Under Threat by B.J. Daniels (reading the story of the .TXT) 📕

as Vaughn instructed. She pressed her back to his, absorbing the warmth and the strength, and focused on the door in the front of her. The crashing seemed to have stopped, but she held the gun up, hoping she’d be able to shoot an unfamiliar weapon. Hoping harder she wouldn’t have to shoot anyone.

“Who the hell are you?” Vaughn growled.

Since Natalie was watching the door, she couldn’t see what the man did in response. But it sounded like the man merely spat in response.

“You’ll regret that one later.”

Natalie couldn’t suppress a shiver at the cold note of fury in Vaughn’s voice.

Another crash sounded, and the front door shook again, but Vaughn seemed less than worried about it. She, on the other hand, was more than worried about it.

“What are you after?”

The man only groaned, still not saying anything.

“This is your last chance to talk. You don’t talk when I ask, I don’t ask. And you don’t want to find out what happens then.”

The man only cursed, and Vaughn remained a still, calm, rock-hard presence behind her. His warmth and his strength soothed a small portion of her concern over her too fast and hard breathing.

“Natalie, link arms with me.” He held his arm back, and she did as he ordered. Then he was maneuvering her, always keeping her protected from the man on the floor.

He led her by her linked arm into his room, keeping his gun trained at the wounded man. He’d stopped writhing and was looking increasingly pale, though he kept his hand on the wound on his shoulder.

Natalie looked away.

“I need you to grab the backpack out of my closet. It’s black, and it should be very heavy.”

Natalie swallowed, and she didn’t trust her voice. But she did what he asked. Vaughn’s closet was freakishly neat and tidy, so it was easy to find the backpack.

“Is there anything you absolutely without a shadow of a doubt need from your room?”

She had so few belongings left, tears stung her eyes thinking of leaving any of it. But she also didn’t want to, oh, die, so she supposed she could do without. “My ID, maybe? Unless you don’t think we have—

His mouth firmed. “I don’t want to leave behind anything that might give them more information on you. We’re going to link arms again. We’re going to get your ID. Do not look at the man on the floor. Keep looking straight ahead until we’re inside, and then grab your stuff immediately. Then we’ll go out the window. Or at least try.”

“And if we can’t?” There could be fifty men surrounding the cabin as they spoke. There could be—

“One thing at a time.” He maneuvered her across the hall, his grip firm enough to help her push away the thousands of terrible outcomes.

“Go,” Vaughn said gently, unlocking their arms. Because she couldn’t have come up with a thought on her own to save her life, she went straight for her purse.

It was strange how unmoored and that much shakier she felt without Vaughn’s arm connected to hers, but she pressed on. She grabbed her purse, and Vaughn, keeping his gun trained on the door, rummaged around in the closet and pulled out a backpack. It was pink and sparkly and utterly ridiculous.

He gave it a disgusted grunt but held it out to her. “It’ll be easier to get through the mountains with your hands free instead of worrying about a purse. Shove it in there and then strap it on your back.”

Again, Natalie couldn’t trust her voice to actually come out of her throat, so she simply did as she was told. She shoved her purse into the outrageous backpack and then strapped it to her back. Meanwhile, Vaughn pulled on his backpack.

She looked down at her hands, the gun she held, the power she had. This was her protection. This would give her a chance. She hoped.

“You hold on to that. No matter what. If it comes down to it, you’ll use it.”

“What are they after?” she asked, her voice a shaky, squeak of a thing that would’ve embarrassed her if she’d had time for it.

He didn’t bother to answer. She understood that he didn’t have time to stand there and explain things to her. But she couldn’t help the fact that she didn’t understand anything about this. Not a thing.

“Keep your eye on the door. Keep your gun ready.”

It took every ounce of focus and control to do as he said and not watch what he did. She heard the rustle of curtains, and possibly the squeak of the window. Meanwhile, all she could do was watch the door to this room, and fervently pray that no one tried to walk through it.

A shot rang out, and Natalie jerked violently. Through some lucky twist of fate, she didn’t pull her own trigger.

“Follow me. Now.” Vaughn’s voice was terse and urgent as ever, and her feet responded to the order even if her mind whirled.

Though a million questions went through her head, she followed Vaughn out the window. It was only then that she realized there was a sound louder than the harsh flow of her breathing.

Once she was outside, she noticed there was another man slumped on the ground. But he was screaming and grabbing his leg. Vaughn paid him no attention. He was too busy scanning the surroundings.

“Stay at my back.”

She was glad he kept saying it, because in her shell-shocked state she would’ve forgotten. She would’ve stood there still and silent and barely functioning. This might be the only situation in her entire life where she was ecstatic for someone to keep reminding her what she was supposed to do.

She stayed at Vaughn’s back, mirroring his movements as he walked toward the screaming man. Vaughn spared him the most disgusted of glances, and then grabbed the large, intimidating looking gun that had fallen out of the man’s reach.

“How many more of you are there?”

“Screw off.”

Vaughn’s mouth was a harsh, grim line. “So none. Perfect. Now,