Frailty of Things

by Schultz, Tamsen

Kašović’s expression was completely blank—not vapid-blank, but calculating-blank. Sociopath-blank.

  “Then we are at an impasse again. And I believe you know my feelings on impasses,” Kašović said, still watching Garret.

  Garret paused for a long moment before speaking again, but it was more for effect than for any other reason. “I’ll take you to her,” he finally said.

  A muscle in Kašović’s cheek ticked, the only indication that he’d heard the offer. Then he inclined his head. “Why would you do that? You don’t expect me to believe that you’ll simply lead me to her.”

  Garret let out another chuckle. Pushing himself into a sitting position with his left arm, he began to shake the snow from his body. Kašović stepped back but made no other move to raise his rifle.

  “No, I don’t expect you to believe that,” Garret said. “But the truth is, I know where she is and you don’t. If I don’t tell you, you’ll shoot me. If I tell you, you’ll shoot me and shoot her. But if I take you to her, at least I buy myself some time to figure out the best way to send you to hell.”

  Slowly, he got his legs under him, and not without effort, raised himself to a standing position. He’d been divested of his own rifle—where it was he couldn’t say, but it wasn’t anywhere visible. He also noted that his jacket was open. The bad news was that meant Kašović had his holstered gun as well. The good news was that the cold that had flooded through the opening had worked to numb the pain in his shoulder a bit.

  “There’s a trap,” Kašović said, taking another step back but not moving too far away. “Clearly you have someone helping you,” he said with a nod toward the cabin, toward the car parked there.

  Garret wagged his head as he tried to brush the ice off his chest and get his jacket zipped. “Maybe, but you don’t have many options either. If I take you to her, I buy time to think about how to get rid of your sorry ass and you buy time to figure out whether or not it really is a trap, and if it is, how to get away without becoming a casualty.”

  Kašović seemed to think this over for a long moment, or at least that’s what Garret thought might be going on. Getting a good read on a sociopath wasn’t exactly a cake walk.

  “Call her,” Kašović said, tossing Garret’s phone back to him. “Have her meet us at the cabin,” he ordered.

  Garret could have caught the phone—he was pretty good with his left hand, but opted to fumble and let it drop to the ground. Reaching down, he double-checked his ankle holster. Surprisingly, the gun was still there. Then again, it was more tucked into his boot than strapped to his ankle, which made it harder to find—but harder to reach, too.

  Straightening up, he ignored Kašović’s order and slid the phone into his pocket. Turning away, he started to walk. It was a gamble and when he heard Kašović raise his rifle, all the hairs on his neck stood on end. He might die in the next few moments, but if he did, at least he knew Kit would be safe because he also knew Caleb was out there watching. He believed the plan was a good one and he had no intention of dying. But like he’d already told himself, getting into the mind of a sociopath wasn’t exactly easy.

  ***

  Kit came to wakefulness with the same kind of shock as being dunked in a bucket of ice—abruptly, completely, and not at all comfortably. Her eyes, now open, took in her location—lying on her side, covered with a blanket, on the floor of the cave. Her head ached like it wanted to implode.

  Something vibrating on the floor of the enclosure made her head pound even more. It was a sound that seemed to echo off the walls, but was probably quieter than when her phone went off in her purse. Her eyes followed the noise and it was then that she spotted the two men toward the opening of the cave. One of the men, who sat with his knees propped up and his back resting against one of the walls, picked up the phone and read the message before keying something back in. The other man was on his knees examining what looked to be a rifle about half as tall as she was. The man who had the phone said something quietly to the other man, who glanced up at his companion and gave a quick nod.

  The light from outside was casting their faces into shadows; from where she lay, she couldn’t really tell their ages. They were dressed in winter clothing, clothing Kit recognized as that of the two men she’d encountered in the woods before blacking out, though their white jackets lay beside them on the cave floor.

  She frowned. She never fainted. Then she remembered the struggle and then her fall. As the memory came back, her stomach roiled in fear. Who were these men? And what did they want with her?

  Eyeing them, she wondered if they were in league with Kašović—if they were, they might be waiting for him to join them in the cave. At the thought of what three men could do to her, it was no longer just her stomach that protested.

  “Miss Forrester, if you are awake, you are welcome to join us,” the man leaning against the wall said without even looking in her direction. The other man, however, did. And when he turned, she could see that he was young, about her age, maybe a few years older. His face was set and serious, but not unkind. Again, she frowned in confusion.

  A small smile touched the man’s mouth. “I’m Zoran Delic and this is my father, Ivo,” he said with a nod to the other man.

  Delic, why did that name sound familiar? Kit plowed through her memory as she brought her legs underneath her and sat up. Her head spun for a moment, but that discomfort was quickly replaced by another—a violent shiver that racked her body. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around her, feeling a little bit like a kid.

  Delic! And then she knew exactly what was going on.

  “Kašović killed your family,” she blurted out without thinking, remembering the conversation she’d overheard Drew, Caleb, and Garret having in her apartment shortly after they’d learned that Kašović had been hired to kill her.

  The older man looked away, but Zoran answered. “Yes, ours and many others.”

  Kit met Zoran’s gaze and saw not just sorrow and anger for his own loss, but compassion for the many others who had experienced the same.

  “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, feeling horribly inadequate. Zoran dipped his head in acknowledgement and went back to examining his rifle.

  A few moments later, the phone buzzed again and the elder Delic responded. Sliding it into his pocket this time, he said something to Zoran that Kit couldn’t hear. Zoran nodded, held out a hand to his father, and helped him up. It was the signal Kit needed to remind her of just what was going on.

  “Drew sent you, didn’t he?” she asked, remembering what Garret had said to her before dropping her off.

  Zoran nodded. “Your brother and Cantona actually requested our involvement. Drew organized it,” he said, helping his dad get into his coat and outfitted in some kind of gear Kit didn’t recognize. “I’ve worked with your brother and Cantona a few times over the years—I’m an Army Ranger now—and when they realized what was going on, they asked Drew to bring me and my father in.”

  “Do you know Ian MacAllister?” she asked before she could stop herself. Then rolled her eyes at herself.

  Zoran gave a sharp nod. “I heard he settled in New York. You know him?”

  He seemed to be humoring her. And she was okay with that. “He did. We live in the same area; his wife is a good friend of mine. He’s a good friend of mine. His son is adorable.”

  Zoran gave another smile at that, then went back to getting ready. For what, she didn’t know. Not exactly.

  She watched the men in silence. Zoran checked one last thing on his father’s gear, then stepped back. Both men shared a look that, even from where she was sitting, needed no interpretation. Then the older man gave his son a quick hug and walked out of the cave. She watched the cave opening for a long moment after he had disappeared and, just as she was about to look away, he reappeared. Stopping three feet into the enclosure, he paused and looked at her.

  “I am sorry, Miss Forrester, that Kašović has you in his sights. I know it must be a trying time for you.
But I thank your brother and your friend for contacting my son and giving us this opportunity to see that justice is done.” With that he turned again and walked away.

  Kit didn’t expect him to return again, so she switched her gaze to Zoran. She thought about asking just what kind of justice was going to be done, but decided she’d rather not know. And it appeared Zoran didn’t wish to speak about it either.

  “In a few minutes, I’ll leave too. Shortly after that, Cantona will bring Kašović here. He says you trust him.”

  It wasn’t really a question, but Kit nodded. “But why is Garret bringing him here?” The thought of being in a confined space with no escape when Kašović arrived didn’t sound all that great.

  Zoran inclined his head. “We, my father and I, had hoped to get here sooner and then, yes, we could have taken care of him without bringing him anywhere near you. We could have taken care of him where he was lying in wait outside the cabin,” he responded to her unspoken concern. “But with time being short and the weather being what it is, we had to move onto our alternate plan.”

  “Which is to bring him here?” Kit asked.

  Zoran dipped his head. “Not so much specifically here,” he said, indicating the cave. “But moving toward here. Your brother and Cantona are keeping him occupied by moving him toward this cave to give my father and I time to get into position.”

  “But?” Kit pressed, because she’d heard a “but” in his statement, even if he hadn’t said it.

  “But my father and I weren’t able to get here or gear up as quickly as we had originally anticipated,” he answered.

  “So that means Garret will be leading Kašović closer to here, closer to me, than you all had planned in order to give you and your father time to set up.” Kit stated.

  Zoran nodded. Then he hesitated, his hand paused on his weapon. His head fell a fraction and his eyes closed. For a moment, Kit wondered if he was praying.

  But then his head came up and his eyes, grim with the history of his family and his people, locked onto hers. “You have no idea what being here today means to my father and me. Your brother and Cantona could have taken care of Kašović on their own today. But not only did they request our involvement, they have delayed the capture and orchestrated the events so that my father and I can be there, can be the ones to do it.”

  Kit watched as Zoran blinked several times then looked away. She said nothing as he took a few minutes to regain his composure. When he was ready, he turned to face her again. “It means more than you can know to be here today, and you have our eternal gratitude for letting us be a part of it.”

  In all her years, the closest she’d ever come to hearing the kind of emotion she heard in Zoran’s voice were the voices of her characters in her own head when she wrote. And that depth of emotion wasn’t something she had adequate words to respond to, so she simply nodded. He held her gaze for a moment, then gave her a small nod in return and went back to his task.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Zoran asked after a moment, gesturing with his head to the blanket she still held around her.

  She shrugged off his concern. “I’m just cold. And feeling a little disoriented. I fell, right?” she asked, wincing as she felt a knot on the back of her head—a knot that would explain her headache.

  To his credit, Zoran looked a little chagrinned. “Yes, we didn’t want you to scream and give Kašović an idea of your location so we tried to subdue you, perhaps a little too forcefully, and you slipped,” he said.

  She noticed he didn’t say he was sorry for it. “Well,” she said on an exhale, “if it matters, I think my disorientation has more to do with this whole situation than with any minor head injury. I mean, really, what’s a little concussion amongst friends?”

  At that, Zoran barked out a laugh. “You’ll do fine, Kit,” he said, still chuckling.

  “Yeah, I know. I’ll be fine. I’m always fine. But can I ask something before you go?” she said quickly, because he looked to be doing a final check of his clothing and gear. “I’m glad you’re here, but why didn’t I know you were coming? I mean, Garret told me backup was coming, but he never mentioned you and your father,” she added.

  Zoran zipped up his jacket and turned to face her. “Drew contacted my unit as soon as Caleb asked him to, but I was deployed, well, somewhere it wasn’t easy to get back from. It took a little while for the message to get to me and then for me to get out and back to the States. Your brother and Cantona might not have known until a short while ago that we were indeed going to be here. And by then, my guess is Cantona’s mind was occupied with things other than making sure you knew the names of his backup—backup I’m fairly certain he thought you’d have no cause to even meet.” He paused and gave her one last assessing look. “But we’re here now and I can promise you that whatever happens next, all this will be over in the next thirty minutes,” he added.

  That sounded nice. “Promise?” Kit asked with a smile.

  Zoran shot her a smile back. “Promise,” he said.

  And then he was gone. Leaving her to sit in silence and wait.

  And wait.

  For what felt like the longest time, Kit heard nothing but the pinging sound of the ice storm still waging outside the cave. She tried her best not to let her mind wander to everything that could happen, so she grabbed hold of every random thought thread that dared traipse through her mind. She wondered how Vivi, Ian, and baby Jeffery were doing, and if there were fires in this kind of weather and, if so, if David was working. Chances were Jesse was at home making dinner, as were Matty and Dash. She knew they were all anxious for her to be back in Windsor—not, of course, as anxious as she was—and she looked forward to sitting down to one of Matty’s amazing meals or curling up on the couch to catch up with Jesse.

  It didn’t come as a complete shock when she realized that Garret was a part of all these daydreams. He was with her in Matty and Dash’s kitchen, he was having a beer with David while she and Jesse talked, and he and Ian, well, they could go off into the woods and relive their covert ops days. Actually, that thought did make her smile because she could imagine them having a rousing game of paintball in the woods around her home while she and Vivi enjoyed a glass of wine or two.

  She shifted in her blanket, still smiling at the image of the guys playing paintball, then froze. Cocking her ear toward the entrance of the cave, she strained to hear what she’d just thought she’d heard. Garret.

  And there. There it was again. She couldn’t hear his words, but the wind had picked up his voice and carried it toward her. Relief washed through her at knowing that at least he was fine enough to be talking. To be coming to her.

  Dropping the blanket, she approached the cave entrance but didn’t step out. Zoran’s voice echoed in her mind, his order telling her to trust Garret and do what he said. Thanks to the Ranger, she now had a better idea of what was going to happen, though she still didn’t know the specifics of how they would capture Kašović. But she had full faith in Garret and Caleb, and Zoran’s quiet confidence had given her a surety she now took refuge in. And since Garret hadn’t told her to come out, she wasn’t going to set foot outside of that cave.

  But that didn’t mean she couldn’t inch closer to its opening. Especially not now that she could tell from his voice the direction he was coming from and could even catch a few of his words. The cave was already difficult to see into from the direction she knew Garret was coming from, and if she kept to one side, no one would be able to see her at all unless they walked straight into the opening.

  “So, do you have a plan yet, Kašović?” she heard Garret say.

  What? Kašović was with him? Her throat choked up as she felt the blood pound through her body. Every bit of assurance she’d just felt fled as panic crawled over her skin. She’d heard what Zoran had said about Garret getting Kašović closer to the cave, but she had assumed that meant Garret was creating a trail for Kašović to follow. She hadn’t imagined that Garret would be walking wit
h him.

  “No, seriously, Kašović,” Garret said now. “I’m just curious, because we’re almost there and, well, I do have a plan.”

  Kit could hear them making their way closer to where she hid and Garret was making no effort to quiet his arrival. Which gave her pause. He was always quiet, even when he wasn’t trying to be quiet. But now, by his standards, he was crashing through the woods like an elephant.

  Giving her a warning.

  As soon as the thought entered her mind, she knew that was exactly what he was doing. Giving her some time to prepare for their arrival, to prepare for the fact that Kašović was with him, to prepare for whatever came next. Unbidden, a smile touched her lips. Even despite what was going on, despite the fact that he was walking through the woods with a killer—an armed killer, no doubt—he was thinking of her.

  Abruptly, the sounds came to a halt and she knew without looking that Garret and Kašović had reached the clearing in front of the cave.

  She thought she heard someone say, “Where is she?” but the voice was gruff and muffled and she couldn’t be certain.

  “Kit, honey, why don’t you come out?” Garret said. His tone was light, but she could hear now what she hadn’t been able to hear before—an underlying anxiety that laced his every word.

  “Where is she?” the voice repeated.

  “Kit, remember what we talked about in the car? It’s time to come out,” Garret said.

  Kit sucked in a breath. They’d talked about trust in the car. It seemed to be the topic of the day and this seemed to be the biggest test. Stepping into sight of the man who had been hired to kill her was only possible when she also accepted the fact that if she didn’t, Kašović would most likely kill Garret. He hadn’t said as much, but now, knowing they were together, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was likely to happen if she didn’t do as Garret said.

  And so she did. Tentatively, she approached the edge of the cave’s opening, then took a single step out. Blinking away the ice that hit her face and gathered on her eyelashes, her heart nearly stopped when her gaze landed on Garret.