HUNTER
My stomach clenches as we take the small fishing boat back to the mainland, and it’s not because of the swell of the ocean. It’s knowing that there is something wrong with Iris and I can’t make it better, not really.
Sure, we can help manage her symptoms, but the only thing that will cure her is giving birth, and that’s not an option right now. Not only is the baby too young, but we’re on a desert fucking island on the run from a crazy Russian mafia boss who’s out for blood.
We’re in between a rock and a fucking hard place, and I know that I’m not the only one feeling the strain. I know the others, particularly Nik, are struggling the same as me. This war between wanting to keep her safe and hidden versus needing to get her the best help possible. Plus, there’s New Year’s Eve.
I can’t deny that I agree with Nik. I want Iris as far from that son of a bitch as possible, but I know she needs that closure, even if I worry that she’s not ready to see or be part of the death of another. It’s not to be undertaken lightly, the taking of a life, but sometimes it’s the only way to rid the world of an evil that should never have seen the light of day.
And Sergi Petrov is the evil of the blackest sort. And he’s hurt my Peaches more than any other bar Nik, who has his own scars courtesy of that cunt. They both deserve to gain their pound of flesh, and if the Shadows can help them get it, it will be our honour.
Time slips past as we bump across the waves, and then we’re pulling up to a small port, not the main one. Sergi’s men likely monitor the comings and goings there, so we chose this nearby fishing port to receive supplies.
“I don’t want to be on the mainland for more than an hour, two tops,” I state as we depart, the fisherman staying on the boat, ready for our return. We’ve paid handsomely for his obedience and silence. Also for these local fishermen’s clothes that smell funky, but they do the job of helping to disguise us further, although we can’t hide the fact that we are not natives.
“Okay, let’s get going,” Andrei agrees, Dima just giving a nod as the silent giant usually does. He doesn’t speak much, and I don’t know his story, but he’s fiercely loyal to Nik and Iris, which is what counts. We went over the plan during our trip out. Andrei is picking up the medication, Dima the new equipment we need, and I will focus on getting some new comms and security equipment that will help keep us hidden for a while longer.
Nik organised for mopeds to be waiting for us, making a quick getaway easy if we need it. I check the handgun I tucked into my waistband, feeling a twinge in my gut that we downplayed to Iris how dangerous this mission is. So much could go wrong, not least of all, we could be spotted and then followed, but there was no question when we discovered she needed these meds and equipment. Any risk is worth it for her safety.
It takes less than fifteen minutes to reach the principal town, where our supplies should be waiting for us. I give the other two a nod as we split up, and I head to the part of town where the things I need are. Parking up, I get off the bike, glancing around as the sun makes its way towards the horizon. I can’t see anything out of the ordinary, but there’s that itch between my shoulder blades that tells me someone may be watching.
Keeping my body casual but my senses alert, I make my way to my pickup spot, one of the many small shops in the area. As I complete my purchase, something flickers in the corner of my eyes, and I focus my gaze on the spot without moving my head, seeing a man in all black with what looks like Russian style tattoos taking pictures of people in the nearby market.
Shit.
I keep my stance loose, but also keeping that Russian within my sights, I make my way from the store back to my bike and the place we agreed to meet up before we left the island. It’s partway between here and the fishing port, and it was another precaution just in case we were followed or needed to adjust anything.
I pull out my phone, seeing a message to the other two.
Hunter
Russian spotted in the market square. Headed to RVP now, but be on the lookout for more.
Getting on my bike, my bag slung across my back, I quickly start it and head to our meetup point. The others are waiting for me, Andrei laden with a shit ton of stuff that we’ll need to split up so none of us are slowed down.
My bike comes to a stop, but I don’t get off. Just turn the engine off so we can talk.
“I spotted two of Sergi’s men back there,” Dima states as soon as it’s quiet, and I curse.
“Okay, let’s split up the medication just in case,” I order, and Andrei immediately divides the bags, handing some to me and some to Dima. “And we split up again, each taking a different route back to the boat.” I check my watch. “The boat will leave at 1900 latest, so make sure you’re there by then. We can’t afford to hang around, not with them sniffing around.”
They each give me a nod, then our mopeds roar to life as we split up again, each taking a different direction, as we’d agreed before we set off on this mission. Nik is one hell of a strategist, coming up with contingency plans and exit strategies that even I didn’t see.
The sky is dark now, the signs of life quieting as I go down the narrow streets, ensuring no one is following me. The back of my neck pricks, my heart thrashing inside my chest just as a black SUV pulls out ahead of me, cutting off my planned route. Making a split second decision, I switch direction, heading into a part of the town I haven’t studied, but something tells me that the car was Sergi’s and I need to lose them like fucking yesterday.
Just as I think I’ve lost them, shots ring out behind me and I swerve, losing control of the bike as the wheels skid out from under me. I leap off just before I hit the ground, grunting as I scrap my right side to shit on the rough ground.
Shaking my head that took a minor hit, I get to my feet, looking around and cursing when I see I’m in a dead-end alley. Huffing out a breath, I turn around to face headlights at the mouth of the alley.
“Okay, boys, you wanna play, fine,” I hiss, securing the bag with the medication and equipment across my shoulder as I reach behind me and grab my gun.
I don’t even wait for the car doors to open, sprinting towards the vehicle with a war cry. The first guy doesn’t even have time to step out of the car before there’s a bullet between his eyes, and then I’m up and over the bonnet, shooting the second guy through the windshield.
I don’t stop to see if there are more of them, just brick it out of there. My breath rasps as I run back through the streets until I come to a place I recognise and can slow down. A sharp pain in my side has my hand flying to it, thinking that I’ll never live it down if I got a stitch from that little sprint.
I hiss a pained sound when I make contact, pulling my hand away to see red covering my palm.
“Fucking great,” I snarl, feeling the burning of the bullet wound now the adrenaline is wearing off. “Just fucking great.”
I take a moment to lift my shirt, gritting my teeth as I gently poke the area to see how bad it is. I can’t feel a bullet in there. I think it’s more of a flesh wound than anything, but the blood is making it difficult to see clearly.
Well, nothing for it but to make my way to the RVP and then Andrei can look. Covering the wound with my hand, which is the best I can do right now given I don’t want to take my shirt off and draw more attention to myself, I clench my jaw and start walking, reaching into my pocket for my phone.
Only I come up empty, which earns another string of curses.
“Motherfucking shitbags!” I rage as I pick up speed, knowing that I won’t be able to contact Dima or Andrei to let them know of my injuries.
It takes far longer than I’d like to get back to the damn port, and it didn’t fucking help with my vision going in and out, dark spots threatening to overtake it completely.
“Hunter! Fuck!” Andrei’s voice sounds as I approach what I think is the boat, but it’s hard to see clearly. “What the fuck happened? Have you been shot?”
I slump into brawny arms, someone taking the bag from my back as my blood-soaked shirt is lifted.
“Looks like he’s been shot,” Dima comments, and I want to laugh at the way he’s stating the obvious, but then fire races up my side as Andrei pokes the wound with a glove-covered hand. When did he put those on?
“Stay with us, big guy,” he urges as I’m lifted onto a surface that bobs. It makes me groan, nausea adding insult to my injuries. “I’ll treat you on the way back. It’s not too deep, a clear exit wound, and I’m pretty certain nothing vital has been hit, but we can’t stay here for an X-ray to double-check.”
“What if it is worse than you think?” Dima asks softly, though I catch the worry in his tone all the same, and I crack my eyes open.
“I’ve treated enough gunshot wounds to have a pretty good idea, Dima,” Andrei snaps back and then sighs. “Sorry, this is just… Fuck.” He doesn’t stop working on me, and I hiss a pained breath as he cleans the wound that is throbbing like a bitch. “If it is worse than we think, then he’ll be fucked as we’ll be too far away for help. We should know by morning, and I really think he’ll be okay.”
“Thanks, doc,” I rasp, my teeth clenching so hard I wonder if I’ll break my jaw.
“Stay awake and tell us what happened,” he commands, and I go to make a joke about him giving me orders now, but he does something that has me cursing a storm.
“Fucking hell, that hurts,” I pant, sweat beading my brows as my vision wavers a little.
“I’ve given you something for the pain, but not too much as I need to monitor your reactions to gauge how serious this is,” Andrei tells me absently as he gets a needle and surgical thread out of his bag. “It would be really great if you guys stopped getting shot though.”
“Hey, it was Nik’s fault with Roman. Still need to punish his arse for that,” I murmur, the pain less sharp now that the pain meds are taking effect. “And Sergi’s men found me, shot me and maybe my tires, so I lost control. I may have bumped my head a little.”
“Okay, so we need to check for a concussion too. Good to know,” Andrei states, focused on stitching me up. “What happened next?”
“I was trapped in an alleyway, only one way out, so I ran at the car, shot the driver and passenger, then hightailed it out of there,” I state, my eyes closed as the boat’s movement equally tries to put me to sleep and makes my body hurt in all kinds of ways. Not fucking fun. “I didn’t see if anyone else was in the car.”
I can hear Dima on the phone, no doubt telling Nik what has happened. “He wants to speak to you,” Dima’s low voice says, and I pop my eyes open, feeling him pressing the phone against my ear. Called it.
“Hey, Sweetheart,” I rasp, my tongue feeling a little heavy.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing getting yourself shot!” he roars on the other end, and I wince. “I swear to god, Hunter Anderson, I should kill you myself for making me worry like this.”
I chuckle, which only enrages him further as he switches to Russian, probably cursing me out some more. “Nice to know you care, Sweetheart.”
“Care? Care?!” I hear a door open and shut, then the sound of the ocean as he presumably heads outside so as not to wake the others. “Of course I fucking care, Hunt.”
“I’m okay, Sweetheart. Andrei is taking good care of me, patching me up,” I tell him, my voice soft even if all I want to do is go to sleep right now. “And we’ll be back soon, so you can shout at me in person if you like.”
“I should fucking spank you for getting yourself shot.” He sighs, and heat flares past the pain briefly.
“Not for a couple of weeks, Nik. Hunt will need bed rest and time to heal before you punish him,” Andrei comments as he finishes up my stitches. “He can join Iris.”
“Oh god, they will be a fucking nightmare,” Nik groans, and I huff a laugh. He’s not wrong. I already knew Iris was going to get bored real quick of being stuck on bed rest, and I don’t do well being made to rest either.
“Guess you’ll have to nurse both of us then, Sweetheart,” I tease, closing my eyes and letting the warm nighttime breeze wash over me.
“Just try to get back here in one piece, Hunt,” Nik pleads, and my heart warms at the caring tone, but I hate the worry that laces his words as well.
“I’ll see you soon, Sweetheart, promise.” The phone is taken away, the pain easing some more as the pain relief takes even further effect, and I let myself rest, the movement of the boat soothing now.
This thing building between Nik and me, it’s unexpected but exciting, thrilling, and it already feels more intense than I was expecting. Of course he’s an attractive man, and there’s a heady chemistry between us I’m desperate to explore, but a tenderness has been growing too, something that is more than just the need to have sex. Something that I have the feeling will be up there with what I feel for Roman and Iris.
It’s another reason to stay alive, another reason to not let Sergi win.
