Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

drove off the road, into the heavy forest and parked in the shelter of the trees. It took him only minutes to change clothes and shoes and then slide weapons and tools into place. He had two visits to make tonight. The first to Judith’s locked studio and the second to his brother. In the meantime, he was going to sleep. He had learned to sleep anywhere at any time, even if for a couple of short minutes.

10
     
    A single sound woke Stefan. His eyes snapped open, senses flaring out, one hand sliding to find the familiar butt of his Glock. Around him, the forest was dark. Overhead, clouds had formed, creating a series of rolling dark hills in the sky. Bats reigned supreme, darting here and there after the insects. Something heavy brushed along branches just once to his left. He had dismantled the interior light the moment he’d picked up the car from a lot, paying cash as always. He slipped outside the vehicle, not shutting the door completely, dropping low while he secured his silencer onto his weapon.
    Stefan eased his way over the uneven ground, testing each step with the ball of his foot first for freshly dropped twigs and branches. The forest floor was deep in pine needles, leaves and other vegetation, his feet sinking inches into the tightly woven debris. Staying low, he moved to the right, circling, trying to keep downwind of anything in the thick stand of trees.
    An owl hooted and another answered. The resonance was off just a tiny bit. Stefan slid the gun back into his holster and palmed his knife.
    I know you’re out here somewhere hunting me.
    His brother’s voice filled his mind. Smart. He wasn’t giving away his location. Stefan remained silent. He’d seen Lev one time since they had been separated as children. He didn’t know what kind of man his brother had grown into. For his part, Stefan had to cling to one thing to keep himself humane: his loyalty to his absent brothers. He had no idea if they held to the same code that he did. Before meeting Judith, Stefan would have gone to hell and back for his brother, but now, he was angry that Lev had actually gone so far as to marry Judith’s beloved sister to protect his cover. That was strictly taboo. Against their code. There had to be a line drawn somewhere.
    Were you sent to find me? Kill me?
    Stefan rarely lost his temper. Men like him didn’t have tempers and if they did, they kept that damning emotion tightly under wraps. Reacting with anger—with any emotion—was usually a death sentence in his line of work. He felt a dam burst inside of him, hot magma welling up unexpectedly, his gut churning.
    Ungrateful little mongrel. You’re the one hunting me in these woods. I put everything on the line for you and this is the thanks I get. Come ahead, then, little brother.
    Silence settled over the forest once again. Stefan didn’t know whether Lev moved closer to him or was thinking things over. It occurred to him that his baby brother wasn’t a kid anymore. He was every bit as lethal, with the same training under his belt, the years of hardship and pain that shaped them into dangerous killing machines.
    The schools they’d trained in were run like military schools, using physical and mental challenges and hardships, eventually working in every kind of terrain possible. Weapons training was every bit as important as learning languages and being able to pass for a native of a country not one’s own. Lev had been forced under water, thrown into choppy seas and lived in snow caves, just as Stefan had. The physical punishments had most likely been similar. The fact that he had survived meant his brother had the same mental toughness as Stefan. Those who didn’t have absolute will and a hefty streak of resilient determination, didn’t survive the training camps.
    I knew you would come to my home, Stefan, and my wife is not like others. I couldn’t allow that, even to see you.
    That was definitely conciliatory. Could Stefan take Lev’s word at face value? Deceit was weapon, just like everything else.
    You don’t marry your cover.
    Again silence met his reprimand. Stefan moved cautiously forward. The breeze slipped through the trees, branches swayed gently and a few leaves fluttered. He froze as he realized the fluttering was a bird settling onto the branches above his head.
    I married my wife because I love her. She’s my world and I won’t let anything—or anyone—take her away from me.
    That brought Stefan up short. He hadn’t considered,