by Paige Tyler
He leaned closer, praying for some sign of life, and saw a tiny pulse beating at the side of her neck. She was alive, but she was weak.
“Ivy?” His voice sounded hoarse, as if it was choked with tears. Maybe it was. “Oh God, what did they do to you?”
She moaned, her eyes fluttering open. “No more…please…”
Her pleading tore at his heart. He cupped her face. “Ivy, sweetheart. It’s me. It’s Landon.”
She blinked up at him, as if trying to focus. Tears filled her eyes. “Landon? Are you alive, or am I dead?”
“You’re alive, baby.” Tears burned Landon’s eyes. “I swear it.”
“They told me you were dead. I thought you were gone.”
“I’m not,” he assured her. “I’m right here, and I’m going to get you out of this hellhole.”
Mickens dropped down beside him. “Captain, let me check her before you move her too much.”
Landon was afraid to let her go even for a minute, but Mickens was right. They didn’t know how extensive Ivy’s injuries were, and he didn’t want to do more damage.
“She’s pretty beat up.” Mickens glanced his way. “It looks like she has a few cracked ribs and maybe a fractured arm, but the breaks must be old. They’ve already set.”
“They’re recent. She heals quicker than we do,” Landon said quietly.
Mickens looked stunned at that but didn’t comment. He pointed at the scar marring the perfect skin of her thigh. “I don’t know what this puncture wound was, but it’s like someone stuck her with a thin, dull knife.”
Landon ground his jaw. He was going to not only kill Stutmeir slowly, but excruciatingly painfully, too.
The medic checked Ivy’s eyes, and Landon saw her trying to focus on Mickens’s face. “They drugged the crap out of her, too. But I think she’ll be okay long enough for us to get her out of here. I’ll check her out more when we get to safety.”
As soon as Mickens picked up his bag and moved out of the way, Landon was beside her again. Ivy reached up with her bound hands to touch his face. He swore under his breath. Grabbing the knife from his belt, he sliced through the tape around her wrists, then pulled her into his arms.
Ivy laced her fingers in his hair, pulling his mouth down to hers. The touch of her lips on his did more to convince him that she was going to be okay than anything Mickens had said. He wanted nothing more than to sit on the floor and kiss her like this for the rest of their lives, but he knew their lives would be very short if he did.
He reluctantly pulled away to gaze at her. There was so much he needed to say to her, but the words just wouldn’t come. Not now, not like this. He cleared his throat and turned his attention to the tape around her ankles, slicing through it with his knife. The skin was red and raw underneath it, just like on her wrists. She’d been fighting with all her strength to get free. He clenched his jaw so hard he felt his teeth crunch. Damn those bastards. They were going to pay for hurting her.
First, he had to get Ivy to safety. Landon shoved the knife back in its sheath, then shook off his tactical vest so he could take off the button-up shirt he had on over his tee. He’d worn it to blend in with the other hikers on the trail yesterday and had almost ditched it more than once. Now he was glad he’d kept it on.
He gently helped Ivy into it and buttoned it up, careful not to hurt her. It was way too big on her, hanging down to the middle of her thighs, but at least it covered her. He put his vest back on and slung his M4 over his back. Slipping one arm under Ivy’s knees and the other around her back, he got to his feet and turned to the door.
Buchanan, Kendra, Mickens, and Angelo were waiting for him, their faces grim.
“We won’t be able to get her through the window we came in,” Landon said.
Buchanan let out a ragged breath and tore his gaze away from Ivy. “You just keep her safe. I’ll find a way out of here.”
They were halfway down the hallway when Landon’s radio crackled.
“Captain, trouble is heading your way,” Griffen reported. In the background, Landon heard the echo of automatic weapons firing and the thumping boom of grenades exploding. Griffen swore. “We’re keeping the bad guys from getting out, but they’re keeping us from getting in, too. Looks like some of them are starting to pull back inside. I don’t know where they’re going, but if you don’t have company already, you soon will.”
“Roger that, Griffen. We’re heading up to the first floor with Ivy now. Try and make your way inside if you can. We’ll need your help to get out of here.”
“Wilco, Captain. We’ll do our best, but these things are fast as lightning and damn near impossible to kill. They’ve almost gotten us a few times.”
“Stop your whining,” Angelo growled over the line, “and get your asses in here.”
***
Ivy already felt better, and not all of it had to do with her super-fast ability to heal. It was because she was in the one place she wanted to be more than anywhere else, the one place she never thought she’d be again—Landon’s arms. She closed her eyes and buried her nose in his neck, breathing in his scent. It warmed her right down to her very soul.
When she’d awakened from her drugged stupor, she was afraid it was someone coming to shove another needle full of tranquilizers into her arm. Then she’d heard Landon’s voice through the fog and she’d seriously thought she was dead. She knew she wasn’t the moment she’d felt his warm, gentle hands on her face.
She never should have doubted him. He’d told her he would come for her, and he had. She should have known nothing would stop him from keeping that promise. He was the most amazing man in the world. And she planned on telling him that as soon as they were out of this horrible place.
Ivy reluctantly lifted her head from his shoulder to look around. The first thing she saw was Mickens. So she hadn’t imagined him. How had one of Landon’s Special Forces buddies gotten here? Then she saw Angelo a little farther back and between them—Kendra?
The drugs must be making her see things. There was no way Kendra could be here. Ivy couldn’t imagine why her friend would show up in her drug-induced hallucination, but there she was—and she was carrying a weapon.
Ivy shook her head and breathed deep to draw in more oxygen. That was when she saw Clayne running in front of them.
She wasn’t hallucinating. Mickens, Kendra, Angelo, Clayne—they were all real. And they were there to rescue her.
Up ahead, Clayne growled. It was quickly followed by a woman’s scream.
Ivy jerked her head around to see Zarina Sokolov standing in the middle of the hallway. She was holding a piece of angle iron in her hands like a baseball bat and doing her best to stand up to Clayne.
Clayne ripped the piece of metal out of her hands and flung it on the floor, then grabbed her by the arm.
“Clayne, no!” Ivy ordered. “She’s one of the hostages.”
He snarled, giving the doctor a glare. “She doesn’t look like a hostage to me. She damn near brained me with that thing.”
“Well, she tried to help me escape at the risk to her own life, so cut her a break.”
Clayne grunted but released her. Zarina took a wary step back as she rubbed her arm.
“Doctor Zarina Sokolov, right?” Landon asked. “Don’t be afraid. We’re here to rescue you.”
Zarina glanced at Ivy. “She told me that earlier, but I didn’t believe anyone else would come.” She wrapped her arms around her middle. “Stutmeir figured out I tried to help you escape and locked me in my room. When I heard shooting, I didn’t know what to think. I took the bedframe apart so I’d have a weapon, then hit the guard on the head and ran.”
“Stutmeir and his men are headed right for us,” Landon said. “Do you know another way out of here?”
“Beside the main entrance?” She shook her head, then stopped. “Wait! I heard Kla
us and Renard talking about a secret passage they found. It’s somewhere off the main floor atrium.”
Landon frowned. “Renard? The French doctor who was kidnapped?”
Ivy growled. “He’s joined the dark side.”
“Then he can die along with Stutmeir.” Landon looked at Zarina. “How do we get to the atrium from here?”
Zarina gave them quick directions, then picked up the piece of metal Clayne had taken from her and fell into step behind Kendra.
If Stutmeir and his men were headed downstairs, it wasn’t in their direction. They didn’t run into anyone on their way to the main floor. Ivy told Landon to put her down several times, that she could be more use if he gave her one of the extra weapons they were carrying, but he ignored her.
As Landon carried her into the atrium, Ivy caught a glimpse of Stutmeir, Jeff, and several other men—including the two doctors who’d tortured her—rushing down a set of stairs on the other side of the lobby. Ivy’s claws came out as she bit back a growl.
Landon’s arms tightened around her briefly before he gently set her down on her feet. “Get Ivy somewhere safe. I’m going after Stutmeir.”
Fear gripped her. “Landon, no. Not by yourself. He has hybrids with him.”
“I’m taking Angelo with me.” He cupped her cheek. “Those bastards are going to pay for what they did to you.”
She covered his hand with hers, afraid if she let him go, she’d never see him again. But how could she talk him out of going when she’d vowed to get the same revenge a few hours ago? “Be careful.”
His mouth curved. “Always.”
Then he leaned in to kiss her—right there in front of everyone.
Ivy clung to him when he pulled away. “I love you,” she whispered.
It wasn’t the perfect time or place to say it. And she certainly hadn’t wanted to have an audience. But she didn’t care. She wanted him to know.
“I love you, too.” His voice was deep and husky, the words so heartfelt they made her want to cry. He kissed her again, then looked at Clayne. “Keep her safe.”
Landon met her eyes for one long moment before he gave Angelo a nod. Ivy watched through tear-filled eyes as they ran across the atrium and disappeared down the steps after Stutmeir.
Ivy was feeling steady enough to walk on her own, but Clayne picked her up in his arms anyway. Mickens led the way this time, heading toward the front door. They were almost there when four hybrids burst into the lodge. The creatures looked shocked to see them, and it took a second for them to react, which gave Mickens and Kendra more than enough time to shoot them.
“Griffen,” Mickens shouted into his headset. “We’re coming out. Hold your fire.”
The courtyard was littered with both hybrids and men alike. Thankfully, Ivy didn’t see any of Landon’s friends among them.
Griffen and the rest of the men were waiting for them outside the wall. Ivy was amazed to see how many of them there were. She was also horrified to see that two of them were injured. Diaz was sitting back against the stone, bleeding from a set of vicious claw marks across his chest. Tredeau was lying on the ground beside him with some serious bite wounds on his thigh and stomach.
Griffen frowned. “Where’re the Captain and Angelo?”
“They went after Stutmeir,” Clayne said.
Ivy held her breath as Griffen tried to contact them on the headset. Her stomach clenched when neither Landon nor Angelo answered.
“They were headed underground,” Kendra said. “They probably can’t pick up the radio down there.”
Ivy prayed she was right.
Griffen looked at Mickens. “Take care of Diaz and Tredeau. The rest of the team and I will go after the captain and Angelo.”
As Griffen took off running toward the lodge with Deray and Marks, Clayne gently set Ivy down on the ground near the wall. He brushed her hair back from her face, his gaze unreadable, then cleared his throat and got to his feet, ostensibly to stand guard with Kendra while Mickens tended to Diaz and Tredeau.
Zarina came over, dropping to one knee beside her. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.” Ivy gave her a small smile. “You should help Mickens.”
“I will, just as soon as I’m done with you.”
Ivy sighed but sat still and let Zarina play doctor.
The woman’s brows drew together. “You’re a remarkably fast healer, Ivy. A normal person would have been incapacitated for days, maybe weeks if they endured what you did.”
“Shifters heal fast.”
“Klaus thought that might be the case, but until you arrived, he didn’t have anyone to test his theories on.” She gave Ivy a rueful smile. “I wish he’d never gotten to test them on you.”
Taking Ivy’s hand in hers, Zarina gave it a squeeze, then went to help Mickens with the injured Tredeau.
Ivy looked over at Clayne and Kendra. They were talking too softly for her to hear unless she used her shifter abilities, and she was too tired for that.
“Clayne,” she called.
He was at her side in a heartbeat. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “It’s Landon I’m worried about.”
His mouth tightened. “Donovan can take care of himself.”
“I’d feel better if he had backup.”
“He has backup.”
Why couldn’t Clayne ever make anything easy? “I meant shifter backup.”
The muscle in his jaw flexed. “I’m not leaving you here unprotected.”
“Kendra and Mickens are here. And even if they weren’t, I can take care of myself. Besides, all the bad guys are gone. Please, Clayne.”
His only answer was a low growl.
Tears welled in her eyes. “Fine. I’ll go myself.”
Ivy pushed herself to her feet—and swayed. She quickly put her hand on the wall to steady herself.
Clayne swore and caught her arm. “You’re not going anywhere. Shit, Ivy. You can’t even stand up.” He gently but firmly pushed her back down. “I’ll go rescue your boyfriend, okay? Just stay here.”
She wanted to tell him Landon didn’t need rescuing, just backup, but was afraid Clayne wouldn’t go if she did. She caught his hand. “Thank you.”
He grunted and was gone.
Ivy leaned back against the wall and flexed her legs, trying to pump the drugs out of her system. Regardless of what she’d said about the bad guys being gone, something told her this wasn’t over yet. She needed to be ready.
***
Stutmeir and his men had more of a head start than Landon thought. By the time he and Angelo got to the tunnel under the lodge, the ex-Stasi was nowhere in sight. He heard him, though. The bastard was running for his life up ahead. It wasn’t going to do him any good. Landon would track him down to the ends of the earth and back.
Light filled the tunnel about a hundred yards in front of him, and Landon ripped off his NVGs. Outside, he found himself in the forest on the back side of the mountain ridge behind the lodge. Figuring Stutmeir and his crew had chosen the quickest path of escape, Landon ran down the only trail he saw as fast as he could, Angelo at his heels.
His gut told him he should slow down in case there was a trap waiting for him and Angelo, but if he did, he might never catch up to Stutmeir. He’d never wanted to kill someone so much in his life. Not the father who’d beat him, his sister, and his mother. Not the men who’d ambushed Jayson and left him for dead. Not every terrorist who wanted to destroy the United States.
No, this went way beyond any of that.
The sound of raised voices ahead made Landon stop in his tracks. He held his hand up, signaling for Angelo to do the same.
“Dissention in the ranks?” Angelo wondered.
“Sounds like it.”
He couldn’t make out everythi
ng the men were saying, but they were definitely arguing. It sounded as if some of the men wanted to go back to the lodge and fight.
Landon looked around, then motioned to Angelo to leave the trail and swing through the forest. If Stutmeir and his men talked for another thirty seconds, he and Angelo would be able to flank them and take them by surprise.
He and Angelo worked their way through the thick fir trees until they were twenty yards from Stutmeir’s group. Giving Angelo a nod, Landon stood up, aimed, and started shooting. Angelo did the same.
Landon wanted to take out Stutmeir with the first burst, but there were a half dozen men between them. Make that a half dozen shifters. The creatures didn’t go down any easier now than they did before. After getting over their initial shock of Landon and Angelo’s surprise attack, the hybrid shifters bounded through the trees like enraged beasts.
He didn’t want to run, but he and Angelo had no choice but to retreat. They took turns covering each other as they fell back one tree at a time. Landon swore as the forest behind them disappeared and the sky opened up. They were headed straight toward a cliff. Hadn’t he done this same thing last night? This time, he wasn’t going over without one hell of a fight.
He and Angelo pumped round after round into the hybrids. They put down a few, but not enough to make a difference. Stutmeir was safely in the background standing next to a man with a scratched-up face.
Over the gunfire, Landon heard the pounding of footsteps behind him. He spun around, prepared to put down whoever it was, only to pull up when he recognized Buchanan. The shifter slid across an open patch of ground like a runner sliding into home plate to cover the last few feet between him and Landon, gun blazing as he fired at the hybrids.
Landon glanced at him as he shoved another magazine into his M4. “Why the fuck did you leave Ivy?”
Buchanan drilled a hybrid that had gotten too close before glaring at him. “Because she begged me to come save your sorry ass. I told her it wasn’t necessary, that you were this great Special Forces warrior and could handle yourself. Apparently I was wrong and she was right. Looks like I showed up just in time to keep you from jumping off a cliff. What the fuck is that about? You’re ugly and all, but I didn’t think you were the suicidal type.”
