Chapter 60 If It Goes Bad
Four days had passed since Elena decided to fight for the company, four days of preparation that blurred together in a haze of stress and planning.
Elena had spent hours drafting her statement, rewriting it, practicing her delivery until the words felt natural instead of scripted. She'd reviewed financial reports with the lawyer, prepared responses to board accusations, memorized talking points for the media.
Pierce had been on the phone constantly with Marcus, planning security positions, planning exit routes, mapping every possible scenario. The cabin's dining table had become a command center, laptops, blueprints, tactical plans spread across its surface.
Derek recovered steadily, his wound healing cleanly under Elena's care. He'd graduated from bed rest to moving around the cabin, getting stronger daily. He watched them prepare with the quiet observation of someone who'd seen operations like this before.
While the nights belonged to Elena and Pierce, stolen moments of intimacy between the stress, finding comfort in each other when the weight of Friday felt too heavy to carry.
Now it was Thursday night, less than twenty-four hours until she walked back into the world.
Elena stood at the kitchen counter, reading through her statement one more time, when Pierce appeared beside her.
"Put that down," he said.
"I need to practice..."
"You've practiced enough. You could give that speech in your sleep." Pierce took the papers from her hands. "We need to work on something else."
"What?"
"Basic self-defense."
Elena looked at him. "Pierce, we've been over the security plan a hundred times. You'll be right there..."
"What if I'm not?" His voice was firm. "If something goes wrong, if we get separated, if someone gets through, you need to know how to protect yourself."
"Okay," she said quietly. "Show me."
They moved to the living room. Derek looked up from his book, eyebrows raised.
"You're teaching her to fight?" he asked.
"Basic skills only." Pierce moved the coffee table aside, creating space. "Enough to buy her time if she needs it."
Derek settled back in his chair. "This I have to see."
Pierce ignored him, turning to Elena. "First rule is if someone grabs you, you fight immediately. Don't freeze. You fight."
"What if they have a gun..."
"Then you still fight. A moving target is harder to hit than a compliant one." Pierce stepped closer. "I'm going to grab your wrist. Show me what you'd do."
Elena hesitated. Pierce took her wrist in a firm grip.
"Now what?" he asked.
Elena tried to pull away but pierce's grip didn't budge.
"That won't work because I'm stronger than you." Pierce's voice was calm. "You can't win on strength. You win by being smarter."
He released her wrist and demonstrated, rotating her arm against his thumb, the weakest point of his grip. "Try it."
They practiced. Elena rotating her wrist, breaking free from his hold. Over and over until the movement became automatic.
"That's good," Pierce said. "Now, if someone grabs you from behind..."
He moved behind her, his arm wrapping around her shoulders in a loose hold. Elena's heart raced despite knowing it was just training.
"Tuck your chin down. Make sure to protects your throat." His voice was quiet in her ear. "Then drive your elbow back into my ribs as hard as you can."
Elena hesitated for a moment.
"Do it," Pierce said. "I can take it."
She drove her elbow back, pulling the strike at the last second and pierce caught her arm.
"Harder. If someone's attacking you, you don't hold back." He repositioned himself. "Again."
This time Elena didn't hold back. Her elbow connected with his ribs and Pierce grunted, releasing her.
"That's better," he said, rubbing his side. "That'll buy you a few seconds, you use them to run."
They practiced for an hour. Just basic strikes, palm heel to the nose, how to use her weight to break holds. Nothing much, just survival techniques.
Elena's muscles burned, sweat dampened her shirt, but with each successful move, she felt something shift inside her, she felt at least now she wasn't helpless.
"Okay, last one," Pierce said. "If someone pins you against a wall..."
He moved fast, backing her against the wall, his hands on either side of her head, caging her in.
Their eyes met. Both breathing hard from the training.
"What do you do?" Pierce's voice was rougher now.
Elena's mind went blank. All she could focus on was him being this close to her, the heat coming off him, the memory of being pressed against walls for very different reasons.
"Elena," Pierce said. "Focus. What do you do?"
She blinked, forcing herself back to the lesson. "Drive my knee up?"
"Yes, but you need an opening first." Pierce shifted slightly. "If my weight is on you, you can't generate power. So what you have to do is create space, push against my chest, turn your head like you're trying to avoid a kiss and when I adjust, that's your moment."
Elena pushed against his chest. Pierce shifted automatically and she drove her knee up, stopping inches from contact.
"That's perfect," Pierce breathed.
They stayed frozen like that, her knee raised, his hands on the wall beside her head, both breathing hard.
Derek cleared his throat loudly. "You two done? Because I'm going to bed before this gets inappropriate."
The spell broke and pierce stepped back, elena lowered her leg, face flushed.
"We're done," Pierce said, not looking away from Elena. "Good work today."
Derek limped toward his room. When his door closed, Pierce pulled Elena close. "You did good."
"I feel like I got hit by a truck."
"You'll be sore tomorrow." His hand slid down her back. "But you can defend yourself now If something happens..."
"Nothing's going to happen." Elena looked up at him. "You won't let it."
"I'll try like hell not to." Pierce's jaw was tight. "But Elena, tomorrow, there's so many things that could happen. So many things that could go wrong and I need you to promise me something."
"What?"
"If it goes bad, if you get a chance to run,you take it." His voice was sharp. "You don't wait for me. You don't try to fight. You run and you don't look back."
"Pierce..."
"Promise me." His hands framed her face. "Because I can't walk into tomorrow thinking you'd stay and get hurt trying to wait for me."
Elena stared at him, seeing the fear he was trying to hide.
"I promise," she whispered. "If it goes bad, I'll run."
Pierce pulled her against his chest, holding her tight. "Tomorrow we end this. We trap Xander, you reclaim your company, and then we're done running."
"Then we get our life," Elena said against his chest.
"Then we get our life," Pierce agreed.
They stood there holding each other, both knowing that tomorrow could change everything.
Eventually Pierce pulled back, taking her hand. "Come on, you need rest."
They climbed to the loft bedroom. Elena changed while Pierce checked the locks one final time. When he came upstairs, she was already under the covers.
Pierce stripped down and slid in beside her. Elena immediately curled into him, her head on his chest, his arm around her.
"I'm scared," she admitted quietly.
"So am I." Pierce's arm tightened. "But we're going to be smart, we're going to be careful and Marcus will have eyes everywhere."
"What if Xander doesn't show?"
"Then you give your statement and we try again." Pierce kissed the top of her head. "But he'll show. He's been waiting for you to surface, he won't miss this opportunity."
Elena was quiet for a moment. "What if he gets to me before you do?"
"He won't." Pierce's voice was absolute. "I won't let him."
Elena tilted her head to look at him. "Promise me you won't do anything reckless tomorrow. You won't sacrifice yourself trying to protect me."
Pierce's eyes darkened. "Elena..."
"Promise me," she insisted.
Pierce pulled her up for a kiss, slow and deep. When they broke apart, his forehead rested against hers.
"I promise I'll do everything I can to make sure we both walk out of there tomorrow," he said carefully.
It wasn't quite the promise she'd asked for, but Elena knew it was the best she'd get.
Elena fell asleep in Pierce's arms, trying to believe that in less than twenty-four hours from now, they'd be free.
She didn't know that tomorrow would change everything. Just not in the way she expected.