Chapter 39

Charlie’s heart hit her mouth at the same time as her body stiffened and sent her stomach plummeting to the dirt below her feet. She had been panicking when Sarah had pulled her to a standstill but the sea of calm in her eyes as she spoke, had eased Charlie’s fears and made her think everything was going to be okay. But, it wasn’t. She knew that as soon as her worst nightmare had stepped out from the tree.

“That was a wonderful thing for you to have done. Your words were truly magical and extremely convincing,” Rafael said.

“Run,” Charlie whispered. “Run and don’t look back, no matter what.”

“You know, Maria. You are probably the biggest pain in the ass that I’ve ever had the trouble of needing to be rid of. I don’t know what it is with you. I send the best hitman the world has to offer and he falls in love with you. I send someone else and your lover kills him. I’m presuming he did that because I’ve heard fuck all from Tiny since the day he went to your home in Hastings. Then I send a pack of wolves after and come myself because clearly I can’t trust anyone else to do the job for me, and you still manage to fucking get away. What the hell is it with you? Seriously, just stay the fuck still and let me finish this already. I have a flight to catch, you know?”

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware that wanting to live was causing you so much fucking grief. Considering I’m the one with a face that’s now twice the size that it should be and have holes in my fucking hands, you’d think that I’d be the one to complain but no. Instead, it’s the old age pensioner and has been mafia fucking boss who has a bee in his bonnet.”

She had to buy some time and get Sarah to leave her and if that meant provoking him, then that was exactly what she was going to do. She stepped forward, putting herself between Rafael and Sarah as she said, “So, come on, has been. What are you planning to do to me now? I’m not tied up and we’re in this big, wide-open space in the middle of a place you don’t know. What’s your plan? Shoot me? No, you would have done that already. Throw your knife at me in the hope you manage to hit the sweet spot, from thirty feet away? Nah, at your age you probably can’t see straight.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sarah asked.

“Buying you some time. When I give the signal, run and don’t stop. Get to Aiden at the hall.”

Shaking Sarah’s hand off her arm, Carlie ignored her plea and continued to walk towards Rafael. “Come on, what will it be? I’m tired and you’ve had such a hard time, I promise I will make it easy for you.”

“You’re going to make it easy for me, are you? Do you think killing you is something that I can’t face? Is that it?” Rafael said.

Charlie stood her ground as his face split into a grin and he began to walk towards her. “No, not at all. I’m just saying that if you were going to do it, you’d have done it by now. Only someone who hasn’t really got the balls, or the advantage, would taunt someone with torture and threats. Someone who actually had the balls would have done the job the minute they walked into that cabin.”

As he closed the gap, Charlie felt her legs beginning to shake as though an earthquake was underfoot. His face was twisted with anger as he balled his fists and readied a right hook.

“Now!” Charlie shouted as Rafael swung. His fist connected with her jaw sending her to the floor.

She had known she didn’t stand a chance but he couldn’t go for her and Sarah at the same time. She was who he wanted and as long as Sarah got away, it would be worth it. Even if he killed her instantly, he would never be able to find Sarah in the woods.

Rafael loomed over her with nothing but hate in his eyes as he said, “I should have killed your mother when you were inside her and saved myself all this hassle.”

Charlie didn’t say a word as he trailed his knife down her face, slowly dragging the blade across her skin like it was paper. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she let the tears flow silently as she felt the blade cut. Her blood felt cold as it trickled down her cheeks in the autumn forest breeze, while she waited for it to be over. Closing her eyes, she thought of Aiden, waiting for her at the village hall and told herself that he would be fine without her.

A scream filtered through the air, followed by a high pitched yelp and Carlie opened her eyes to a flutter of birds taking flight from the trees around her. She saw Rafael, knife poised over her chest, the colour drained from his face as he screamed, then a huge paw with claws the size of shears swiped across his head, knocking him to the floor. His screams continued as he scrambled to his feet and tried to run into the cover of the dense trees, then abruptly, his scream cut off as a huge wolf clamped his jaws around him.

Charlie was on her feet faster than she had ever moved before as panic filled every fibre of her.

“Charlie! Oh my god. Your face,” Sarah cried. Ripping the sleeve from her shirt, she ran to Carlie and began putting pressure on the wound. “He’s gone now. You’re safe. You’re really safe.”

Seeing movement from the corner of her eye, Charlie spun, readying herself for whatever was coming for her, then burst into tears at the sight of a wounded and completely naked Aiden walking towards her.