“Aye. We lost them at the third apartment building.” Unfortunately, that meant the soldiers had headed back for transportation, which was probably a boat moored where Cee Cee had docked.
The ground continued to rock its displeasure.
“Do you think they know about the helicopter?” she asked, hands on knees, catching her breath.
“I don’t know.” Probably.
She sucked in air, her cheeks rosy. “The sea has to be roiling. Following us would be foolhardy.”
He shook his head. “The storm isn’t as bad as it was, and if they hug the shoreline, they’ll be fine.” No way was Bychkov letting her go, if Daire had to guess. “Want to tell me what just exploded?” As if he didn’t know. He pinned her with a hard gaze.
She glanced toward the flame-filled smoke billowing into the sky. “One of Ivan’s two mines, of course.”
Of course. Daire bit back anger and tried to stick to the matter at hand. “Why?”
“I’m taking him down.” Passion and a dangerous light glittered in her eyes. “You should thank me. The asshole was mining planekite, and I had that fact confirmed before giving the order to blow the entire place up.”
“What about the miners?” he asked, disbelief rippling through him.
She rolled her eyes. “Gas leak. The place was cleared of personnel before being blown up and closed forever.”
He shook his head. “I swear to God, you’re one fucking unpleasant surprise after the next.” Grabbing her hand, he yanked her into the garage and picked her up to plunk her on the snowmobile seat before sliding in front of her. “Who planted the explosives?”
“Men I hired.” She reached around him and laced her fingers against his abs. His very bare abs. “I came to check out your mine before deciding whether or not to blow it up, too.”
He paused in turning the key. “You thought I was in business with Bychkov?”
Her palms chilled his skin. “He’s in a partnership with a witch, and you own many mines, so I had to be sure. Don’t worry.” She patted his abdomen, and his cock stirred. “They won’t plant any explosives in your mine here or your mines in Russia unless I give the order.”
“That’s just great,” he snapped, twisting the key. “Who’s the witch that is in business with Bychkov?”
“Obviously I don’t know.”
He shook his head. “Lady, I trust you as far as I can throw you.”
She patted his gut. “You’re all muscle, Dunne. You could throw me quite a distance.”
He growled, his temper really, really, really wanting out.
She nodded, her forehead between his shoulder blades. “My plan was to check out your mines here on Fryser, leave orders, and head on to Russia.”
“Oh, baby, you ain’t going to Russia,” he muttered in Gaelic.
She sniffed. “I don’t speak Gaelic.”
“I figured.” He shook off the very strong desire to flip around and shake some sense into her until she told him everything. “What about Bychkov’s other mine here? It has to be the Sjener?se mine, right?” The only way to reach it was by parachuting in and snowmobiling down and out.
She sighed. “I haven’t figured out how to get there yet.”
He didn’t like the yet in that statement. Right now, he had to get them off the island. “Hold on, and if you see them on land or sea, let me know.” There was only one path to the helicopter and no way to hide from the sea. He twisted the throttle, and the machine jumped forward and into the storm.
Chapter 8
Her heart raced, and her head spun, even as she held tight to the enforcer as they sped the snowmobile across the shaky frozen ground. Mountains rose high and sharp in the background, while the red and orange of fire crackled inland through the air. Smoke billowed up into the darkening sky, spitting embers.