Into the Lair

Chapter Thirty-Four

Tension she couldn’t ascribe to her own feelings had permeated the cabin. Katie glanced warily in the direction of Ian and Braden. Both men sat at the small table next to the window, eating in silence.

She’d done an admirable job of pretending complete ignorance. She’d been flirty, casual and relaxed while Ian and Braden had both been quiet, withdrawn and moody. And more protective than ever. She couldn’t piss without one of them hovering. If she hadn’t heard directly from the horse’s mouth what their plans were, she’d still be floundering in ignorance, accepting whatever they doled out and begging for more.

She shook her head in disgust. Time was running out, and now she was going to be forced to make her move.

Without a glance in their direction, she slipped into the bedroom. She pressed her hands to her pants to stop the trembling and to dry the sweat from her palms.

She touched the two syringes full of the sedative and placed them on the dresser. Then she made sure her bag was packed, her cards, money and passport on top of her clothing. An earlier check outside had yielded two snowmobiles, both with keys in the ignition.

She could see lights of a distant village further down the mountain from the cabin deck. She’d head there and then get what transportation she could. By the time Ian and Braden regained consciousness, she’d be three countries away.

New life, fresh start. A chance at redemption.

Without Gabe. Without Ian and Braden. Pain sucked the air from her lungs. She closed her eyes and held back the dismay clogging her throat. Without Ian and Braden. Nothing had ever hurt so much.

Ian closed the satellite receiver and glanced up at Braden. “Esteban is moving in. Personally.”

Braden’s gaze sharpened and a light of anticipation flared in his eyes. “Arrogant son of a bitch.”

“He’s moving with a small band of men. If the Falcon secondary can get a bead on him, they’ll eliminate his team and take Esteban alive. Eli and Tits are on their way here. If Esteban makes it all the way to Katie, we want to be sure she doesn’t get caught in the crossfire.”

“We need to tell her what’s up,” Braden said.

Ian nodded as he pushed away from the table. His own brand of anticipation singed along his skin. “How are you feeling?” he asked Braden as he paused outside the bedroom door. “We need to be at our best, and our best is not drugged.”

“I’m good,” Braden said. “Other than the fact that I’m looking forward to kicking some serious ass, I feel pretty calm.”

Ian blew out his breath in relief. So far so good. Now to stash Katie somewhere she would gain the least amount of exposure.

The two brothers walked into the bedroom to see Katie sitting on the bed, her hands tucked underneath her legs. She looked up with wary eyes, and Ian couldn’t blame her. He and Braden hadn’t exactly been warm toward her for the last two days.

He approached her with Braden and cupped a hand to her cheek. “Katie, we need to talk.”

She launched herself forward, her hands flying out in a blur. Ian felt a stab of pain in his arm even as he stared dumbly at her.

“What the hell?” Braden roared just as realization of what she had done hit Ian full force.

Ian staggered back and yanked at the needle still stuck in his arm. She’d pushed the stopper to its limit and injected him with a full dose of the sedative.

She shot up but Braden grabbed her arm and tossed her back onto the bed. She scooted backward on the mattress, her eyes wild.

“Katie, what the fuck?” Ian demanded, and then he shook his head. He didn’t have time to ask questions. He had to make her understand what was about to take place. That danger was coming, and now he and Braden would be out of commission.

Braden staggered and braced himself against the bed. “What have you done?” he whispered. “Why?”

“I’m not expendable,” Katie said quietly. “My life may not be important to you, but I’m not giving it up that easily. I’ve run too hard for too long to give up now. I won’t be used as bait for Esteban. I’ll no longer be used by any man.”

Ian’s muscles twitched and seized as the predator locked within the man fought for freedom, fought against the sedative coursing through his veins. Beside him, Braden lunged for Katie. He landed on top of her but she lay there calmly, waiting for him to succumb.

Ian held his hands to his ears to dim the roaring. He shook his head, trying to shake off the sluggish lethargy stealing over his body.

“Katie,” he whispered. “You don’t understand. Esteban…coming.”

“Yeah, I know,” she said bitterly as she stared at him with hard, glittering eyes. “He’s coming for me. I just don’t plan to be here when he arrives.”

Panic surged, and for a moment he thought the adrenaline would overpower the sedative. “No,” he slurred. “You can’t go. Dangerous. He’s out there. Stay where safe.”

He felt himself falling, and then Katie was over him, shoving him until he faced the ceiling. Her face loomed close to his. And then she kissed him. Lingeringly. With regret. Soft. A goodbye. He tried to reach for her, to hold her against him but she pushed aside his hands as if they were nothing.

Darkness clouded his periphery and still he fought. She didn’t stand a chance on her own. She thought he and Braden had betrayed her.

“No,” he croaked out.

Katie hurried to the dresser to collect her bag. She pulled on Ian’s heavy sweatshirt and snagged a jacket from the floor. After she’d donned the heavier clothes, she chanced one last look back at the two unconscious men.

The knot grew tighter in her throat. For just a little while, she’d allowed herself to become ensconced in the fantasy of having these two men care about her. Worse, though, she’d allowed herself to care about them. Men and sex were her biggest weaknesses, apparently. The fact that she clearly hadn’t learned her lesson with Paulo told her she was as careless as ever when it came to jumping into a situation.

But she’d survived, and this time she was getting out on her own terms. She squared her shoulders, collected her bag and grasped one of the assault rifles. Slinging the strap over her shoulder, she walked briskly toward the cabin door.

She stepped into the cold night. The chill was a slap in the face in a good way. An awakening from her morose thoughts and regrets. Her survival was all that mattered right now. Ian and Braden would be just fine.

Unless…

She stared back, indecision wracking her cluttered mind. Had she left them completely vulnerable to Esteban? If he came here looking for her, he’d find two unconscious men.

For a woman who’d had only herself to consider for so long and no compunction about doing so, it was extremely unsettling to realize that Ian and Braden could die because of her. No matter that they’d callously used her for their own purposes.

She didn’t want them to die.

Her fingers tightened around the rifle, and then in the distance, roaring closer, the sound of snowmobiles shattered the still of the night.