I bowed my head, swallowing hard.
What was he doing outside? Had he chased the intruder out into the yard?
I forced myself to get a grip. There was no time to mourn him. That would have to come later. Right now, I had to get Annika to safety. I had toprotecther.
Goodbye dear friend. I’m so fucking sorry. You will be missed.
Annika gasped behind me. “Ohmygod. Is that…is thatTimofey?”
“Yeah. Don’t look.” With a final deep breath, I turned away from my friend’s body. “Let’s go.”
With Tim dead, and probably all the other soldiers as well, I was now the only thing standing between Annika and danger.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Annika
A bark and a flash of movement had me gasping softly as Harley burst across the yard toward us.
In all the excitement, I’d forgotten I’d let him out into the yard.
Adrik’s body tensed underneath me as the dog reached us, but to his credit, he kept his cool and didn’t panic, cautiously reaching out to pet Harley’s head.
“Hey boy,” he whispered. “You coming with us?”
Harley whined.
With a final pat on Harley’s head, Adrik moved forward determinedly. Either my little therapy experiment earlier had helped Adrik more than I had imagined, or he was keeping it together by sheer force of will. I prayed it was the former.
Moments later, we reached the gate with Harley following us.
Adrik punched in the code and waited for the gate to open. He glanced around cautiously, then slipped outside of the property. I clung to his back, my gaze watchful, though it was difficult to see much in the dark forest.
Adrik continued on under the thick canopy of trees, keeping a steady pace, obviously in a hurry to get to the cabin. Harley followed, running around and out in front of us, then veering back in to lick Adrik’s hand again and again, as if to reassure him. My heart warmed at the sight. Harley clearly loved Adrik. Would Adrik someday share the sentiment? Only time would tell.
Several minutes passed as Adrik hurried through the trees, carrying me with ease, our breaths fogging up the air in front of our faces. How far away was the cabin? And how long before I became too heavy for Adrik to carry? Granted, he was a big guy who was in great shape. But I wasn’t exactly tiny. Yet, he carried me without any difficulty.
As he moved quickly and quietly through the forest, his gun at the ready, I marveled at his strength and endurance. At his bravery and unwavering loyalty to my family. I knew he would protect me with his life.
Adrik Volkov was one-of-a-kind.Special.
Time passed. The cold began to seek through our clothes. We hadn’t had time to grab our coats in our rush for safety and now I was growing chilled. Adrik kept on, steady and sturdy, carrying me closer to our destination. My own special hero. Would we get there before we froze?
“We’re almost there,” he whispered. “Just another few minutes.”
Thank God. If we managed to get to the cabin, we could hide out until my family arrived.
Harley suddenly let out a soft growl and bounded away, disappearing into the darkness.
Adrik cursed, increasing his pace by breaking into a jog, and forcing me to tighten my hold to stay on.
The sudden crack of a gunshot filled the forest.
Adrik pitched forward, hissing in pain, and slammed to the frozen ground.
I screamed as we hit, but Adrik’s body helped cushion my fall so that I smacked into his back rather than the forest floor.
He tried to get back to his feet, but collapsed again, moaning softly. He’d obviously been shot, but I couldn’t tell where in the darkness.