Bodie by Nyssa Kathryn

Chapter 28

Bodie caught the fist in his hand before kicking the man to the ground. He’d taken a step forward when, from the corner of his vision, he caught sight of Maya.

His attention went to her. It couldn’t not.

Sinclair held her body against his, shielding himself from the violence.

Son of a bitch.

Rage poured through Bodie’s veins. He would kill the asshole.

Before Bodie could go to her, a heavy weight hit him in the back, throwing him to the ground. He swore under his breath as he flipped them both. He attempted to rise, but the man grabbed him, knife in hand.

He sliced Bodie’s thigh before aiming for his chest.

Bodie grabbed the guy’s hand moments before the knife hit its mark. The sound of the car engine pierced his hearing. Bodie twisted the guys’ wrist around until he heard the snap.

The man cried out and the knife went flying.

Bodie jumped to his feet as the car sped away. He took one step forward before an arm came across his neck, cutting off his air.

At the realization that he was missing his chance to catch the car, an ungodly fury washed over him.

Bodie flipped the man over his shoulder. The guy barely landed before Bodie lifted him again, throwing him against a tree. He used enough force to almost knock the guy out.

Almost.

Bodie walked toward him, rage still pouring through his veins, lifting the dropped knife on the way.

The man’s eyes widened a second before Bodie plunged the knife into his chest.

Turning his head, he saw Oliver still wrestling his guy on the ground. Neither man seemed to be getting the upper hand. Bodie spotted a gun that had slid across the icy road. Lifting it, he waited until he had a clear shot before shooting the man in the knee.

The guys’ hands immediately released Oliver and he cried out in pain.

Oliver held the man down while Bodie trained the gun on him. “Where did they take her?” Fury made Bodie’s voice shake.

The man gasped for breath, his face distorted in pain. “Fuck you!”

Bodie shot his other knee.

He didn’t have an ounce of compassion for the man who’d helped kidnap his woman. The man who now sobbed beneath Oliver.

“I’ll just keep putting holes in your body until you tell me.”

When the guy remained silent, Bodie was about to pull the trigger again when a car engine sounded down the road. He prepared to run into the trees, disappear—until he noticed the car speeding toward them had Wyatt behind the wheel.

The car screeched to a stop beside them. Quinn sat in the passenger seat, phone in hand. They both took in the scene before Wyatt spoke. “We’ve been watching the GPS movement on your phones. One of them is currently on the move.”

Bodie shot his gaze to Oliver. “You left your phone in the car?”

“In the center console.”

Bodie could’ve hugged his friend. That may just save Maya’s life. A small fraction of ice thawed from his chest. Not all. Not even close. He still had to hope they got to her before she was harmed.

The man below Oliver bucked his hips, and Oliver didn’t hesitate to snap his neck.

He and Bodie jumped in the car, and Wyatt pressed his foot to the accelerator.

“The tracker on Oliver’s phone just stopped,” Quinn said from the passenger seat.

Wyatt shot a look at the phone in her hands before his eyes went back to the road. “Where?”

“At the bottom of Independence Mountain.”

“What’s at the bottom of Independence Mountain?”

Quinn was already shaking her head. “According to Google Maps…nothing.”

Bodie’s stomach clenched. He prayed Sinclair wasn’t changing vehicles. If that happened, locating Maya would be ten times harder.

“You both okay?” Wyatt looked at them through the rearview mirror. “Physically, I mean.”

Neither of them had come out of the fight unscathed. A long cut ran down Bodie’s left thigh, while Oliver had blood staining the shoulder of his shirt.

Oliver affirmed that he was fine, and Bodie nodded.

The pain barely registered. His entire focus was on Maya. It tore at his heart that she’d been taken right in front of him. He’d put too much distance between them at the bar. And now she was paying the price.

Dammit.His insides felt raw with pain.

“I don’t understand why they took her,” Oliver said quietly. “By now, he would know that she’s told us about him. So it’s no longer about trying to keep her quiet.”

Whatever it was, Bodie would be finding out—and he’d be finding out soon.

It was another ten minutes before they arrived. Ten minutes of worrying and avoiding any thoughts of worst-case scenario.

When Bodie caught sight of an old cabin up ahead, he straightened. The car Sinclair had taken from them was sitting out front.

Bodie was out of the car before Wyatt had brought it to a stop.

He heard a heartbeat clear as day coming from inside the cabin. A thread of hoped rushed through his body as he pushed inside.

It immediately died when he saw it wasn’t Maya. Instead, an older man sat on a sagging bed. Bodie was on him in seconds. Grabbing him by the shirt and shoving him against the wall. “Where is she?”

The man’s eyes widened, his mouth opening and closing without speaking any words.

Bodie pulled the man forward and slammed him back into the wall.

“Tell me! Or I swear to god I’ll kill you.”

The man lifted a shaking finger and pointed toward the door. “She ran. He followed her—”

The guy hadn’t finished speaking before Bodie was moving out the door.

He saw footprints in the snow. A smaller pair and a larger pair.

He couldn’t hear them yet. There was no sound of movement at all. But the moment he did, that asshole was going to die.

* * *

Maya’s lungs burned.Every breath she took caused a new round of pain in her chest. She could barely see where she was going. The only light came from the reflection of the moon.

Still, she pumped her legs as fast as they would take her. Sinclair would be well-trained, but he didn’t have altered DNA. That made him human. And surely if his heart defect was as severe as he’d said, it would slow him down somewhat.

She hung on to that hope like it was a lifeline.

Snow began to fall from the sky. The cold was seeping into her bones. Freezing her limbs and slowing her steps. Still, she pushed forward. Hopefully, the snow would make it harder for the man to follow.

“Where are you, bitch?”

His shout had her legs caving beneath her, falling to the ground, her hands and knees sinking into the snow.

Breathe and move. Breathe and move.

She repeated the words in her head, using them to propel herself off the ground and ignore the voice behind her. Calling on every energy reserve she had, Maya pushed to her feet. Each step became harder as her feet sank into the snow. Her body now racked with shudders.

“You think I’m going to let you get away?”

Oh, god. He was closer. So much closer than she’d hoped.

He was going to catch her. There was no doubt in her mind.

She’d only taken three more steps when the click of the safety coming off a gun echoed through the night.

“Stop!”

Maya’s feet froze. She turned slowly, already knowing what she’d see.

Sinclair stood a few yards away, gun pointed at her head. His breathing labored. Possibly as labored as hers. The man looked pale.

That must be why he’d pulled the gun. He was done chasing.

“You won’t shoot me.” She straightened her spine. Willing the shaking in her limbs to still. If she wanted to come out of this alive, she needed to be brave.

“That’s where you’re wrong, kid. I could shoot you in the foot. Or the thigh. Both would keep you still long enough to inject you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the capped syringe. “Sorry I took so long to catch up. I had to stop and grab this.”

She tried not to flinch at the sight of the needle. “You’re going to do it here?”

“When you’re dying, every second counts. I need to live long enough to make them feel the pain that I felt. The absolute terror.” He took a step forward. The gun in his hand remained trained on her. “I’m fucking haunted by memories of what happened to me. Every. Day. That will not go unpunished!”

Sinclair wasn’t masking any emotions. She saw everything. The hate. The pain. The fear. The man had been tortured physically. But more than that, he was still tortured mentally.

“I was going to have my DNA altered too, you know. I would have been just as strong and fast as them.” He shook his head. “I waited too long. The damn facility was raided. We ran out of supplies. You see why it’s so important that I don’t waste time? If you survive this, maybe we’ll trade you for the drugs they stole. But this time, we’ll make sure they don’t swap them out.”

She took a small step back. The distance closing between them was sending waves of panic through her entire body. “I’m sorry you’re in pain. But this isn’t my fight!”

Was it her imagination, or was there a flash of empathy across his face? “You’re right. You got stuck in the middle of a war that wasn’t yours. But so did I.” He took another step closer. “Life isn’t fair. It’s a fucking shit show. We play the cards we’re dealt. I learned that the hard way.”

Sinclair dropped the gun and lunged for her. She screamed as she slammed into the snow, his heavy weight landing on her. Crushing her.

Maya fought him. She clawed at the man. Scratching his face. Jabbing at his eyes.

The punch he directed to her ribs sent a flame of fire through her abdomen and had her crying out in pain. She tried to curl into a ball to protect her limbs, but Sinclair’s weight made it impossible.

Before she had a chance to recover from the first strike, he punched her temple.

Maya didn’t make a sound this time. Her vision blurred and she felt warm liquid running down her cheek. It was either a tear or blood. Maybe both.

Her brain felt foggy and dazed.

Almost through tunnel vision, she watched as Sinclair uncapped the syringe.

Get away from me. She wanted to yell the words…scream them. Yet she couldn’t voice anything.

He tore the top of her shirt open. The buttons flew into the snow.

“This is it. This has to be it…”

His words were almost a whisper to himself. Like he was praying that the contents of the syringe would heal her, and thereby be his savior.

Oh, god. If she didn’t do something, and do it fast, she wouldn’t get another chance.

He placed the syringe above her heart. His head was inches from hers.

Scrunching her eyes shut, Maya took a quick breath before propelling her forehead into Sinclair’s nose.

The man howled in pain as blood gushed from the wound. The syringe in his hand lifted an inch away from her chest.

“You bitch!”

She bucked her hips as he pressed the syringe to her chest again. It was impossible. He didn’t move an inch.

Searing pain shot through her as the needle pierced her skin. It felt like a bee sting that went impossibly deep.

“Maya!”

Bodie’s voice rang in the distance. He sounded far. Too far. He wouldn’t make it.

Suddenly, a deafening bang pierced the cold forest air.

A gunshot.

Sinclair grunted above her. Something dripped onto her bare chest.

Then he was gone. Replaced by Bodie.

A loud buzzing started in her ears. She watched as his mouth opened and closed. It took her a moment to realize he was talking to her, but she couldn’t hear a thing.

She was vaguely aware of Bodie pulling the syringe out of her chest. She barely felt it.

A chill seeped into her bones that had nothing to do with the snow. Her heart rate slowed and every hair on her body stood on end.

Oliver knelt beside Bodie. He was holding something. The syringe Bodie had tossed to the side.

It was empty.

Panic was a mask covering Bodie’s usually serene face. Her gaze lowered to his lips, but it was no use. She still couldn’t make out a single word.

The buzzing was getting louder, and her eyes were feeling heavy.

As Bodie stood, he lifted her body. She felt like a rag doll, unable to grab him. Touch him. She wished she could feel his warmth, but she couldn’t. She could barely breathe.

She opened her mouth, wanting to remind Bodie that she loved him. That this wasn’t his fault. But she was almost certain that her lips weren’t moving.

He knew though. No matter what happened, he already knew that he’d taught her love could exist in her world.

The darkness in her vision steadily increased until everything went black.