She nodded and leaned in. She kissed his chin, his cheeks, eyelids. She lay tiny kisses all over his face.
“Until I met you, I never wanted anyone this much,” she said.
Everything in him tightened. “I know. It’s the same for me.”
She kissed his temple. “I am so, so glad you’re alive, Cam. I love you.”
His hands flexed on her, his throat tight. “Saskia—”
“Shh, don’t say anything. I don’t need you to say anything. Whatever happens, I just wanted you to know how I felt.”
Everything was a whirl inside him. Was this love? This feeling of so much you couldn’t contain it, of feeling fucking terrified.
People died. He knew that. Just like Kris had died. And when they did, it ripped your heart out.
“Just hold me,” she murmured.
He did. Hell, he could hold her just like this forever.
Then he heard a sound.
He lifted his head.
“Cam?”
His body tightened. “I hear ATVs. Coming this way.”
Chapter Eighteen
Trying to stay calm, Saskia watched Cam hurry around the cabin, collecting their things.
“We need to hide the fact that we were here.” His voice was grim.
“Can we outrun them?” she asked.
His turbulent, green gaze met hers. “No.”
“So, what do we do?”
“Hide and fight. I need you hidden. Whatever happens, don’t come out.”
Her stomach curdled. “And you?”
“I fight.” He opened the front door and waved her out.
Once again, her man would risk himself for her.
“Cam—”
He yanked her in for a savage, possessive kiss. “Please, Saskia. I need you safe. If something happens to me, you have to stay hidden until Vander finds you.”
She could barely breathe. If something happens to me… He said those words so matter-of-factly.
She gripped the lapels of his jacket and surprise flared in his eyes.
“Nothing had better happen to you, Cam. After this, you’re going to marry me. I’m moving to San Francisco, and we’re going to live happily ever after, in love, having excellent sex, and one day, in the future, you’re going to give me babies.”
She took a second to enjoy his expression—like he’d been hit in the head with a steel beam. Then she kissed him again. “Stay safe, Cam. Your family and friends need you. I need you.”
His hands flexed on her, an intense look in his eyes. Like everything he was feeling was tangled up inside and he couldn’t get it out.
She heard the revving sound of the approaching engines.
“Get under the cabin, sweetheart.” He led her to the porch. “And take the pack.”
She dropped to her knees. “Do you have a gun?”
He shook his head. “But I have a knife. Now go.”
She wiggled under the cabin. The ground was cold, and there were a lot of spiderwebs. She guessed a spider or two were better than Mikhailov any day.
Cam crouched and handed her the backpack. The look on his face seared her with its intensity.
Then he rose and was gone.
Like a ghost.
Saskia crawled a little farther, then curled around an old wooden footing. She tried to stay calm, but that was proving impossible.
Then, the sound of engines grew louder.
She blew out a shaky breath. Her heart pounded in her ears.
The ATVs roared in, stopping in front of the cabin. She peered out, and watched denim-clad legs swing off the vehicles.
“Rogers, Ivanov, check the cabin.”
Saskia went rigid at the voice. Mikhailov.
She saw lots of pairs of rugged boots walking around. Two men thumped up the steps and into the cabin.
“They must be close,” Mikhailov said. “The woman can’t have gotten far.”
One of the guards spat on the ground. “She has someone helping her.”
“And she will be holding him back.”
Saskia clenched her hands together. There were three ATVs. Five guards and Mikhailov.
Cam was outnumbered.
“There’s no one inside, boss.”
Whoever was talking was American.
“But it looks like there was some disturbance,” another man said, his accent definitely Russian. “Could’ve been them.”
She watched Mikhailov’s shiny, clean boots take a few steps. “Search the area for any sign of them.”
Her stomach turned over. She wished they would just go. She willed them to leave.
Instead, all six men fanned out around the cabin.
God, Cam.
She rested her forehead against the rough wood. If any of the guards looked under the cabin, they’d likely spot her.
One man circled the cabin. Suddenly, she heard a noise. As she watched, she saw someone grab him. There was a quick scuffle, and the guard was dragged into the trees.
Cam.
“Hey, Alek, anything?” Another guard circled around the shack. She watched the man’s feet stop, and he turned in a circle. “Alek? Where the fuck are you?”
The others all hurried around. One guard crouched and Saskia stiffened. If he turned his head, he’d see her.
“There are scuff marks in the dirt.” The man rose.
“They’re here!” Mikhailov exclaimed. “Find them. I want the woman.”
Around the other side of the cabin, she saw movement. Cam was doing something to the ATVs. Then he was gone again.
“I’ll take an ATV and do a loop,” the American guard said. “They could be on the run.”
The guard leaped onto one of the bikes. Nothing happened.
“Fuck. It won’t start.”
“Check the others,” Mikhailov shouted.
“Nothing. The son of a bitch tampered with them.”
Mikhailov growled. “Find them!”
The guards strode out to the trees. Saskia followed one with her gaze. He stepped into the trees, and something fell on him. She saw Cam ride the man to the ground, then quickly slice with a knife. The guard slumped, and didn’t even have a chance to make a sound.
Then Cam dissolved into the woods.
“Yuri! Yuri is down.” Three of the guards raced over to the fallen man.
“Throat’s cut,” one of them snapped.
She sensed the tension in the men. Saskia bit her lip. There were only three guards to go.
She felt a trickle of hope. If anyone could do this, it was Cam.
“There. I saw something in the trees.”
Gunfire erupted. Saskia clamped her hands over her ears.
“There he is!”
Cursing in Russian. “Shoot the asshole.”
She heard running steps. Boots raced past the cabin.
Her chest hitched. Cam.
There was more gunfire. She spotted his boots, then saw him jerk and go down on one knee.
No. Was he hit? How bad?
He didn’t look her way. There was blood running down his arm.
Cam. She willed him to get up.
Then the three guards were on him. They kicked and hit him.
Saskia winced. She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.
“Bring him,” Mikhailov yelled.
Two of the guards hauled Cam up and dragged him over to Mikhailov.