And that was thelastthing I wanted to do. As much as I wanted to deny it, I had to accept the fact that Damien obviously wasn’t the same boy I’d left behind. He’d become a monster that I felt partly responsible for. Would he have turned out differently if I’d only taken him with me in the first place and never gone back?
Annika meanteverythingto me. She was the very reason my heart beat in my chest.
I would do what I must. Because I had no other choice.
About ten minutes later, Harley and I reached the cabin.
I fired up the generator, then lit the propane furnace. While waiting for the cabin to warm up, I went to the bathroom for medical supplies. Harley lay on the living room floor, waiting for me to come back.
I returned to the small living area and settled onto the couch with the medical kit. Grimacing, I lifted my pant leg and inspected the wound. The bullet had gone clean through, and miraculously had missed my bone, but my calf muscle had been ripped through and it stung like a bitch. I probably wouldn’t be able to walk on it for a while. I cleaned and wrapped the wound, hissing in pain, then cautiously leaned over Harley to inspect his wound.
“I think your hip may be shattered, buddy. All I can do right now it clean it up until we can get you to a vet. Please don’t bite me or we’ll no longer be friends.”
Harley whined again, but he didn’t growl or try to bite me as I gently dabbed at his wound with an antiseptic wipe.
My head started to throb as I set the medical kit aside. I felt along my temple, my fingers coming away sticky with blood.
A wave of dizziness crashed over me.
I started to sway, so I fell back against the couch cushion, my eyes drifting closed. I just needed to rest for a few minutes until my head stopped spinning…
The second time I woke, it was again to Harley licking my face. The dog was lying on the couch next to me, half-in my lap, his tongue lapping at my cheek.
“Stop it.” I pushed him away, sitting up.
The sun was up, the cabin now bright with the morning sun that shined through the east-facing window.Shit.I must have slept for a few hours.
Annika.
My chest squeezed, worry creeping in. I needed to find her before it was too late. Before Damien hurt her.
I wasn’t giving up. I was a Volkov. Iwouldfind her. And somehow, someway, I would convince Damien to let her go.
I shoved up from the couch, my head spinning. Without my phone, I had no way of contacting anyone. In my urgency to get Annika out of there, I hadn’t even been able to notify the Popovs of the explosion, so I had no idea if they were even aware of what was going on. All I could do was make my way back to the house and pray they were there waiting for me. And hope they didn’t kill me when they learned I’d lost Annika.
Breathing in and out slowly, I pushed the dizziness aside and hobbled to the bathroom to relieve myself.
Five minutes later, Harley and I were hobbling through the forest toward the Popov property, me using my makeshift crutch and Harley hopping on three legs. It was slow-going, but after about forty minutes, the house came into sight. After spending the night with Harley, I could now say I wasn’t afraid of him. In fact, we’d even bonded. Though I doubted I would have been able to do what I’d done if Annika hadn’t forced me into “therapy” with the dog beforehand. Did this mean I was cured? I wasn’t sure. But I conceded I liked Harley and the thought of being near him didn’t send me into a panic attack, so it was definitely a start.
A shout echoed across the forest, then armed soldiers rushed toward me, surrounding me, guns pointed at me.
“Whoa, guys. You know me.”
“Hands in the air!”
Swallowing hard, I let go of my crutch and raised my hands above my head. Harley let out a low growl from beside me. Even in pain, the dog was trying to protect me.
“Don’t shoot Harley. He’s Willow’s dog. Sacha will kick your ass if you do. Harley’s already been shot, and so have I.”
A small pause as the soldiers exchanged glances.
Suddenly the Popovs were there, thePakhan, Pavel, marching beside Annika’s father, Alexei, and Efrem following closely behind them.
They halted before me, their gazes sweeping over me. “Where’s Annika?” Pavel demanded, his mismatched stare boring into mine.
I closed my eyes, swallowing hard. “He took her. He somehow got past the fence, blew up the Escalade, and killed the guards. I carried Annika into the woods, heading toward the cabin, but he followed us.” I puffed out a breath. “He shot me and Harley, then hit me over the head. When I woke up, he was gone. And so was Annika.”
Pavel narrowed his eyes. “And you didn’t bother to call for help?”