Page 80 of Rami

Impatience rattled Rami’s nerve endings.

“Yeah. You can turn up ahead and take a back road. Looks like that’ll cut us closer to them than if we take the highway.”

Rami took the turn instructed after a few minutes. Stones and dust pelted the sides of his truck as he barreled down the road at Mach speed. His headlights lit the trees and dirt road in their whitish glow. Yellow eyes on the side of the road warned him of wildlife, but he didn’t give a damn what jumped out at them right now.

“Do you still see them?” Desperation was closing in on him, sealing his sanity between its claustrophobic walls.

August shifted in his seat. “Yeah.” A grave note clung to the word. “Looks like she’s stopped—hiding maybe? It’s hard to tell.”

Dread lay heavy on Rami’s chest. Each twist and turn of the road threatened to throw them into the woods, but somehow, he managed to stay on track.

He couldn’t lose her. Not now, not ever.

CHAPTER 22

Ivy’s body spasmed on every ragged breath. The Kevlar weighed down her chest and shoulders like freshly poured cement. Her legs trembled as she jumped over tree roots and rocks.

The branches and trees were dizzying, whipping her from all angles as she charged through the woods like a wild deer being hunted. The men’s footsteps clomped behind her, their flashlights dancing over the bark and skipping in front of her path.

They were close.

Despite her determination, her body was failing her. Her limbs grew weaker by the second as the oxygen in her cells depleted.

A loud, roaring noise reached her ears. Helicopter?

Oh, God, please let there be help—

No. Her brain quickly changed direction and tuned into the constant sound of flowing water. A river? She reached the top of a hill and, sure enough, at the bottom was a wide creek. Water rushed around rocks—it wasn’t too deep. The flashlight beam hit her body.

“There she is!”

Ivy charged down the slope. Her feet slid out from under her as the damp earth gave away. She landed on her butt and tumbled down the short distance. Pushing to her knees, she scrambled to her feet and ran into the current.

The icy water circled her knees, and she gasped. Her blood nearly froze in place. Forcing steady breaths through her nose, she surged through the waves. Her shoes slipped on moss-covered rocks as she teetered in the middle of the river.

“Get her, dammit!” an angry voice screamed.

A frantic glance over her shoulder revealed the men running down the hill. Gabriel fell, but the other two reached the bottom. Her gaze locked on Luis, who had his gun trained on her.

She screamed and covered her head.

Crack!

A bullet connected with her back, throwing her face-first into the creek. Pain exploded along her spine and shoulders, making her forget the shock of the icy water. A cry caught in her throat and the voices behind her grew closer.

She closed her eyes as pain surged through her, but no sticky warmth touched her skin. The bullet had to have hit the bulletproof vest. Still hurt like a demon.

“You idiot,” Wayne yelled. “You shot her in the back!”

“I tried to get her leg,” Luis said defensively.

Indecision took hold of her. If she got to her feet, they’d know she was uninjured and shoot her again—maybe not to kill but definitely to disable. Her fingers were as cold as icicles, but she forced her hand to graze the bottom of the creek. A large rock brushed her fingers.

She heard splashes behind her.

“You fucking carry her. You shot her, idiot. Fernando’s gonna be pissed you didn’t get the video done before killing her.”

She gripped the rock in her right palm, keeping her body motionless. A rough hand grabbed her left elbow, hauling her out of the water.

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