To Have A Heart (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 7)

“Where are you going?” Mallory cried.

It was then that her gaze fell to the gun in the farmer’s hand.

“To help them,” the farmer grinned.

He vanished into the undergrowth.

Mallory stared into space, but then realised how foolish she was to stand beside the cart. If Melrose did try to use the vehicle to escape the Star Elite, he would find her standing around looking useless. Spinning around, she tried to think of somewhere she could hide but couldn’t get her mind to work well enough. Eventually, she settled on some long grass beside the river. While she couldn’t swim, she could wade into the water and use the current to carry her downstream if she needed to get away.

Callum swore when he saw Mallory. Thankfully, Melrose was distracted by the gunfire aimed at him, but Callum suspected that Melrose’s men would have seen her and knew exactly where she was hiding. The need to get to her was strong, but to do so he had to cross the bridge. The bridge that Melrose was now crouched on.

“Edge closer to her when you can. Don’t ease up on the gunfire,” Sir Hugo growled.

He reloaded his gun but, rather than resume firing, moved away from the river and disappeared into the trees. Callum did the same, but once in the trees he moved closer to Mallory. When he appeared at the riverbank again, he was on the opposite bank to her, still too far way yet close enough to be able to keep watch over her. If anybody ventured near her, they would die.

“Protect her,” Sir Hugo ordered before he took up a position that gave him a clear view of Melrose.

“Why don’t you just kill the bastard?” Callum growled. “His men will surrender when they know their employer is dead and they aren’t likely to be paid.”

“I want Melrose alive,” Sir Hugo warned. “It is far better for him to spend the rest of his life behind bars.”

“Really?” Callum countered.

He suspected that Sir Hugo wanted to settle a few scores and have the satisfaction of being the one to arrest Melrose. For someone as brutal as Melrose, it would be the worst kind of defeat, especially after Sir Hugo’s recent beating.

Leaving Sir Hugo to do what he felt was best, Callum turned his attention to removing Melrose’s men from their hiding positions.

“You may as well give up, Melrose. Your men are done,” Sir Hugo called nearly an hour later.

The gunfire had turned sporadic as Melrose’s men had dwindled in numbers whether through death or lack of willingness to fight.

Melrose, still hiding behind one of the bridge’s stone walls, fired off a shot that nearly struck Oliver.

From his stance, Callum had a clear shot of the man, but Melrose had yet to look up and realise that

for himself. Unfortunately for Melrose, if he moved to the opposite side of the bridge, he would be clearly visible to Oliver as well. There was no chance of escape. All Callum and Oliver needed was the nod from Sir Hugo and Melrose would be dead.

“The bridge is the worst place for you to stay, Melrose. Did you not think about how we have cut off your exit from both sides? You do realise that I have men able to see you no matter which wall you want to try to hide behind?” Sir Hugo taunted.

Melrose ignored him, reloaded his gun, and then took a shot at Sir Hugo. He missed because his actions were quick and clumsy, but the gunshot was a statement that Melrose was prepared to fight to the last.

Sir Hugo ventured closer. The shot he took made the stonework beside Melrose’s head explode. Melrose ducked and crawled away, but only to the opposite side of the bridge. When he popped up again, Oliver clipped him in the shoulder. Melrose cursed and fired back.

Mallory looked up to see what was happening and noticed movement on the riverbank opposite. Her heart skipped when she saw Callum standing beside a tree, hidden from Melrose but visible to her. He motioned to her to get down. Before she could, another gunshot made the wood above her head explode into a thousand splinters. Mallory flinched and ducked.

“There you are,” Melrose called.

Mallory looked at Callum in panic.

Callum mouthed to her to stay calm. He contemplated the raging river. It was foolish for anybody to try to cross it without using the bridge, but to leave her on the opposite bank, where Melrose or his men might be able to make a grab for her, was foolish.

“Stay,” Sir Hugo ordered when Callum began to edge toward the bank. “He will kill you if you try. Nobody can cross that river. Not while he is alive.”

“Get her,” Melrose ordered the last of his men who were still standing.

To help them find her, he stood up, pointed at Mallory while he took a shot at Callum.

Mallory screamed when the branch above Callum’s head suddenly broke away from the tree and fell. For a moment, she thought Callum had been struck by the falling branch. All she could see were leaves and twigs, but when everything had settled, Callum stepped out from behind the thick branch and shot at Melrose.