A small frown, nearly imperceptible appeared on Bane’s face as he stared at Eric with no emotions. Binding his wrists and pulling the ties tight with his mouth, Bane held his hands up to show how secure they were.
“Very good. Now walk northwest. Stay fifteen paces ahead or you’ll be responsible for what I do to her.”
Bane’s jaw locked tight, but he did as he asked. The snow crunched beneath our feet as we walked to what felt like our death sentence.
THE HUMMER CAME into view a hundred yards away. Thank goodness. Maren’s teeth were chattering and she was dragging her feet from the sound of it. She needed to get warm before hypothermia set in. I hadn’t dared look back in case that bastard hit her for me disobeying. At least Maren would be out of the cold here in a second, and I could hopefully get a better assessment of the situation.
“Bane, wait outside the passenger door. Maren’s driving. If you try anything … I’ll kill her.”
Fucking asshole.
I nodded my understanding and did as asked. For the first time since we’d started walking, I got a glimpse of Maren through the windows. She was freezing as she shivered and looked exhausted. Our eyes met briefly and I saw fear in them. She got in the car, defeated. Eric got in the backseat and put the gun to the back of Maren’s head. She squeezed her eyes tight and a tear seeped out. I balled up my fists as I got my anger under control. Nobody touched her like that.
My angel tried to be strong, but this would be hard for anyone who hadn’t been conditioned. Eric motioned for me to get in. The plastic ties bit into my wrists like a bitch. A small trace of blood seeped out the sides. The pain helped me stay focused. Getting in, Maren trembled as she turned the key to crank the car.
“Can we turn on the heat, Eric? She’s freezing.” However he answered would help me determine my course of action. If he said no, it’d be a sure indicator that our lifespan was coming to an end and quickly. I’d have to take more risks to keep her safe—which was worth it. If not, I’d bide my time until an opportunity presented itself.
An opportunity always presented itself. Most people weren’t able to see it in stressful situations.
A few minutes passed. “Yes. No sudden movements, Maren. Then follow the road until we come to our first left. From there, we’ll be on the road to the cabin. Keep a steady pace, not over thirty miles an hour.”
“O-o-kay.”
All I wanted to do was kill the asshole behind us and get Maren somewhere safe where I could make her warm. I’d been a total prick this morning to her and I regretted every word. I’d wanted to say, Yes, I want to see where this goes too. All my hard work to not get attached to someone had backfired. With all the careful planning, I was in the same situation as before. I’d messed things up with Maren. Jasmine’s face flashed in front of my eyes. I couldn’t imagine seeing Maren like that. I couldn’t imagine her being pregnant and losing another baby. It’d kill me. There was no doubt about it. Maren was my angel—sent to save me from the hell on Earth.
I had been too late before. What if I was too late now?
I kept stoically still and watched the road in front of me. Maren kept a steady pace with two hands on the steering wheel. I watched her closely through my peripheral vision. The chattering of her teeth lessened—slightly.
Eric and I never got along for whatever reason. Shortly after joining the Black Division, Eric lost his wife. They’d been vacationing and he’d been called out on assignment. The mission went terribly wrong from what I knew. Details weren’t shared. I never would have imagined him being capable of betrayal.
Deciding to give Eric a sense of victory, I asked, “So how’d you make it into the building?”
Eric scoffed. “You played right into my hands. He told me it wouldn’t be that easy, but turns out he was wrong.”
He? Eric was working for someone and not an organization. Who was the question? I imagined everything would reveal itself shortly. Hampton no doubt would make an appearance. Soon I’d know if he was a traitor or if Eric had something over Hampton.
There was no use in continuing to prod. If Eric thought I needed the information, he would withhold it. If I didn’t continue questioning, I had a higher probability of getting more answers. Eric had a weakness—his need to brag.
Eric continued, evidently pleased with himself. “It was brilliant. You bested two of my best men back there. I thought they’d at least cause you a little more damage. Seems I thought too highly of them.” Eric goaded me into a pissing contest. I didn’t care. All I wanted was Maren safe, even if that meant sacrificing myself. Maybe then the tone of my sins would be forgiven.
Maren flinched every time Eric spoke. The gun scraping the back of her head. I should have left well alone until we got to the cabin, but I needed information. Fuck. Eric kept talking. “We dropped the two men out about three miles to the west. They had small stilts fashioned like animal prints. When they got a clear line of the shed, they zip-lined to it, got inside. The retractable line went back to some tree in the woods leaving minimum to no trace. With the continuous snowfall their paths was erased within two days. They’ve been in that building for the past five days.”
That meant they’d known where we were for at least a week, maybe longer. This cat and mouse game had been orchestrated well and thought out. Maren turned left and headed up the mountain. The car became silent as my mind sorted through different scenarios. If I could manage to get my phone out of my pocket, I could set off an explosion to maybe buy me a window of opportunity. I had a few different areas rigged.
The cabin came into view and only one other Hummer. “Bane, you’ll get out first. Walk to the cabin and stop at the door. No sudden movements. I’ll have Maren.”
Maren parked the car. I got out and headed to the front door. From behind, I could hear their approach. With the smoke coming from the chimney, someone was inside stoking the fire. Answers were about to reveal themselves. There had been no additional track through the yard from what I could tell. It looked like three sets of footprints headed to the door. The yard looked undisturbed. The numbers were on my side if there were only four total to take out. I’d take some damage, but it was doable.
“Walk in slowly.” All I wanted to do was turn and hit that asshole so hard it would crush his jugular, but he’d have time to pull the trigger. I couldn’t lose Maren.
I turned the knob. The main room was vacated. “Take a seat in the chair in the
middle of the room. Don’t move.”
Keeping me isolated and away from everything was smart. All I need to do was keep a calm head and an opportunity would present itself. I was sure of it.
I took my seat resting my hands on my lap. Untrained people thought it best to tie someone’s hands behind their back. That was a mistake. It put the hands out of sight. Near, the fireplace sat another chair. Eric pointed to it. “Take a seat, Maren. Face Bane.”