Viktor nodded. "Evan plans to kill you. I say, give him his shot. He also wants your woman. She needs to be locked down tight where he doesn't have a possible chance at her."
Elle shook her head. "He doesn't get to scare me."
Viktor frowned at her. "He scares me, and he damn well should you as well. He's not sane. He likes hurting people, especially women. He hates your husband with a passion and wants him to suffer. Hurting you would accomplish that."
"Where would be a good place for Viktor to tell the Swords to come?" Blythe asked Elle before Viktor could say anything else.
He glanced down at her, but she was studiously looking at her cousin and avoiding his gaze. She was up to something and he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. His feelings were always right.
"I have this friend, Leslee Huber. She walks her mastiffs nearly every day out in an area just off of Highway 20 called Egg Taking Station. It isn't very well marked but it's part of the Jackson State Demo Forest. The Noyo River runs back there. There are campgrounds along the river, a common area, and the roads are all logging roads. It isn't paved, but Leslee said the roads are hard, well packed down. All the logging roads are intact and you can drive all the way on the back roads to Sea Haven from there."
"I know Leslee," Blythe said. "She works as a massage therapist. She's told me about that place. Hardly anyone goes there."
"That's not a good place for a woman alone, even if she has her dogs with her," Jackson erupted, glaring at his wife. "It isn't safe. The people camping there are usually looking to disappear."
"The point," Elle said, "is that it's a perfect place for the Swords to camp. They'll like the fact that the roads give them places to run without being seen. There are ways in and out on the logging roads that would allow them to travel without being seen. Few families would ever camp there."
"It's not a bad idea," Jackson agreed reluctantly. "There are narrow wooden bridges a car couldn't get across, but a bike could. Plenty of escape routes for them. Good place to ambush me. It's on my route, so I'd be the one to answer any calls out there. I think Elle and Blythe are correct, although, Elle, you'll have to warn your friend not to go out there without giving anything away."
"Stavros was afraid of Evan," Elle said in a low tone. She looked at Jackson. "I have tremendous power, but I think Evan has something more, something very scary. Without knowing what that is, it would be foolish to put yourself in jeopardy."
Blythe cleared her throat, but didn't look at Viktor. She waited until she had Elle's full attention. "I can draw power and bind it from any source to any individual. I can boost it as well."
There was silence while Elle all but gawked at her cousin, her mouth open. "You can do what?" she whispered.
"If Evan, or anyone else for that matter, uses power, any kind of psychic power for any purpose, I can steal it from them. Take it. I can direct the energy to another individual such as you or Jackson or Viktor. I do it all the time with my sisters here. The more I've worked with it, the easier it's gotten and the stronger I've gotten."
"Blythe, that's incredible. I can't do that. None of my sisters can either." Elle sounded awed.
Viktor was rather in awe as well, but he knew what was coming and it wasn't good. He tried to stop it by standing up and pacing across the room. He had to move, rid himself of the pounding heart that told him Blythe was going to insist on putting herself in immediate danger. He was too slow.
"You can stop him," Elle said. "Blythe, you can stop him."
"I can definitely keep him from using whatever talent he has. He's counting on the fact that no one knows he has it. The moment he tries to use it, I can stop him."
"How close do you have to be?" Jackson asked. Once again his gaze was on Viktor, even as he asked the question. He knew Viktor wasn't happy when both women seemed totally oblivious.
"Close enough to feel the energy start to gather," Blythe said. "But that shouldn't be a problem. I can take one of the campsites . . ."
"No." Viktor used his hardest, scariest voice, the one that stopped even Reaper.
"How many Swords do you think Evan is going to bring in?" Blythe asked in a very quiet voice.
He knew that voice, and it meant it didn't matter what he said, she was going to do what she thought was right. He knew that side of her from their earlier relationship. Blythe was as sweet a woman as she could be, giving in to him most of the time because if it mattered to him and didn't to her, she saw no reason to argue, but when she made up her mind about something, there was no stopping her. At least he hadn't found a way yet, and he'd tried everything.
"Viktor?" She insisted on an answer.
"At least thirty. Maybe more. He likes a show of force. It would be like him to kill Jackson and then send his men in to tear up Sea Haven. He'd want to burn down the Drake house, and he definitely wants his hands on Elle." He had made up his mind to tell her the truth so he couldn't lie to her, but he knew he was digging his own grave with that information.
"Then you need your own army to stop them," Blythe said.
"We'll talk about it later," he said. She didn't understand the level of violence the Swords were capable of. The cruelty and vile behavior toward women. They enjoyed what they did, breaking the young girls and boys. Evan recruited men like himself. That thought led back to Ray and the fact that he had started a pedophile Internet site that attracted men and women like him.
Viktor needed somewhere to breathe clean air. That somewhere was wherever Blythe was. He'd lived too long wading in slime--so long he wasn't certain he could ever find clean again until he saw her. Until he kissed her and she took him away from it all. He wasn't about to chance those men getting their hands on her. She'd been hurt enough thanks to his mistakes.
Viktor. The walls are turning red. Your anger is spilling out and it's gathering there. We'll talk about it later.
He didn't respond but he did take a breath. He didn't dare allow rage loose in her home. Not around her. Not ever.
Look at me.
He couldn't. He didn't deserve her. He couldn't change what he was--a fucking killing machine--but he wanted to be something different. He wanted all of them to be something different. But if he had to give her up in order to protect her, then he would. He wouldn't survive it, but then there wouldn't be much point in surviving without her.
Viktor. Look at me.
She was in his mind. Her clean, fresh spirit pushing through all the ugly muck threatening to pull him under. He smelled her, the faint peaches-and-cream scent she favored. He had to turn his head and look at her because he couldn't deny Blythe anything, other than allowing her to put herself at risk.
She had to see the pain in his eyes. The fear of losing her. She had to feel it because he could and he rarely allowed himself to feel.
"I love you, Viktor," she said gently. Meaning it.
He could see she meant it, but the terrible lump in his throat making it impossible to draw breath stayed until his lungs were raw, burning for air.
"I don't care if anyone else ever knows or sees what a good man you are. I know. I see, and I'm proud to be your wife. Stop thinking you're going to lose me. I let my mother take you away from me once, but it won't happen again."
"Baby, I can't give you this. I told you I'd give you anything, but I can't give you this."
"It isn't your decision. It's mine. We're partners and we're good together, Viktor. What I can do can tip the scales in our favor. That keeps the lives of your brothers and sisters safe. Your birth brothers as well, because they're going to help you. Elle and Jackson because they have to do this too. I'm a huge asset, and you know it."
He kept shaking his head. She made sense. It all made sense, but he kept shaking his head. He couldn't stop the visceral reaction to the thought of her being in danger from Evan or the Swords. He hated that she was right. He hated it more that she wouldn't argue with him and he knew she wouldn't. Blythe went her own way when she believed she was right. She not only believed it, but she k
new it this time.
"If Elle and Blythe are going to be there, we'll have to make certain we have plans in place to keep them safe," Jackson said.
Viktor recognized that the deputy was trying to help him out. Help him understand he couldn't order his woman to do as she was told. There were some rules to the biker world he could embrace right about now, and getting his woman under his control was one of them.
"How many men do you have with you?" Jackson asked.
"Seven riding with me now and Alena. She's every bit as good in a fight as my men. I have eight more coming, and Lana. Like Alena, she's lethal. The others will be riding in with Habit, the chapter president from Louisiana."
"Eighteen of you?" Jackson said thoughtfully. "You certain you can count on them?"
"Absolutely."
"I've got your birth brothers and their wives," Jackson said. "Don't know about Jonas. I've asked him to do some things that just aren't in his comfort zone. I don't know if he's going to be up for this one. Probably."
Viktor shook his head. "Unless you know, don't risk it. If he talks and decides to try to take him alive, no one is going to be safe." Jackson had to know that and it was his wife at risk. "And I don't know about the women. When you think of outlaw clubs, you're not looking at anything like these men. They're the worst."
"We're going to be dealing with psychic energy," Elle said. "He's powerful. Even with Blythe there to tip the scales for us, we don't know what we'll need to counteract him. Some of my sisters are expecting. I can't risk them right now, so we'll need Blythe's sisters to help us. They're used to working with her."
It was getting out of hand. "Evan is bringing a fucking army, Jackson. He wants to tear the town apart. You think he's going to act nice around these women?"
Honey, your protective gene is off the charts and it's showing. You know you can't go in there naked, without all of us. Your brothers have talent. You do. You know exactly what we'll be facing. Do you think I love you less than you love me? I want you safe. It's within my power to help keep you that way. If it were beyond my abilities, I wouldn't put you in a position of having to look after me. I wouldn't, Viktor. I love you and I would never do that to you.
He both hated and loved that his woman was intelligent. The hating it was stronger right then than the loving it. He was going to tell the others to make certain their women were on the dumber side and "yes, anything you say is law" women.
They talked for several hours. Jackson mapped out the various logging roads for him out at Egg Taking Station. He and the others would take their bikes there and ride, seeing how fast street motorcycles could travel through. Jackson would do the same with trucks just to be prepared.
Blythe wanted to go with him, but he was concerned it was too dangerous. Still, she had to see the area. All the women would have to. Elle thought it would be a good idea to arrange an outing with all of them. He managed not to roll his eyes, but he did exchange an exasperated look with Jackson, who just shrugged. Clearly, he had been around them all a lot longer. Still, if Blythe was going, he and his men wouldn't be far behind. They would be keeping an eye on her. She'd have to get used to having protection from the club whether she liked it or not.
16
"LESLEE told me about this place," Elle said as the four-wheel-drive truck bounced a few times on the pitted road. "But I've never come out here. When we were kids, this was one of the places Dad didn't want us going. He didn't forbid us much so, although it was tempting, I didn't rebel to that extent. Joley might have. She was a hellion growing up. Then I forgot all about it."
"You didn't mention to Joley what was going on?" Blythe asked, surprised.
The Drakes tended to do everything together. The sisters were best friends. She understood that concept now, because she'd found that with her sisters of the heart. She felt better when they were with her. Right now, only Rikki, Lexi and Lissa had accompanied Elle and her to the Egg Taking Station to explore.
They needed to know the roads every bit as much as the men did. They'd brought food with them, and Gavriil's dogs. They were big Black Russian Terriers and very protective, particularly of Lexi. Where Lexi went, Gavriil went.
Blythe hadn't seen Gavriil, but he'd insisted Lexi take the dogs, and he'd made it clear he'd be close just in case anyone tried to bother them. That made her want to laugh. It wasn't as if the women weren't forces to be reckoned with, especially when they were together.
She hadn't spotted Viktor or any of his brothers, but she knew they were also following or already ahead of them somewhere on the grounds. She thought it was a bit ironic that they were exploring a place that normally only a few people went to, but this day, it would be populated with all sorts of individuals.
"There's the entrance," Rikki pointed out. "Road 350. Camp One. Jackson Demonstration State Forest. The sign is so small it's no wonder people don't know it's back here."
They could easily have missed the sign. They made the narrow turn off of Highway 20 and stayed to the right on the dirt road. Hundreds of acres had been logged since the early 1800s and there was a network of old logging roads riddling the park.
Blythe was silent as they continued down the dirt road. It was hard, scraped, kept in good condition, but she didn't like the idea of Viktor or any of the others riding Harleys fast on that bare ground. There was spotty, if any, cell service. No way to keep in contact that way.
"There's the river," Rikki said, her voice eager. She was often hesitant and refused to look at people until she was around water, and then she changed entirely. She was a strong water element and around rivers, lakes and especially the ocean, she blossomed.
"It's beautiful back in here," Elle said. "I know Joley knows about this place, and she never told any of us, that rat."
Blythe held her breath for a moment, her fingers tightening around the camera she carried. "You didn't tell your sisters what was going on, did you?" It was Viktor's life on the line. Viktor's and his brothers' and Alena's. The more people who knew, the more chances there were to have his cover blown. And Jonas Harrington was a huge question mark. He was the sheriff and he definitely went by the book--she was certain of it. He and Ilya were best friends. Jonas was married to Hannah Drake and Ilya to Joley.
She realized just what a risk Viktor took warning Jackson and bringing him in on his mission. She was suddenly so anxious she was afraid she might throw up. He could have just allowed the Swords to call for help. Jackson would have shown up, drawing Evan out into the open. Viktor could have killed him and then he and his brothers and sisters would have fought their way out. Probably successfully. By telling Jackson the truth he'd risked his life. If the Swords found out he was undercover and planning to kill their international president, the entire club would be after him.
"Of course I didn't," Elle said. "Although Sarah was suspicious. She came over right before I was leaving, and you know Sarah, she just knows things. She questioned me and I said I was going on a picnic with some friends."
Sarah. Blythe's heart really began to pound. She bit at her thumb, trying to think what to do. She should have warned Viktor not to say a word. The Drakes were special. Gifted. They each had talent. It wasn't the same as her sisters there on the farm. They were elements, bound to earth, water, fire and air, but the Drakes just could do things, know things . . .
If Viktor hadn't warned Jackson she would have been upset with him, but now that he had, and she knew the very real risk he took, she was even more distressed. She realized he would have gone to Jackson no matter what. That was who he was. He would have protected the deputy and Elle. He had assumed that role when he was ten years old and he continued it. He would always continue it. Others might not know or ever realize, but she did and she would stand with him.
"Breathe, Blythe," Lissa reminded softly. "We're here to help. We're strong when we're together, you know that."
"Gavriil and the others are going to help him too," Lexi reminded. Her voice was gentle and serious. So Lexi.
/>
Blythe found herself smiling in spite of her worries, and her stomach settled at the sound of Lexi's voice. Her chosen sisters. They were there for her. No matter what was going on in their lives, they were there for her.
"He's a good man," she murmured aloud. Needing them to know.
"If you love him, then we know he's a good man," Lissa said. "We'll fight for him too. Just know all the Prakenskii brothers are blockheads. You're going to have to deal with that."
"Hey," Elle said, her fingers tight on the wheel as they bumped along the road. "Jackson's a blockhead too."
They all burst out laughing. Blythe couldn't help laughing with them. "Of course he is. No Drake would marry anything but a blockhead."
They drove up and down the roads that were open and many that had gates across them. Elle was very adept at unlocking gates without touching them. The campsites on either side of the river were perfect. Viktor had already inspected them and had made his report to Habit, so any day, the Swords would be arriving in small groups. The plan was, they'd set up their campsites and familiarize themselves with the old logging roads while they planned out the ambush.
"It really is beautiful here," Blythe said. "It's funny that we've lived here this long and didn't realize it was here."
"I knew it was," Elle said. "But Dad made it seem like every outlaw since the Wild West camped out here. Some of the kids from school came out here during ditch day, but not often. Leslee's husband's family own property out here and he's very familiar with all this. I talked to her last night and told her I was asking tons of questions because Kate needed it for research for a book she was writing."
Blythe twisted her fingers together and held herself very tight. Kate Drake was another of Elle's sisters--a bestselling author married to a former Army Ranger. Talking to Leslee and using Kate's name just added one more complication. She knew her cousins. The least little hint and they ferreted out exactly what was going on.
"We'll need a back road in," Lissa said. "We have to be above them with no one behind us so we have a clear escape route."
"They could hear or possibly see any vehicle coming in on these old logging roads. At night sound would carry, and during the day the dust rising would give the location away," Lexi said. "I could minimize the dust, but sound . . ."