She knelt and lifted the stick lying upon the floor at her feet. With a grunt, she swung the log forward. It struck the first man, bounced off his head, and hit the second man before he had time to understand. They didn’t even see it coming. The whack was barely audible. They stumbled sideways, their eyes rolled back into their heads, and they slumped toward the ground. With a puff of air, she released the log, the limb clattering across the floor.
She swiped her hands on her trousers and lifted a dark brow. “I’ll tie them up. Now, go, time is wasting and your woman is waiting.”
Colin hesitated. Who the hell was she?
She shooed him forward, waving her hands through the air. “Go!”
His father pushed him toward the steps. Colin needed no more encouragement. “How many above?”
She pulled a knapsack forward and knelt on the dusty floor. “Demyan and another man. One more thing. Demyan doesn’t like water.”
Colin paused, blinking down at her in surprise. “What does that mean?”
“Go! You must hurry. She’ll die if you don’t go now!”
Colin wasted no more time and bolted up the steps, not bothering to wait for his father. But as that light shone down, drawing him closer to the top, he couldn’t help wondering … was he saving Bea by going to her rescue, or was he condemning her to the afterlife?
Chapter 28
Colin burst through the opening. Sunlight blinded him momentarily, making him blink and stumble backward.
“Whoa, lad.” His father’s hand rested against his shoulder, pressuring him to stop. “You need to settle down.”
With a quick glance back, Colin saw the edge of the temple, the ocean a long, long way below. The water was peppered with rocks. His father had saved his life. Christ, he’d just made it up the stairs and almost gotten himself killed.
“Told you she was still alive,” Father muttered.
Colin spun around. Demyan stood across from them near a rock pedestal, holding a golden statue in one hand, while his other arm was wrapped firmly around Bea’s waist. Colin’s legs went weak with relief. Consumed with need, he drank in the sight of her.
Her long dark hair hung loose, contrasting against her pale face. But other than the lack of color, she seemed well. She didn’t move, but for the slight fisting of her hands, as if she was attempting to stay still. His clothing hung on her narrow frame, making her appear fragile. His heart lurched.
He stepped forward, unable to resist. “Bea.”
“Colin, behind you!” she cried.
Colin turned. Too late. A huge, bulking fist slammed into his face, propelling him backward. Colin hit the rock temple with a thud that pressed the air from his lungs. Above, the clouds spun in a dizzying whirl. People were shouting, but the ringing in his ears made it impossible to decipher the words. The bitter taste of blood seeped into his mouth.
Suddenly, the huge man loomed above him, a pistol pointed directly at Colin’s chest. He’d almost died once; he wasn’t about to do it again. Colin sucked in a breath and rolled to the side just as the gun went off. A bullet nicked the stone, sending a piece of rock twirling through the air. Wasting no time, Colin swept his leg forward, hitting the back of the man’s knee. He went down like a great big oak, the gun flying over the edge of the rooftop, and when his body hit the stone, the temple actually vibrated.
Colin jumped to his feet, sparing Bea a quick glance. She still stood there in Demyan’s evil embrace, her face even paler than it had been. Demyan, Colin realized, looked completely unconcerned. It was in that split second that Goliath regained his feet. Squared off, Colin stalked around the man, looking for prime opportunity.
The man’s beefy fist lashed out again. This time Colin was expecting the attack. He spun away, out of reach. Thrown off balance, Goliath stumbled forward … too close to the edge. Colin sucked in a breath. The huge man’s mouth gaped open in surprise as he teetered on the edge. He fell back, his cry echoing across the island. Then he was gone. For one impossibly long moment they all merely stood there. Finally a loud thud announced the man’s demise. Colin cringed. Goliath hadn’t hit water, unfortunately for him.
“Colin,” Bea whispered.
He turned and met Bea’s gaze. He could barely believe she was there, just across the rooftop … so close. His heart swelled, his body simmering to life. She was there, alive, well. He stepped forward.
Demyan stepped back, his lips lifting into a snarl. “Stop.”
Behind him, his father shifted.
Stop! Do as he says, Colin cried out in his head. If his father read minds as well as he pretended, he should have gotten the message loud and clear.
The old man paused, but Colin could feel the tension radiating from his body. Colin slid him a warning glance. His faded blue eyes were hazy with desire; he was focused directly on that statue. Like a man needing a drink, his father’s body trembled. He wasn’t interested in the statue? Colin scoffed at his father’s earlier comment.
Demyan tucked the statue under his arm. Made of pure gold, the object gleamed under the sunlight. Such a small object, odd how it could hold so much power. This was what he’d been searching for his entire life. And he’d been right all along—apparently the statues were separate. A smug smile lifted his mouth. His fingers curled, itching to touch the precious metal just once.
Demyan shifted his free hand, lifting a pistol to point it directly at Bea’s head. “I’ll give you the woman. You let me leave with the statue.”
Colin sucked in a breath. Even as his soul rebelled, Henry’s words whispered through his head. You will kill Bea. Colin’s heart picked up speed, tripping in its haste to pump blood. The statue or Bea.
“It won’t work, Colin,” Bea said softly, her face stoic but her eyes … dear God, her eyes told the truth. She was terrified, yet accepting … accepting of death. “Just let him. Let him.”
Blood roared through his ears. Surely he misinterpreted her words.
“She wants you to let her go, my boy,” his father whispered, confirming his worst fears.
“Shut your mouth.” Demyan shook Bea hard.
Caught off balance by the sudden action, they both stumbled backward, close to the edge. Bea cried out in alarm. Colin’s heart lurched and he started forward.
“Don’t move!” Demyan swung the pistol toward Colin, then back at Bea’s head.
Colin froze, his body trembling. “What’s he thinking? What’s Demyan thinking?”
His father shook his head. “I can’t read him, my boy.”
Shit. Just his luck. The man had somehow learned to block his thoughts. Colin’s fingers curled, then straightened, his mind spinning. There had to be a way … some way to save the statue and Bea.
“The statue or the woman?” Demyan demanded.
Colin’s gaze slid to Bea. She stood there stoically as if accepting her fate. Beautiful, wonderful Bea. Her personality so different from what he’d thought when they’d first met. But it had always been there … this unforgiving, uncompromising attraction. The moment he’d kissed her, he’d fallen.
His father sidled closer to him. “She wants you to let him shoot her and you can save her later.”
Colin stiffened. Smart girl, she remembered what he’d said, that his father could read minds. She was sending his father messages, unless his father lied. Would his father lie about this? Colin swallowed hard, indecision holding him captive. “And if my powers don’t work? If the shot is fatal?”
His father sighed. “There’s another way. You shoot her. Shoot her in the leg, arm, somewhere that won’t kill her. If she’s injured, if Demyan thinks she’s dying, she’ll be of no use.”
Demyan jerked Bea even closer. “Enough time. I am leaving with the statue.”
“You can’t let him do that, Colin,” his father’s voice whispered beside him. “We need that statue.”
Colin glared at the old man. “You might need that statue, but I don’t.”
He grasped tightly on to Colin’s arm.
“Then think of the greater world, my boy. Shoot her. Do it. It’s the only way. Make her worth nothing. You can save her after.”
His frantic gaze met Bea’s. So brave, she barely trembled. Could he shoot her? She trusted him, seemed to think he could save her, but what if he couldn’t? And even if he could, would he be able to forgive himself for the pain he’d inflict? “You want me to risk her life?”
His father shook him impatiently. “It’s for the better good! If Demyan unlocks the power of that statue, we’re all dead.”
Colin remained silent, his gaze pinned to Bea. She’d given up so much already. So much for her family, for him, and she was willing to give up more, even her life. He wouldn’t let her die. His heart revolted. Henry was wrong. His father was wrong. He wouldn’t let her die. Frantic, his mind flashed through the information it held.
Demyan doesn’t like water, the Frenchwoman had said. It wasn’t the only time someone had discussed water. Hadn’t Shiva brought up the subject? His pulse skipped a beat. And at the abandoned temple Anish had sent them to … Demyan had made Bea go to the statue, made Bea swim through that water.
“You’re not going to do it, are you?” his father asked, interrupting his musings.
“Wait,” Colin implored, holding up his hand. “Just wait …” He needed a moment, just a moment.
“I’ve already waited too long.” The old man pulled the pistol from his waistband, his gaze focused on Demyan. “Give me the statue now.”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Colin resisted the urge to grab the weapon, knowing that if the gun went off, he might hit Bea.
His father threw him a glare. “What you don’t have the guts to do. Saving the world, my son.”
His words hit Colin like a punch to the gut. “You don’t give a shit about the world. Admit it, you want that statue.” Colin’s anger flared beneath his skin. For one brief moment the man had made him feel guilty over wanting to save Bea.
Demyan laughed, a sound that came out shaky. “Try it, old man, see how well your bullets work.”
His father pulled the trigger. At the same time Demyan swung his arm around and shot.
“No!” Bea screamed.
Colin’s father crumpled to the ground with a cry, blood seeping from his leg. But the wound was the least of Colin’s worries. Demyan had been shot. It wouldn’t kill him, but the hit was enough to propel him backward … with Bea.
Colin’s heart lurched and he dove for Bea as the man fell. He was too late. Demyan, with the statue and Bea, tumbled over the edge.
Demyan’s hands fell away and for one brief moment Bea was floating … floating backward. Above, only the clouds were visible. A scream erupted from between her lips. She hit something hard, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs and cutting off her cry. Frantic, she clawed outward, praying for something … anything to latch on to. Her fingers swept across a vine. Instinctively they curled and she jerked to a halt.
Bea swung her other arm up, latching on to the thick vine, her feet shuffling against the rock until her bare toes managed to slip between the cracks in the wall. Safe for one blessed moment, she merely pressed her face to the rough stone and breathed. But her heart slammed against her rib cage, refusing to slow its mad pace no matter how many times she said, “I am safe. I am safe.”
Her harsh breath fanned across the stone, sending dirt sailing through the air. Slowly, she managed to tuck her chin to her chest and look below. Sergio lay upon a rock, his body broken and twisted. Bea’s stomach churned and bile tickled the back of her throat. If she would have fallen, she’d have hit one … would have died the same way as Sergio. And even as she thought the words, she realized that Demyan was not below.
Bea jerked her head to the right. The monster clung to the wall with one hand, his other hand useless as it held on to that ridiculous statue. His gaze met hers, his eyes showing his anger and something else … fear. For the first time she saw real fear in the man’s eerie eyes. How she hated him, how she hated that statue. Sweat had broken out across the man’s pale forehead. He was, no doubt, in worse shape than she, and for a moment she felt a rush of glee.
“Bea!” Colin cried out and suddenly he was there, looming above them, his beautiful face pale. “Oh, thank God.” She saw the relief in his eyes and didn’t doubt it for a moment. She’d told the man to shoot her; he hadn’t. Dare she think he truly cared?
“Take my hand! Help me!” Demyan cried out.
Colin’s frantic gaze jumped from Bea to Demyan. Still, Colin paused.
“Damn you! Take my arm! Pull me up and I’ll share it all with you! I swear!” Sweat trailed down Demyan’s face, dripping to the ocean below.
Colin’s gaze flickered from Demyan, to the statue.
Bea didn’t say a word. Her fingers were shaking, her hands growing numb and damp with her own perspiration, but she didn’t say a word. She wouldn’t beg Colin to save her over the statue; she couldn’t. Part of her knew the statue was more important than her measly life, and part of her didn’t beg because she didn’t want her last memories to be of Colin rejecting her. Her right hand slipped. She sucked in a sharp breath, before tightening her hold. As brave as she pretended, she couldn’t prevent the whimper from escaping her lips. She was going to die.
“Think on it, Colin,” Demyan whispered. “The girl or the power.”
Sweat snaked between her shoulder blades. She knew how much that statue meant to Colin. He’d built his life around the treasure and protecting its powers. She’d seen what that statue could do to a person. The men in her family had fallen mad under its spell. Colin had, too. It was obvious. She was going to die. Should she let go so Colin wouldn’t have to decide?
She tightened her hold. No, she wasn’t one to give in. She’d hang on until she could no longer. Perhaps Colin could pull Demyan up and then save her. Even as she thought the words, she knew it was impossible. Perhaps she could climb up herself? She clenched her jaw. She didn’t need a man to save her life. If she went slow enough, used the vine like a rope …
“The girl or the power,” Demyan demanded once more, his voice coming out shrill with need and impatience.
And even as she swore she would ignore the two men, her entire body grew silent, waiting for Colin’s response. She squeezed her eyes shut. The wind rushed around her, tugging at her hair and clothing. Not even a bird cried out.
A sudden shadow fell over her. That warming sensation lit her insides and she felt Colin before she heard him. “The girl.”
Bea opened her eyes. Colin was leaning over the edge, his face set in determined lines, his arm outstretched, yet still impossibly far away. “Give me your hand, Bea. Just a little farther.”
Her heart expanded and she choked on a sob. Realizing this was not the time to cry, she lifted her feet and inched up the vine. Her arms trembled, her muscles aching with the movement, but she wouldn’t relent.
“Are you sure?” she whispered.
“Of course, now give me your arm.”
“No!” Demyan cried out. “No, please! The statue, think of the statue!”
But Colin didn’t bother to look at the man. “Just a little more,” he urged, his gaze locked to hers, willing her to move closer.
She found strength in his gaze, in his very being. Gritting her teeth, Bea swung her right arm upward, rising on her tiptoes at the same time. Her fingers met his. Immediately Colin’s grasp tightened. As their palms came into contact, Bea’s foot slipped. A strangled cry escaped her lips. She dangled, with only Colin’s hand keeping her from death.
“It’s all right,” Colin breathed from above.
With a gentle tug, he pulled Bea upward, her forearms scraping painfully against the rock wall. She didn’t dare look at Demyan. With one last pull, Bea crested the edge of the roof and fell into Colin’s solid body. Bea cried out, wrapping her arms around his neck as the tears trailed down her cheeks.
He’d chosen her. Colin had picked her over the statue and its pow
ers. She knew it was wrong, she knew she shouldn’t be happy, but she was. His arms wrapped around her, holding her tight as he whispered calming words, words she couldn’t understand over her sobs. She didn’t care. She only cared that she was alive and in his arms.
Finally, she was able to pull back just enough to speak. “You have time. Time to save him, Colin.”
He shook his head. “He’s gone, Bea. He slipped the moment I pulled you to the top.”
She pushed away from Colin’s warm embrace. On her hands and knees, she scooted to the edge and peered below. Colin was right. Demyan was gone. The water had swallowed him whole, taking the statue with him. Only Sergio’s body remained bent and broken across the rocks. The statue was gone. Gone. The realization sank heavy in her gut.
Slowly, she turned around to face Colin, attempting to read his mind. Was he upset? Angry? But his face was oddly blank. “Are you sure he’s dead?”
“He’s dead,” an old man grunted from across the rooftop. He pushed himself upright, holding on to his bloodied leg. Vaguely she remembered Demyan’s pistol going off as they’d tumbled backward.
“My father,” Colin explained.
Stunned, Bea could merely stare open-mouthed at the old man. His wiry frame was the same height as Colin, although thinner. And yes … she supposed Colin did have the man’s eyes, but that was where the resemblance ended.
“But … I thought …” She didn’t need to finish her sentence. Obviously, Colin’s father wasn’t dead. But he would be soon if they didn’t get his leg wound treated.
Colin slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her upright. She was thankful for his strength, unsure if she could stand on her own. Unconsciously, her gaze went to that rooftop ledge where Demyan had fallen to his death. She couldn’t quite believe it was really over. “How do you know Demyan is truly dead?”
“Water.” The old man managed to stand, his face pulled into a grimace. “His mind slipped right before he fell and I read his thoughts.”
She wasn’t sure what he meant but Colin nodded as if he understood completely.