“Did you ever even have a shoulder injury?” Anton asked.
Leo rubbed a tired hand over his face. It had been a long day and he’d said too much. “Let’s get back to the cabin.”
Just as they climbed into the truck, the crunch of tires on gravel filled the air.
Someone was coming down the Cecchino farm road.
Chapter 15Visitor
“THAT’S NOT MY TRUCK,” Leo said. He knew the sound of his beloved truck, and that wasn’t it. Alarm spiked through him.
Leo snatched his rifle out of the front seat and sprinted for the wood pile on the side of the house. Anton raced behind him. His little brother might irritate the shit out of him, but the kid had good instincts.
The two brothers dove behind the wood pile. A plume of dust hung in the sky, kicked up by a vehicle.
“Think it’s Russians?” Anton propped his rifle on top of the wood pile, crouching to sight down the crosshairs.
“Don’t know.” The hairs prickled along the back of Leo’s neck. His finger tensed on the rifle trigger, ready to fire at the first sign of danger. If Russians were here for the Cecchino farm, they were in for a surprise. He’d shoot every last one of them down.
He was so busy imagining a car full of Russians invading his family’s property that he was completely unprepared for the white Ford Crown Victoria station wagon that rumbled into view. His mouth fell open. He nearly dropped his rifle.
“Is that who I think it is?” Anton asked.
Leo couldn’t find words. He knew that car. He knew the owner. He’d just never expected to see either of them again.
The Crown Vic pulled to a stop in front of the house.
The young woman who stepped out had blond ringlets that fell past her shoulders. Her perfectly teased bangs added an extra three inches to her curvy five-foot-five figure. Generous breasts filled out a slinky spaghetti strap tank that was covered with a black mesh shirt. Fingerless black gloves covered her hands. Black stirrup pants covered a perfect ass—an ass that, a few short years ago, Leo had the privilege to touch. Red heels rounded out the outfit.
Only Jennifer Miola could make a Russian invasion look good.
And even while he took note of how stunning she was, he distantly registered something different about her. Like the light shining from the former cheerleader and gymnastics star was slightly off hue. He couldn’t put his finger on it, though it likely had something to do with the communist invasion.
Leo didn’t let the thought linger for deeper study; he was too busy grappling with the resentment that threatened to choke him.
“Damn.” Anton sat back on his heels, propping the barrel of his rifle against his shoulder. “I forgot how smoking hot she is.”
Leo snorted in disgust. He buried his shock under a scowl and stalked out from behind the wood pile. Just to be a dick, he made it a point to aim the rifle in her direction.
“Leo!” She jumped in surprise when saw him. Heedless of the weapon, she rushed toward him.
He was even further confused when she threw her arms around his neck. He stiffened and held her at arm’s length.
“Leo?” She frowned at him. “It’s me.”
“I know who you are. What do you want?”
He took note of the dirt smudging the side of her face. The shoulder of her mesh shirt had a tear in it.
“Is that any way to greet an old friend?” She gave him her prettiest smile.
Once upon a time, that smile would have melted him on the spot. Today, all it did was put his hackles up. He gave her a flat stare.
“We have some place to be, Jennifer. What do you want?”
She absorbed his coldness with a long look. Her smile faded. “Look, I don’t know how to break this to you, but—”
“There are Russians,” Anton interrupted.
Jennifer blinked. “You know?”
“Yeah. Fuckers rolled right into Bastopol High. I’d probably be dead if Leo hadn’t shown up and saved my ass.”
“We have to go,” Leo said. “We have wounded to take care of.”
“Wait.” Jennifer grabbed his arm. “Cassie is in Westville with chess club friends. I was driving there to pick her up when the Russians attacked.” She fiddled with her fingerless gloves. “I’ve been driving around for hours trying to find a way to reach her. I didn’t know where else to go. I need help getting my sister.”
And she thought her ex-boyfriend was the perfect person to help her out? Leo swallowed his anger. “I can’t help you, Jennifer. Like I said, we have wounded to take care of.”
“No, wait.” Jennifer refused to let go of his arm. “ Leo, we’re talking about my baby sister. I—”
He shook her off. “You’re not the only one who’s been separated from a family member.”
Jennifer blinked as his words hit her. The empathy in her eyes enraged him. “Leo, I’m sor—”
“Look, I get it. You’re scared for Cassie. But it’s not safe. All the TV and radio stations are down. We have no idea what’s going on. We’d be driving blind if we went out there right now. Cassie is safer wherever she is than in a car with you.”
Jennifer’s expression melted with his every word. The confident cheerleader who’d ripped out his heart and served it to him on a platter two nights after senior prom now looked small, vulnerable, and scared. It didn’t look good on her.
He was being an epic asshole. “Look.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair, attempting to dial back his anger. He couldn’t help Jennifer get to her sister, but he could at least give her a safe place to stay. “Come to the cabin with us. You’ll be safe there until the military gets here and takes care of the Russians.”
“But what about Cassie?”
“If things clear up, I’ll help you get her. In the meantime, we all need to lay low.”
“But, my parents—”
He only had so much patience
