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“That’s right, Snow Angel.We. Together.” He scooted closer to her and placed his gun on the rocks between them and the forested slope that led to the guard shack. “Can you straighten your arm?”
“It’s fine.” She moved it to prove her point. Pain rippled up her shoulder and she sucked in a breath.
He flipped up her face shield. Gingerly, he examined her arm. “I’m guessing you fractured your radial head. I can make a sling to ease the pain."
“No. I need full mobility. Stop being a doctor and think like an agent. We need a plan.”
He nodded, his cold gaze flashing fire through the falling flakes. “We need to assume that Malgor has men positioned out here. He wants you alive, but that doesn’t mean he won’t harm you.”
“He might, but he won’t kill me.”
But he’ll kill you.
She froze that fear with a shiver. “That shack isn’t Malgor’s final plan. He’ll move me to another location so he can keepplaying with me. We can’t assume that’s his plan for Julia. Once he’s got me, she’s served her purpose.” Cannon’s face paled, but Rosalie pressed on. “We have to split up.”
“No.” He shook his head. “We stick together, remember?”
“Yes, together, but not side by side. If you go in there with me, Malgor might kill you in front of Julia. Or he might kill Julia in front of you. Malgor enjoys games and drama."
“Shit.” He hissed between his teeth. “I hate it, but you’re right. The fucker is sick enough to do something like that.”
“He is, which is why I need to surrender as planned and then find a way to get Julia out. As soon as the bastard leaves that cabin for any reason, you take a shot. While you’re waiting, scope the area and take out any hostiles you find. For all we know, they may be instructed to shoot Julia when he lets her go. When help arrives, which it will because the explosion is bound to attract first responders, coordinate with them. The storm will slow their progress, so you might be on your own for a while.”
“I can handle that. These aremywoods. If I’m going to die in them, it will be doing something stupid on a snowboard, not at the hands of a terrorist tourist.”
She nodded, his cockiness infusing her confidence. “Take this.” She held out her gun.
“You can’t face Malgor without a weapon.”
“The exchange instructions say to meet him unarmed. We can’t take the chance of Julia paying the price for not following the rules.”
Cursing under his breath, he tucked her gun into a cargo pocket in his pants and checked the chamber of his own. “What about Malgor’s instructions that I deliver you to the exchange point? My absence might set him off.”
“It might, but you’re as good as dead if you deliver me. The two of us need to live to get Julia to safety.”
“The us part is the only thing I like about this, Snow Angel. When this is over, there needs to still be an us.”
“There will be.” She stepped to him and touched his cheek. “I promise.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
The fierce wind pushed Rosalie toward the clearing in front of the guard shack. Straightening her spine, she walked into the moment she’d been anticipating for two years.
She resisted cradling her injured arm against her belly. Weakness hadn’t been in the script the thousands of times she’d imagined her showdown with Malgor. She couldn’t allow it to be now.
Then again, worrying about the man she loved getting killed wasn’t in her plan either.
The wind whistled in her ears as snow pelted her face, but she didn’t dip her chin against it.
Show yourself, you bastard, so Cannon can take a shot.
With each step toward the final showdown, she repeated the silent command. The door didn’t crack open a bit. Neither did her resolve to show no fear. As she stepped onto the single stone step, the door creaked open halfway.
“Inside,” Malgor yelled over the wind.
His accent, sharper and harsher than what she’d heard over the hospital intercom, fit what she imagined would come out of Malgor’s mouth. Squinting, she scanned the dark interior. Atable with a single chair and a laptop on it sat in front of a barren stone fireplace. “Aren’t you going to come out and greet me?”
Tackle me. Hit me. Stabme.Anything to get him in Cannon’s sights.
