shooting from the trees, because Cade was right behind her. Sitting aside Madonna and looking handsomer than she’d even remembered, the man took her breath away. Addy forgot all about her plans to kick his ass.
“Are you alright?” He demanded, riding closer. He looked her up and down, frantically searching for injuries. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.” She gave him a huge smile. “What took you so long to get here, cowboy?”
“What took you so long?” Cade retorted, some of the tension easing from his face, as he saw she was unharmed. “Deke was navigating from memory and we still beat you here by two days. I was beginning to think I was wrong and Quel was taking you someplace else. Don’t you have a damn map?”
“Well yeah, but I can’t read it.”
He grinned down at her, amused by that completely honest answer. “Godsdamn, but I missed you, lady.”
Addy had just enough time to laugh and then Cade was pulling her onto the horse. “I missed you more.” She hugged his waist. “Now might not be the best time to mention it, but, in case we don’t live through this,” she pointed at her stomach, “congratulations, Daddy.”
Cade flashed her a quick look over his shoulder. “Oh shit.”
Addy rolled her eyes. The man might be a futuristic superhero, but he really was hopeless when it came to romance. “Just what every girl dreams of hearing from the proud papa-to-be.”
“Not ‘oh shit’ about the baby.” He scowled as if she’d maligned him. “I want the baby and you know it. ‘Oh shit’ you were pregnant and kidnapped by a band of mutants. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine. They didn’t hurt me. I just want to get out of here before the earthquake gets any worse. If some kind of time vortex happens, I don’t want to be near it when it sucks everyone into the past.”
“I can’t believe we’re actually living in a world where those words make sense.”
“You can’t take her from me!” Quel bellowed. “I’ll see her dead before I let you steal my future!”
Cade turned Madonna so he was facing Quel, shielding Addy with his body. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance, you son of a bitch.” He sounded incensed, now. “You kidnapped my woman, endangered our child, and you think you’re going to have a future anywhere?”
“You think you can stop this?” Quel bellowed back. “No one will stand in the way of my plans, Voltyn. I’ll prove to you that the gods have willed me to this place.” He dismounted his horse, dropping his gun with a challenging flourish and holding his arms wide. “You and I will battle in honorable combat. Not tricks. The victor gets the woman.”
“The woman is not a carnival prize.” Addy shot back. “I make my own choices.” She craned her head to look at Cade. “Let’s just get out of here.”
Cade’s jaw ticked. “Quel’s insane. If we don’t stop him now, he’ll keep coming after you.”
“So electrocute him and then let’s get out of here.”
“He’s thrown down his weapon. I can’t slaughter an unarmed man right in front of you.”
“I don’t mind. Really.”
Cade swore under his breath. “My child will not have a murderer for a father.” He hopped off Madonna and looked up at Addy with the unshakable confidence of someone who fought in three honuel a month. “I’ll kill him fairly and catch up. It will not take long. Go with my brothers.”
“Damn it, Cade!” The geyser’s spray was reaching critical mass. “Get back on this horse. We’re leaving together.”
She might as well have been talking to herself.
Quel instantly charged at Cade, a roar leaving his throat. Cade smirked and stepped forward to meet him, his purple gaze glowing with anticipation. He really did belong inside High Noon. His fist slammed out, knocking Quel backwards and Addy knew this fight was mostly about Cade wanting to tear the son of a bitch apart with his bare hands. Maybe it was a Voltyn thing. Or a cowboy thing. Or a man thing.
Whichever it was, they didn’t have time for it.
Addy looked around, trying to decide what to do. Improvising, she poked around in the saddlebag and came up with Cade’s carpentry supplies. Really? This is what they’d packed for her rescue?
Quel got back on his feet. For a man with transparent-ish skin he didn’t break easy. Yellow teeth bared ferociously, he came at Cade, again. The two men collided in an explosion of pure animal aggression. Addy winced as Quel landed a punch and blood flew from Cade’s nose. He didn’t even seem to notice. Cade hefted Quel up by the neck and slammed him back down again, hard enough to break bones.
Jesus, he was strong. The Voltyn DNA wasn’t just about looking pretty. No one could outfight Cade Westin. Victory was a foregone conclusion, seeing as how a certain super-solider could pound Quel to mush without half trying. So why were they wasting their time? How the hell could she cut this stupidity short?
Quel lunged at Cade again and Addy had had enough. She appreciated the fact that Cade was pissed off and wanted to destroy the guy, but they really didn’t have time for him to work out his frustrations like this. She grabbed Cade’s hammer from the saddle bag and threw it at Quel like a ninja star. The metal part slammed into his skull, cracking against the Outlander’s head. He toppled backwards and the fight was over.
Huh. Addy made a considering face, a little surprised that actually worked. She’d never made it to the Olympics, but all the endless target practice during her “archery phase” hadn’t been
wasted, after all.
Cade turned to fix her with an exasperated look. “I was defeating him fairly, Adeline.”
“I had to eat snake for breakfast, Cade. I don’t give a shit about fair.” Addy shrugged. As far as she could tell, she’d actually saved Quel’s life. “Besides, I guarantee you that he was going to cheat. I just beat him to it.”
“I had it under control.”
“Just say ‘thank you.’ That was the most useful thing your tools ever did.” She arched a brow at him, not at all sorry. “Can we go now?”
Addy wasn’t worried about defeating the rest of the Outlanders. The Westins were outnumbered, but kicking ass. Deke had been holding a grudge about losing his arm to these assholes and it was never a great idea to piss off a sniper. Her abductors fell one right on top of the other as Deke engaged in some questionable therapy.
Unfortunately, Quel wasn’t willing to admit defeat. Even a hammer to the head wasn’t enough to stop him. To Addy’s shock, the guy didn’t stay down and cut his losses. Not so shocking, he’d clearly been lying about the whole “honorable combat” thing. She’d been right about that. The only thing Quel was honest about was his assertion that he didn’t uphold deals.
Quel got to his feet, blood pouring down from his forehead, and pulled a small, hidden gun from his rear waistband. “Voltyn!” He bellowed. “No one will steal my future from me!”
Addy’s whole life flashed before her eyes, as he took aim at Cade’s back. “Stop!”
But, there was nothing she could do prevent what was about to happen.
A deafening laser-blast sounded and Addy cringed, certain she was about to see the center of her world killed right before her eyes. For a heartbeat of time, she couldn’t breathe, almost as if she was the one who’d been hit. Losing Cade would be worse than dying herself.
…Only Cade wasn’t the one to stagger back and sink to the ground.
It was Quel. Someone had shot the Outlander in the dead-center of his heart.
Jacobi stood a dozen yards off, a gun in his hand. He slowly lowered the weapon as the Outlander collapsed, no longer a threat. Addy let out a sob of relief. Cade turned to look at Jake and she could see the surprise in his eyes. Jacobi had just saved Cade’s life, stopping Quel before the Outlander could launch his attack. When it mattered, the youngest Westin wasn’t such a screw up, at all.
“You okay?” Jacobi called calmly.
“I’m okay.” Cade shouted back and smiled at his brother. “That’s what you call having your fvreing moment, Jake.”
The kid beamed like Cade had handed him a bag full of gold and Addy had never been so proud.
Things weren’t going so okay for Quel. A gaping wound had opened up on his chest, bright red blossoming on his shirtfront. Dazed, he fell to his knees, the gun slipping from his fingers. One hand came up to futilely touch the injury, trying to hold the blood inside of him. Then, yellow eyes turned to look up at Addy and, for some reason, she suddenly wanted to cry.
“Is your world as beautiful as I imagine?” He whispered.
Addy clambered off the horse, so she could kneel down next to him. Human, Voltyn, Outlander… They were all people and no one should ever die alone. Not even dickheads like Quel. “You’ll see my world for yourself, when you get to the other side.” Because there was nothing else she could do and live with herself, she took hold of his hand. “You’ll love it there. I promise.”
Quel gave her a ghost of a smile, his eyed drifting shut. “I believe you, human.”
“That’s right, you should. There are oceans, filled with life. Cities that light up the night. That iPhone I showed you? We use it to talk to people all over the world. And every single one of those people has parts that are weird and don’t quite fit in with the rest. And that’s a good thing. That’s what makes it such a special place. It doesn’t matter how many eyes they have, everybody has a spot where they click.”
Quel gave a final gasp. “Gods, I already see it…” He breathed and then went still.
Addy let out a sigh and released his limp fingers. In that second, she forgave Quel for all that he’d done and all that was twisted inside of him. The world was cruel to those born different. The lucky ones like Cade and Addy finally discovered where they belonged, but too many people were swallowed up by the darkness.
“You have the purest heart I’ve ever known.” Cade said softly, as she rose to her feet.
“Well, I did hit the guy in the head with a hammer. I’m not sorry about that. I don’t like him.” Addy wiped at her cheeks. “But, I had to offer him some comfort.”
“No, you didn’t. But, you know no other way except kindness. It humbles me.” Cade reached over to pull her into his arms, his face buried in her hair. “You are such a miracle, Adeline. My miracle. Without you, there is no sun. Do not ever leave me, again.”
“I won’t.” Addy closed her eyes against his chest, savoring the beats of his heart. She wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m just really, really happy you’re here.”
He held her tight. “I found you as fast as I could. It just took so godsdamn long. I thought I’d go out of my mind. You do not even want to know the horrors I’ve imagined befalling you.”
“I’m fine. Really.”
“I also worried that you’d lose faith in me. I kept remembering all the times you told me that no one would search for you. I was worried that you’d think I’d abandoned you. That my feelings for you weren’t real.” He kissed her the top of her head. “Because they are real, Adeline. I do have emotions and most of them are for you. I belong to you and you belong to me. That’s just a fact.”
“I know.” Addy met his eyes. “I had a few panic attacks and I called you a lot of names, but in my heart I never, ever doubted that you’d find me.”
He let out a shaky breath. “I would come for you, no matter where you were, or when you were, or how far the distance between us. There is nothing that would keep me from reaching you, Addy. Not in this world or any other.”
Addy slowly grinned. “Now that’s what you call being pretty feroving romantic, cowboy.”
His mouth curved at the paraphrasing. “You’re so damn odd. I love that I never know what you’re going to say.”
“Well, I like to keep you guessing. It creates an air of mystery.”
He arched a brow. “If I ask you something now, will you promise to say yes?”
“Yes.”
“That easy?”
“For you, the answer is always yes, Cade.” She cuddled against him.
He braced himself. “Will you take me with you to your time?”
Addy lifted her head in surprise. “Really?” Her gaze traced over his face, seeing that he was serious. “But, I’ll stay here with you. I planned to, in fact. You don’t have to give up your world.”
He cut her off, his hands cradling her cheeks. “I would give everything for you, Adeline Mulhaney. Without a moment’s thought. But, in this case, you are the one giving to me. I want to come with you. I’d like Jake and Deke to come, too. I want all of us to go to your time and start over together. Like a family.”
She nodded, happiness filling her. “Cade, yes! I would love that.”
A wide smile spread across his face. “I love you.” He gave her a quick kiss. “In case you don’t know it, I sort of love you a lot, lady.”
She did know it, but it was still nice to finally hear the words. “I said it first.” She reminded him smugly.
“A fact I’m sure you’ll spend the rest of our lives gloating about.” Cade brushed hand over her stomach, caressing their baby. “Wait here, while I help my brothers. Then we’re all leaving this place for good.”
The other Outlanders were fleeing, now that their leader was gone. The ones that Deke wasn’t shooting, anyway. Cade headed over to try and rein him in. Jake started for Addy. He smiled at her, pleased with himself for saving his brother.
Neither of them saw the Outlander until it was too late.
Somehow, th
e man got behind Jacobi, raising one of those weird circular guns. He fired it, a silver blast hitting Jake’s shoulder. Addy watched in horror as Jacobi toppled over, unconscious.
Or dead.
“No!” Addy ran forward, as the Outlander took off into the woods. The guy was wearing a Stormtrooper mask. She’d never know his face or his name, but he’d just ripped her heart from her chest. Jacobi was like her little brother. Seeing him hurt was more than she could bear. “Jake!”
She flipped him over and surveyed the damage. However the Outlander’s gun worked, it didn’t leave a bullet hole or scorch mark on Jake’s skin. But it did something that stopped him from breathing.
Jesus, he wasn’t breathing!
Cade was right beside her. “Shit!” He gave his brother a shake, trying to wake him up. “Jake! Jake! Oh shit, his aura is fading.” He looked around desperately. “Deke!”
Deke was already coming at a run. He dropped to his knees by his youngest brother. “Oh Gods.” He moaned, taking in Jacobi’s deathly still form. “Jake? Please don’t do this. Please, Jakey.”
The earthquake started in earnest, the ground shaking beneath them.
Addy ignored it, her mind racing.
She couldn’t let this happen. She wouldn’t. It took her almost thirty years to find a family and she wasn’t losing a third of it. Luckily, Addy had gone through a “safety conscious phase” about two years before. She knew CPR. “Move!” She shoved Jake’s brothers out of the way and started chest compressions.
Deke and Cade blinked at her in amazement. “What are you doing?” They chorused, as if she’d lost her mind.
“I’m trying to save him.” Addy leaned down to breath into Jake’s mouth and checked his pulse. Nothing. Goddamn it! This wasn’t going to work. She could feel it. It wasn’t enough. A new idea occurred to her. “We have to shock him.” She grabbed Cade’s hands and flattened them on Jacobi’s chest. “Hurry.”
Cade shot her an incredulous look, his eyes damp and dazed. “What…?”
“Do it! Shock him with you powers. It’ll restart his heart!”
Cade blinked and looked back at Jake. His hands glowed for a beat and then he zapped his brother with his Voltyn electricity. Jacobi’s body arched and then went limp.
Cowboy from the Future Page 26
