Page 12 of Saved By the Soldier

"Me too, but right now we need to get dressed and have some food. Then maybe later tonight we can do this again." I wink at him as I get out of bed and get dressed.

He does the same and we go into the kitchen and reheat some of the stew that was left from the night before. "Do you want some wine? I'm not going to have any just in case we get any visitors tonight."

Shit, I forgot about Viktor. "I won't have any, either just in case."

We eat dinner silently. "Do you think they’ll come? I'm scared."

He reaches over and grasps my hand. "Don't be scared, I'm the best person to be facing them. I'm going to go outside shortly and leave some booby traps so that we can hear them approaching. I'll have weapons all over the place. You've seen Die Hard, right?" I nod.

"Well he got his inspiration from me." He laughs and then stands, kissing me on the cheek. "I've got you babe, we've just started, and we’re nowhere near finishing whatever this is that we’ve got going on. I need you to meet my parents, they’re going to fucking love you."

I stand, and he pulls me in closer. "I hope Viktor doesn't turn up. But I know you will keep me safe. I know how to use a gun, so don't be expecting me to hide in the room. You've seen Angelina Jolie in Wanted, well I've mastered that move."

"Made for each other." He kisses me, and it sends tingles down to my toes.

We get ready for whatever might come our way tonight. I know Viktor. He likes to move through the night so that people don't see him approaching. Well, he's messed with the wrong couple here. I feel so safe with Luke, but I don't want to be the shrinking violet hiding out and waiting for her man to kill everyone. That’s not me.

"Okay, I think we’re sorted," Luke says as he locks the back door. "Let's go in the bedroom. They're going to think we aren'tready for them. So if they look through the window, they won't see us.”

I know there is no chance of us sleeping tonight.

7

LUKE

The snow is still coming down hard.They might not see our tracks, but if this Viktor guy is who Emma says he is, then I'm sure he knows exactly where the cabin is. I'm listening to every sound from the forest to see if I can hear something different. There are the animals who live in the forest that are making noises, but I’m listening for heavier noises, like footsteps.

A couple of hours later, I hear them. They are thunderous noises. I'm not sure if they deliberately are that loud or if they are like naturally.

I nudge Emma. "I hear them." She's alert and I see her eyes are wide. She's scared, but she will not admit it. "Emma, you stay in here. I know you're scared."

"I'm not," she says, staring at me. Yes, she is.

"Babe, I don't want to lose you now."

"I don't want to lose you. If I'm in here then I won't be able to help you and if something happens to you then I won't forgive myself for sitting it out in the backroom. They'll get me anyway."

I know she won't back down. "Okay, but you try and stay inside the cabin." I kiss her before I leave. "See you soon." I move to the back door, unlock it and silently move outside.I know they are close, but they aren't here yet. I have white camo on so they can't see me well in the snow. I keep low to the ground and move so that I’m just to the right of their path. I see one of them. They are all carrying weapons.

"Let's get that bitch. She's got there before me one too many times and we need to kill her. They might even think she was ravaged by bears." Their English is broken, but I hear what they want to do to Emma. Over my dead body. I fire the first shot, making one guy drop to the floor, screaming. Then I see another guy turn in my direction. He can't see me well.

I crawl over the snow and get myself in a position for the second guy. If I can get them on the floor, they are less likely to get back up and go for Emma. I called Frank earlier and told him to send reinforcements, so they should be here soon. I’m not out to kill these guys, but if I have to protect Emma, then I will.

"Where are you?" I hear Viktor shout out. He shoots in my direction, then it all goes quiet. Where the fuck are they? There's about three men left, including Viktor. Moving away from my place, I move toward the point their two men are on the ground, moaning and holding their legs where I shot them.

Viktor is at the front of the cabin, but there are another two people between us. I shoot the one closest to me and he goes down screaming. I only shot him in his shin, for God's sake.

I hear some glass smash, and I know Viktor is in the cabin. I rush back to make sure Emma is okay, but one of his men catches me. He punches me in the face. I go down and then I grab his legs and pull him over my head. He goes down headfirst and we grapple for a while, punching each other. I put my hands around his throat and squeeze. He kicks me and punches me and then tries to move my hands away, but I don't let go. My instincts kick in and in my head I am back in Afghanistan, where I choked a guy out for killing women and children. Ididn't let go until he had stopped breathing and that is what I am doing now. When he goes limp in my arms, I know he's dead. Fuck.

I don't get long to think about it, as I can hear Emma scream. Then I hear a gunshot and I hope to God, Emma shot Viktor. But she didn't. I see her being taken away over Viktor's shoulder. He is moving fast through the forest, and I’m trying to keep up with him. Emma isn't saying anything. I hope she's not dead.

"Emma I'm coming for you," I scream, hoping she hears me.

Viktor laughs, and the sound reverberates through the forest, bouncing off the trees and not giving me his correct direction. I stop running as I need to get my bearings... I take out the satellite phone. "Frank, he's got Emma. We need to stop him. Do you know where his truck is parked? He seems to be going out of town. She needs an ambulance, he shot her."

"Luke, we have a team on the way up to you and we have a team going out to look for his truck. We will find her. Keep us informed." There is a lot of static and the call is dropped.

"She'll be fine. She won't bleed out. She can't," I say to myself as I follow in the footsteps in the snow.

---