67

Archer
I pull my jeep off the main road in the middle of nowhere, driving down an unmarked track. It may be secluded, but I know the path to this place like the back of my hand. After all, I spent just under two years living up here in my cabin.
I notice Adrianna shudder.
“Are you cold?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No, this place just gives me the creeps.”
“The creeps?” I never thought of it as creepy.
“Yeah, like maybe you are actually a serial killer and this was your elaborate plan all along.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “You have a wild imagination.” The woods open up to a clearing where my cabin is, and it’s not just any old cabin. It’s modern and sophisticated.
“Wow, do you own this place?” Adrianna asks.
I nod. “I bought it when I needed to remain low while my family was looking for me.” It was a difficult time in my life. One fraught with loneliness and a little too much alcohol, but this place saved me. “It’s actually how I met Oak. He owns a cabin near to here and we met while we were both hiking.”
“And that’s how you got the job at the academy?”
I nod.
“How did you afford all this?”
“When I escaped from Dublin, I had no plan, just a few belongings. But I had a lot of money in my bank accounts, which my father couldn’t touch. It was enough to set me up for life, but the issue was that if I used it too soon, then my father could easily track me.” I run a hand across the back of my neck. “However, before boarding a plane to American I wire transferred the money to buy this place to a friend who bought it in their name.”
“That sounds complicated.”
I nod. “The money has sat in those accounts dormant, waiting until I can find someone to pull the cash for me somehow.” I tilt my head. “Bly has hooked me up with a Russian hacker he knows in New York who has ties at a banking institute which can move the money and hide where it goes, no questions asked.”
Adrianna looks surprised. “Why do you need the money now?”
I swallow hard. “I’m hoping that you will allow me to come with you.”
Adrianna stares at me for a few moments. “Are you serious?”
“Of course. I want to stay with you and help you build a new life.” I pause for a moment. “Build a new life, together.”
“What about the academy?” she asks.
“It’s not as important to me as you are.”
Her eyes fill with unshed tears, and for the first time she shows me some real emotion.
“Bly wondered why I wanted the money, but didn’t ask questions. I told him and Oak last night I was leaving with you and hopefully not coming back, if you agreed.”
Adrianna cries then, tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t cry, baby girl,” I say, wiping her tear away.
She swallows hard. “It’s just that I have been dreading saying goodbye to you ever since we came up with this crazy plan.”
My heart swells, hearing her finally admit that she does indeed feel the same way I do. “Took you long enough.”
“I’m sorry. I have never learned how to deal with my emotions correctly.” She laughs, but it’s half-hearted. “I guess that’s what happens when you are brought by criminals.”
“To be honest, I’m not sure I ever did either.”
She arches her brow. “Well, you are pretty in touch with your emotions, I’d say.”
“With you, yes. As I just know that we’re meant for each other.”
“I’ve been so terrible to you, though.”
“You have, but I forgive you.” I wink.
She shakes her head. “I’ll never understand why you care about me.”
“Then that’s my job, to make you realize how amazing you are, inside and out.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She blushes red, making me realize in that moment that she doesn’t understand how special she is. Her family have treated her like garbage and never shown her any love. It makes sense why she would have such low self-esteem, despite being accomplished in practically everything she turns her hands to.
“Come on, let’s get settled in.” I get out of the car and pull the keys to the cabin out of my pocket before leading the way up the steps to the entrance.
When I open the door, Adrianna gasps. “This is more like a mansion than a cabin.”
“I would hardly call it a mansion, but it’s nice, isn’t it?”
She spins around and smiles. “Yeah, beautiful.” Instantly, her attention lands on the fridge. “When was it last stocked?”
“Yesterday. I paid someone to come in and bring supplies.”
I laugh when she rushes toward it and starts pulling things out to make a sandwich. “I could eat a horse. Do you want one?”
A gunshot outside makes both of us freeze as Adrianna drops the food in her hands.
“What the hell was that?” I ask, despite recognizing that sound too well.
“Could he have found us?” Adrianna asks.
I swallow hard, wondering what we could have overlooked. “You ditched all your tech, right?”
Adrianna nods. “Left it all at the academy.”
I narrow my eyes. “Is there anything you brought with you that your father gifted you?”
Her eyes widen as her hand moves to her neck, where a beautiful golden pendant hangs. “No way.”
“Give it here.”
Adrianna tears it off, breaking the chain and places it into my hand.
“Fuck,” I say, the moment I notice the pendant has been badly welded back together. Throwing it on the floor, I slam my foot into it and it breaks apart at the weld, revealing a GPS tracking device. “It’s your father.”
“Fuck!” Her eyes go wide as panic sets in. “What are we going to do?”
Oddly, I feel calm. It could be the shock or the fact that my entire childhood they trained me to deal with situations like this. “Don’t panic. Bedroom now.”
She does as she’s told, rushing into the bedroom, which evidently only has an east-facing window and the blinds are drawn. The gunshot came from the west, which means they’ll be approaching on the opposite side of the cabin. “Now what?”
I go into my closet and crouch down to open the safe, pulling out a gun. “Now, I fight and get us out of this.”
Adrianna shakes her head. “No, you could die!” She tries to grab the gun from me, but I dodge out of the way and dart out of the bedroom, locking the door. “Sorry, I can’t risk you getting hurt.”
“Archer!” She bangs on the door frantically. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”
I chuckle. “You may not need to if I die in a moment.” Cocking the gun, I turn and walk to face my maker. If I have to kill all the men out there, including Damien Vasquez, to protect Adrianna, I’d do it in a heartbeat.