Page 40 of Hunter's Trial

I make a run for it, hoping to take him off guard for just a moment. My fingers just barely brush Liz’s before Billy yanks her away.

I hear the gun before I see it. Cocked and pointed right at our daughter.

Then I hear screaming. I almost don’t even realize that the screaming is coming from me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

NIKOLAI

This is what I’m good at.

Over the course of my life, I've developed a very unique set of skills that have turned me into what most people call a monster. Those skills have served me well. They certainly are going to make this encounter a hell of a lot more enjoyable to me.

In the back of my mind, I register that the music from the party has stopped. I’m sure that I’m not the only person who heard the screaming and started running. But I know where she is - I’ve been following her this whole time.

I know very well what interfering here will mean. I’m crossing a territory line. I’m all but declaring open season on myself as I vault over the low hedge and into the clearing where Kate is standing with that bastard that I ought to have killed the first time around. Leaving him alive isn’t a mistake that I’m going to make twice.

Alek will kill me for this. I’m all but signing my death warrant.

If he doesn’t do it then Daniel sure as fuck will.

At least my death will buy Kate’s freedom. That’s damn worth it.

The bastard has a gun pointed at Kate’s head. He’s holding their child hostage and likely using Liz as leverage against Kate. She’s practically frozen in fear. I don’t need to hear what she’s saying to know that she’s doing everything in her power to ensure that the bastard’s focus is solely on her and not Liz.

What happens next is so fast that I don’t have time to process it.

I’m running and then my gun is in my hand, cocked and ready. I would prefer to do this where Liz and Kate can’t see but their safety comes first, of course.

The bullet leaves the gun in a massive crack. One moment Billy is talking shit, snarking at Kate and then he spots me. His focus waivers for just a moment as he shifts to see who is running toward them and then there’s a bullet between his eyes. It hits hard and fast, as it should. The bastard takes a long minute to realize that he’s dead. His gun falls from his hand and his grip loosens on Liz. Kate snatches her daughter up and immediately covers her eyes, spinning the pair of them away from the sight of Billy sinking to his knees right there in the clearing.

Liz is screaming and sobbing and there’s nothing that I want to do more than to go over there and comfort her. There’s blood all over her. It’s in her pretty blonde hair. I’ve scarred her for life and there’s nothing that I can ever do to fix it. I told her that I wasn’t the bad kind of scary man. Her mother promised I would protect them. I’ve done that, but she will likely never look at me the same way again.

Not that I will ever see her again.

I try to memorize the sight of the two of them in front of me. Even a bad memory is better than nothing at all.

“Drop it, Volkovich!”

Ah, Daniel would be the first one to find us. Always been trigger happy. I’m sure he hated the fact that I forced Alek into hiring Kate for me in the first place. Likely wants to get back at me any way that he can. But I have to comply. I lift my hands to either side of my head at a lazy angle and let my gun dangle from one finger for a moment before it falls off my hand and onto the ground.

“Back the fuck away from it, Volovich.” Alek’s voice comes second. I don’t dare to turn around and look at them. Kate turns to me, and we make eye contact for only a moment. Her eyes widen in fear as she seems to realize what has to come next. I wink at her. It’s better this way. It’s best that it happens like this. They are safe now. That’s all that matters.

“What are you doing?!” Kate screams at one of them, holding Liz even more tightly into her chest.

“On your knees, Volkovich.” Daniel says in his overly smug voice.

I comply slowly.

“Stop it. What are you doing?! He saved me. Stop it - Don’t!”

I’m not sure which of the men puts their damned knee in my back, but from the height I have to presume it’s Alek. I fall forward and they twist my hands behind my back painfully. Doesn’t have to be, but they are going to delight in whatever torture that they can inflict upon me. I would do the same thing in their situation. Hell, I have.

It takes the two of them to lift me back up once my hands are bound. They yank me to the side, hauling me in the direction of a car. No doubt the beating that’s about to come my way is going to be extra painful just because Alek’s wedding got crashed and now there’s a dead body that he’s got to take care of quickly.

Kate follows behind for a moment but they don’t offer a word of explanation as they shove me into the back of a car. Daniel slides into the driver's seat as Alek leaves. No doubt to tell his wife why he’s leaving so suddenly. Kate tries to keep up like she’s going to be able to grab hold of the door but it’s too late.

It doesn’t matter where they are taking me. Not really.