Page 103 of Secrets Along the Shore

“Yeah. I’ll get them.” Tyler headed back over to the van and slid the side door open. His targets sat huddled behind the seat. “C’mon. Let’s get you home.” He held out his hand to help Elara and the boy out.

Kayode opened the backseat of his vehicle. “Your ride.” He held his fist to fistbump Rian. “You did a great job looking out for your mother, young man.”

“I was terrified.” Rian’s head hung.

Kayode gestured to Elara. “She was, too.” Then he pointed at Tyler. “So was he.”

Tyler snorted. Yeah, right. This was his life. He didn’t fear it.

“C’mon. Let’s get you in there.” Kayode assisted Rian into the vehicle.

The sound of speeding cars reached them. It was close. Way too close.

“Viktor found us!” Elara’s voice held shock but didn’t break.

Tyler met Kayode’s gaze. “Get them loaded.” He jogged to the back of the last SUV and aimed his M4 down the road. The Rukas’ vehicles hadn’t appeared yet. But they would. Any second.

“C’mon,” Kayode ordered. “No. Wait!”

Oh, crap. Elara ran past Tyler before he had time to catch her. “Elara, stop!” Did she think that she’d have to get herself caught to save her son? He spun to Kayode. “Get the boy out of here.” That kid had to get to the plane no matter what happened.

Tyler sprinted after Elara. She ran a block ahead of him. Her exhaustion made her slow. She crossed another, then turned left. Where was she going? Did she even know where Viktor’s men were? He followed her down another block. Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted the Rukas’ vehicles, coming down the road toward them. Maybe she did know.

Why couldn’t she have stuck with him? The last car chase hadn’t ended well, but they had more backup.

Tyler pushed himself harder. Elara stumbled across the road and down a one-lane that led to another two-lane road. He closed the distance between them just as she crossed another road.

The glare of white lights beside them barely gave Tyler a second to act. He grabbed her and threw her at the sidewalk she’d just left. Solid metal slammed into him. Pain shot through his chest seconds before his vision went black.

Elara wincedas she pushed herself off the sidewalk that left scrapes on her arms. She grabbed her right arm where it had made the most impact. The rumble of an engine beside her made her turn. A Ruka latched onto her arms before she had time to protest.

“No! Stop!”

As he shoved her toward the side of one of Viktor’s vans, she caught a glimpse of something on the road. Someone. “No,” she choked out. That couldn’t have been Tyler lying there. He’d grabbed her and thrown her out of the way. Surely, he’d gotten himself out of the way in time.

But he hadn’t. He was lying right there on the ground. Dead. Because of her. She heaved a breath as she tried to fight the killer in front of her. “No, let me go!” He shoved her inside the van. She landed on the hard floor. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she covered her face. What was she thinking? That Viktor’s men would see her and go after her, leaving her son alone. Of course, they’d look for him, but he should have been long gone before they noticed he wasn’t with her. That might have worked, but it cost a man his life.

God, forgive me. I never wanted this.

She tried to hold in her sobs.

“You never should have left, my dear.” The voice startled her. Viktor’s voice.

She lifted her gaze to the passenger seat beside her.

Viktor peered over the side at her. “Did you miss me?”

“No.” It was the only word that made it past her lips. Her body trembled, and she prayed for courage. She frowned at the open door. Why hadn’t they driven off yet? They had her, and Rian was several blocks away. Hopefully, almost out of the city by now.

“We got him.”

Him? Tyler? Two Rukas dragged Tyler’s limp form to the door. One let him go to climb in, then he grabbed Tyler’s vest and pulled him into the van. Not bothering to ensure Tyler was comfortable, the man jumped out and closed the door.

Elara scrambled over to him. Was he alive? He had to be. Why else would Viktor grab him? In the dark, she couldn’t make out his injuries or his breathing. She rested her hand on his chest, but couldn’t feel anything through his thick vest. Maybe it had protected him. She pressed her fingers against his neck. A pulse.

“Thank you, Jesus,” she whispered.

“Who’s he? Your lover?” Viktor spat.