Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 135958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 135958 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 680(@200wpm)___ 544(@250wpm)___ 453(@300wpm)
By my calculations, we had a little over a mile, more likely a mile and a quarter yet to go. I looked around, but even if we’d had rope for me to build her a crutch, we wouldn’t make it. They would find us.
“Can you make it?”
She looked up, her face pale and getting whiter by the second. She shook her head. Her eyes were dazed, half panicked. “I think I broke my ankle! For real.” Her voice hitched on a sob, pain laced with a twinge of hysteria.
I’m sure this was scary for her. But broken ankles could be fixed. Being in the woods, I’m sure that didn’t help, but those guards wouldn’t hurt her.
I didn’t want to think of it. It felt wrong, but…
“You should go.” She said it for me.
I gazed at her, long and hard. You didn’t leave your co-agent behind, and Brooke had become that for me, but I wouldn’t get to Milwaukee if I stayed. That was just the truth.
“Go. Wait! Here.” She was still sobbing, and now wheezing. She pulled her backpack off and thrust it at me. “Take it. I mean it. Go, Riley. Go. I know your dad is down there. It was seriously shitty of Kai not to take you with him, and he knows that. For what it’s worth, I think my brother loves you. He might not know it yet, but he does, and I know he’ll feel bad about not taking you with him, but he won’t come back for you. He just won’t.”
“How’d you know he was going to Milwaukee today?”
She quieted, rocking back and forth from her ankle pain. She didn’t answer. Her lips pressed tight together.
“Brooke. Tell me.”
She clenched her eyes shut tight, shaking her head, then sighed. “Fine. Fuck it. I know because Eric told me. Do not tell! Kai will kill him, literally. He let it slip one night, said he only had three more days of this shit. He hates when I tease him, but he tends to slip up because I rattle him. He doesn’t even know I heard him. I just guessed on the Milwaukee part because that’s where Levi’s family is.” She was panting now. “Oh, God. This hurts so much.” Sweat rolled down her face. “Not that I don’t love you and love having gotten to know you again, but can you go? I’m about to die if I don’t get a painkiller in me stat.”
I still hesitated. It feels wrong to leave an injured person behind. It’s rooted deep in your core.
“Go! For real!” She waved at me frantically before holding her ankle again. “This is really starting to throb. I’ll hold off as long as I can before calling for help, but seriously. Get the fuck out of here, or I’m two seconds from calling and not giving a damn if they catch you. I’m in that much pain.”
I still hesitated.
“Go,” she croaked. “They’ll send Tanner back to me, and I’ll try to talk him into flying the coop, but I can’t beg you again. I’m dying here, Ri. Just go. Seriously. Kick my brother’s ass when you find him too.”
When she reached for the radio, I was out of time.
I backed away, still feeling wrong, but I knew I needed to go.
When she raised the radio to her mouth, I turned. I was full-out sprinting within seconds.
I’m coming for you, Dad. I’m coming for you.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
I heard the guards shouting and dogs barking just as I ran down the last hill. A rusted white minivan was pulled over on the road with only two tires on the gravel, and I knew that was my ride.
As I jogged toward it, the back door opened.
Blade greeted me, a dark green blanket full of camouflage ribbons thrown over his shoulders. He waved me in, and as soon as I was inside, he gave me my own blanket.
“Hi!”
Carol sat behind the wheel. Dark red sweatpants, a banana-yellow hoodie and her hair in curls wasn’t even the icing on her disguise. It was the cigarette between two of her fingers.
Carol didn’t smoke.
“Let me guess,” I said, trying hard not to smile. “A tired, middle-aged mother.” It was good to see them, both of them.
“Yep.” She blinded me with a smile so I could see her yellowed teeth, and she pointed to the bags under her eyes. “And this isn’t makeup. I stayed up two full nights for you.”
“The alarm was raised?” Blade looked into the woods behind us.
I moved to the side. “She’s not coming. She rolled her ankle and couldn’t make it the rest of the way.”
“That’s too bad.” Blade reached around me, shutting the door, and then he lay down in the back. “Get down here.”
There was a whole setup of boxes and bags of Christmas ornaments. Nestled in between everything was enough room for two people to lie down. I knew as soon as I got down there, he would reach up and pull the rest of the stuff over us. They’d made the back look almost like a hoarder’s minivan. It was perfect.