“Yeah, I was coming for you.” He took Ralf’s throat in his hand and squeezed, then turned the man around to act as a human shield. “Come on, Ernst. Klaus. You think you can take me? Fight me, man-to-man. I dare you.”
Ernst roared and ran toward him. Though the surroundings had turned dark, Jack’s enhanced senses allowed him to see the shape of the male barreling toward him. He shook Ralf and threw him at Ernst, and the pair went down in a heap.
Jack took off into the woods, praying Heather had done the same. He heard steps behind him and turned suddenly to take them out. Four more villagers, down. The best figure he could come up with was that five, maybe six men remained ready to fight. A shot rang out. Then another embedded into a tree an inch to the right of his head.
He’d rather they shot at him than at Heather. Racing away, he stopped and paused, transitioning quickly into Mikhail’s form. He still wore Jack Keiser’s clothes, but he hoped they’d focus on the face more than the jacket.
Three of the men reached him, out of breath.
“What about the girl?” he asked in Mikhail’s voice. “We still have her?”
“She took…off.” One of them wheezed. “Toward town. Jan’s…after her.”
Another asked, “Where did…that bastard go?”
Mikhail nodded to the left. “I think that way.”
As they turned in pursuit, he nailed the three of them, taking them down. After knocking them unconsciousness, he shifted back into himself and ran away from the Source, toward town. He had to intercept Heather before the others got to her.
Except he ran into a bullet. It passed clean through his side but hurt like a bitch. He turned to find the shooter but saw nothing. Heard nothing. He hunkered down and found a rock. Tossing it to his right, he watched as another round hit the tree near where the rock had landed. Fuck. He had a crack shot, someone who could see in the dark, on his ass. And he was bleeding. If these dickheads had enhanced senses, they might smell him.
Too bad, he’d have to move. He threw another rock and ran in the opposite direction. He heard movement behind him and dropped to the ground just as another round fired at the spot where he’d been standing. The bullet would have passed through the base of his spine had he not moved.
He saw Klaus Baer’s face for an instant before the fucker darted back into the tree line. But Jack was prepared. He released his intent to kill and centered it on Klaus. Using his energy, he pushed out the danger and heard the telltale sign of a man who couldn’t keep still. That fidgeting response targeted his prey, and Jack raced toward him even as another bullet tore through the side of his thigh.
He tackled Klaus to the ground and fought the man for a few minutes, but the tussle didn’t amount to much. He broke Klaus’s right wrist and might have crushed a few of the man’s ribs, enough that he cried out in pain.
“Okay, you little motherfucker. What did you plan to do with Heather when you got back?”
Klaus cried, but Jack refused to ease up. He clapped a palm over Klaus’s mouth to stifle his shriek, then broke a finger on the man’s good hand. “I’ll ask again. What did you plan to do with her?”
Jack let him go and watched as tears poured down his cheeks. He looked like he might be going into shock. Jack didn’t ease up.
“Ernst was going to rape her, like he did to Nera. And then we would chain her up, play with her in our cottage in the woods.”
His voice grew singsongy, and Jack realized the man was far from rational.
“We catch them and play with them, where Father cannot see. He doesn’t approve. He likes the death to be quick. But that’s no fun. Ernst and I can make it last for hours and days. We—”
Jack had heard enough. He broke Klaus’s neck without another thought. One less murderer to deal with in a place that seemed to encourage Baer law over all. To think that this man and his brother would have been given control over Heather made Jack see red. He had to find her, and fast, because if Ernst found her first, Heather was well and truly fucked.
* * * *
Heather ran like she had the hounds of hell on her heels. She hadn’t been sure she could count on Jan, but he’d pushed her away from him and had fallen to his knees with a fake cry, acting as if she’d kicked him.
She prayed Jack would be all right, especially when she heard the gunshots. She cringed, wishing they’d been together, because she could heal him if he needed it. But if he got shot and bled out away from her, he’d die. And all because she’d been too proud to take Owen’s help when he’d tried to give it to her.
Tears filled her eyes, but she heard noise behind her and knew she couldn’t slow down. She didn’t know what to do. Jack had ordered her to get away, but she couldn’t leave him out here. She had no idea of what he was capable, except she’d felt that same danger everyone else had, and it had stemmed from him.
“Find him and kill him,” she heard Ralf Baer shriek.
Oh God. Jack must have really pissed the man off, because Ralf sounded madder than hell.
She continued to move, knowing she had to get away so that she could circle back and help Jack. She wasn’t an idiot. Of the two of them, Jack would be able to hold his own against these men, while she could do little more than heal them. She would be a liability to him if caught, because he’d no doubt surrender himself to save her if asked to make a choice. The idiotic man she loved was like that.
A stupid grin made its way to her face, even though she had never been in greater danger in her life. An idea came to her, and she found the perfect place to hide. She climbed up the tree as fast as she could and perched up in the branches, glad for the darkness of her clothing.
A few men ran by, two of Ernst’s cousins. She wished she had a weapon or radio. Something. Because she didn’t know where she was, and she had no wish to die from exposure or dehydration while Jack searched for her in vain. She could always go back to the trail, but then the men would find her.
What the heck should she do? She sat up in the tree for a while and tried to formulate a plan. More footsteps came, and she tensed. She heard the murmur of voices and concentrated so she could hear them.
“…half are out searching. They’ll find him.”
“…Rather be out there looking for Keiser. Ralf is so angry.” The voices faded.
A while later, she thought she heard Jan say, “Not a good scene, Mikhail. Best get back to town, or you won’t make it out alive.”
Something garbled, then more rustling. The moonlight lit up the woods, and she swore under her breath at the glare of a flashlight on the ground.
“I know you’re up there, girl.”
She cringed. Jan stood at the base of the tree.
“Come on down.
Now
, Heather.” He pointed his rifle at the tree trunk, reminding her he was armed.
She couldn’t hide up there forever. With a sigh, she carefully climbed down. Jan stood wearing her pack and slung his rifle over his arm. He looked little worse for wear, so Jack must not have found him.
“Is he okay?” came out before she could recall the words.
He grinned. “Your man is just fine. Furious, but okay.” His grin left him. “You’re my prisoner, honey. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it has to be. I’m part of the town, and I can’t ignore what you’ve done.”
“But I put it back. What was missing no longer is.”
“I know. And I’m grateful, but that doesn’t excuse that you lied and schemed to get here. Now you have to come with me. If the others find you, I can’t guarantee your safety. We need to get you back to Ida.”
He made sense, though she didn’t like leaving Jack behind. “But Jack—”
“Would rather have you safe.” He nudged her to walk and steered her to her right. “We’ll take the path back, because I lost my compass. I can’t see worth a shit in the dark either,” he grumbled as the moonlight disappeared again. They walked for hours before he made camp off the trail. The entire time they walked, he refused to answer her questions, and she eventually gave up asking.
He let her go to the bathroom by herself, and she returned quickly before he came after her. Tired and scared for Jack, she couldn’t sleep despite her exhaustion. The Source had taken a lot out of her earlier, and the chaos of the night had only added to her fatigue.
To her dismay, Ernst, Ralf, and Klaus joined them a few hours later. Poor Klaus had been shot in the leg and the side, but he refused to allow her to heal him. The rest of their party continued to hunt for Jack.
“I’m fine,” Klaus snapped when Ernst told Heather to heal him.
Klaus must have truly been hurt, because he always seemed to defer to his older brother.
“I don’t want a Stallbridge touching me.”
Ernst frowned. “But I thought you wanted her.”
Klaus’s sneer turned into a sly grin. “Later. There’s using, and there’s
using
.”
Ernst laughed. “True enough. If you’re finally manning up for the first time in your life, I shouldn’t complain.”
Ralf nodded at Klaus. “Good boy.” He glared at Ernst. “But you. What the fuck good are you? You didn’t find him, not even a trace? At least Klaus nearly pegged him.”
“I think I wounded him, Father,” Klaus bragged. “I saw blood on the leaves. I trailed him, but then it stopped. He must have tied off his injury.”
Ralf frowned. “He’s smart. Dangerous too.”
Ralf turned to Jan, and Heather made herself smaller, curling herself into a ball while she pretended to sleep, watching them from under her arm.
“Well, Jan? Have you seen him?”
No doubt Ralf referred to Jan’s second sight.
“I have.” Jan smiled.
His wide grin alarmed her. There was no way to fight psychic knowing. All the hunting instincts Jack might have meant nothing to a man who could see the future.
“He’ll be waiting for us in town. Keep Heather alive and healthy. He’ll come for her at Ida’s. And then you’ll be there, Ralf. And Ernst.” He glanced at Klaus and shrugged. “Can’t see you, boy. But the others and me. We’ll be there.”
Heather wanted to curse Jan for betraying them, but Ida had warned her not to trust him.
She tried not to cry, to recover her energy for the trip tomorrow. Another day and a half walking back to town, imagining the worst. She huddled in her misery and fell asleep.
A kick to her side woke her from a nightmare. The kick didn’t hurt her overmuch, but it would leave a bruise or two.
Ernst leered at her. “Wake up.”
She rose painfully to her feet. She’d slept in an awkward position, and the many sticks and trees she’d bumped into while trying to escape had left their mark.
“Come on. You need to piss; then we need to go.” Ernst grabbed her arm and dragged her a few feet behind some bushes. “Go.”
“I can’t.”
“You can, or you can piss yourself while we walk. Your choice.”
The bastard wasn’t going to turn around. Mortified, Heather made do. She gave him her back, dropped her pants, and squatted to do her business, aware of him watching her the whole time.
“Too bad Klaus missed this. He likes humiliation,” Ernst said in a thick voice.
Like Ernst didn’t? He seemed to want to portray himself as better than his brother, but from what Heather could tell, he was just as cruel and perverted. She stood and hurried to right her clothing.
“Why won’t your brother let me heal him?” she asked, needing to fix Klaus’s wounds. Being kept from pain was in itself a kind of torment. Perhaps Klaus knew that.
Ernst shrugged. When she tried to go around him, he grabbed her by the shoulders and smashed his lips against hers. She struggled to get free, but he was too powerful. Too strong.
Tears rolled down her cheeks while he shoved his tongue into her mouth and squeezed her breast.
He pulled away from her mouth before she could bite him. “Oh yeah. You’re a hot piece. I can’t wait to fuck that ass.”
She cringed and tried to distance herself, both mentally and physically, when he dragged her close again.
“Ernst, not now.” Klaus tapped him on the shoulder. “Father is waiting, and he’s not happy.”
Ernst immediately moved away from her. “Bring her with you. I’ll see to Father.”
Klaus nodded. When Heather wiped her mouth, trembling, Klaus just stared at her, his eyes hard. He reached for her hand, and she immediately jerked back. His eyes seemed to soften, and then he glared at her.
“Come on.” He nodded in the direction from which they’d come.
She wondered if she could run into the woods before an injured Klaus could catch her, if she’d make matters better or worse if she wasn’t there for Jack to rescue. Would she be saving him or not?
“I wouldn’t,” he said in a low voice. “I’ll find you. Then Father will hurt you, and Ernst will rape you. He’ll make it hurt.”
She tried not to cry but couldn’t help it. “He’s going to rape me later anyway.”
Klaus stiffened. “Not if you promise to be mine instead. I’ll protect you.”
Oh God. Jack, where are you?
He would use the situation to his advantage, wouldn’t he? Could she use one brother against the other? The possibility intrigued her enough to go with Klaus back to the others. She saw Jan’s raised brow as he looked from her to Klaus. The he saw her mouth and frowned. He said something to Ralf, who glared at Klaus.
“Not me.” Klaus nodded to Ernst, who paled. “I was bringing her back. I think she meant to escape.”
“Only because he tried to…tried to…” She couldn’t say it. “You’re an evil man, Ernst Baer.”
Ralf scowled at her. “My son is not evil. You Stallbridges are the problem. Whores and liars all. Your family tainted a pure thing, stole its essence without thought or care for our town. You’re admitted thieves, and you think you can put the blame at our feet? Ernst is just eager to apply our brand of justice.”
“Good points, Ralf.” Jan nodded. “Perhaps we can belabor them at home? My bones ache, and I know Edda’s just waiting with some hot cider to ease our troubles.”
Ralf smiled. “Cider. That’s a good thing. Let’s go, boys.”
The group started the return trip back. Heather saw Klaus watching her constantly, but when he’d notice her watching, he’d look away. Ernst glared at her but kept his distance after his father said something to him. Later that night, when they stopped again, Ernst found her before she could lie down to sleep.