Page 48 of My Highland Fling
“Not an option,” a calm male voice said.“Isabella is married to me.”
Adrik stood and pulled a gun from the hollow of his back.He gestured with the weapon.“Get over there.I guessed something was up when Timur requested a meeting.Together, where I can see you.”Her husband resembled a growling bear with his teeth pulled back in a sneer and his light blue eyes so icy cold.
“Yet you invited him to visit, anyway,” the blonde said, not even quailing at the sight of a gun.
Instead of following Adrik’s orders, the pair remained on opposite sides of the room.They didn’t fear him, and Gabrielle could tell their calmness infuriated her husband.
Adrik gestured wildly with the gun.“Restrain him.”
Gabrielle swallowed, her mind overriding her earlier panic.They couldn’t let Adrik get the upper hand.Amazingly, she still clutched the fork in her hand.This man had brutalized her, and he’d continue to do so unless she became pregnant.However, pregnancy would only be a temporary reprieve.Once she’d produced a son, he’d no longer need her.She was dispensable.
Gabrielle edged closer to him, unsure of what she intended to do until he fired the gun.Then she acted on instinct.She jabbed Adrik in the thigh with her fork, not holding back in the force of her strike.
Chapter 23
Rescue
Ramsayheardthecommotion,the crack of gunfire, and glanced at Saber.He transformed into his human form and waited for Saber to shift.“Should we go in?”
“Not yet, but we’ll move closer.The guards haven’t changed recently, so let’s take out these before they investigate.”
“Yeah, I noticed the pair checking their watches and comparing notes.Interesting that the gunfire hasn’t shifted them.It’s almost as if they expected it.”
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.Isabella’s friend doesn’t think much of Adrik, which tells me the truth is worse than the rumors,” Saber said.
“I’ll cover the two on the right.”
Saber hand signaled agreement and shifted back to his feline form.Stealthily, he slid into the shadows, and Ramsay did the same.Although Middlemarch had faced danger, he’d never taken part, and he was seeing a new side to his adopted family.They were scary as shit.Ramsay gave a feline smirk.
Ramsay slinked closer to the two guards, who were muttering in undertones.His scant knowledge of Russian was yes and no.He took the first one down by leaping at him.He hesitated to strike a killing blow, then hardened his heart, snapped the man’s neck and jumped at the second.These men worked for Adrik Popov and had committed atrocities on his behalf.The second guard thought faster than the first and pulled his weapon.It fired.A bullet burned a furrow along his side, and Ramsay snarled his displeasure.He pounced at the man, anger burning away every scrap of hesitation.
Saber called to him, and Ramsay answered with a sharp growl.He trotted toward Saber, freezing, when a truck slowed at the gate.A man—a soldier—jumped out and cautiously approached the gatehouse.He cut the fence and crawled through when he found no one present.He disappeared, and the gate slowly opened for the vehicle access.It halted again, and a dozen heavily armed men slipped from the rear.They fanned out and approached the house, their weapons at the ready.
Another gun fired indoors, and a man screamed, the sound abruptly cutting off.
Ramsay and Saber shared a glance, each desperate to know what was happening inside—Saber because his brothers were inside and Ramsay because his mate was in danger.
Saber released a roar and fell silent.
A door opened, and Isabella called out.“Saber, we’re coming out.We have Gabrielle.”
Timur strode outside and whistled.The soldiers they’d watched arrive stepped out of the shadows.“Lock the place down,” he ordered.“Most guards are in the room near the kitchen.They’re still armed, but they’re sick.Gabrielle informs me she and the cook fed them laxatives in their stew, so it’s not contagious.”
“This wasn’t part of the plan,” Isabella snapped.
“You didn’t think I helped out of the goodness of my heart,” her friend mocked.“I’ve had my eye on Adrik’s territory for some time, which will give me kudos with my competitors.”
Isabella stared at him, and from where he and Saber stood, Ramsay noted her irritation.“You’re going to let us leave with the girl.”
“I am,” Timur said.“We’re square now.Next time you pay.”
Isabella offered him a curt nod.“Thanks for your help.Make sure you treat the cook with respect.She is a brave woman to help her mistress.”
Timur gave a rueful smile.“I’ll help her leave.I’m not sure I’d ever trust a cook who’d doctor the food.”
Isabella laughed.“In that, we are of accord.Can we take the vehicle back to the airstrip?”
“Yes,” Timur said.“Leave the keys inside, and I’ll have one of my men collect it.”
