Page 29 of Not Your Hero

“We have to run. Can you do that?”

“Why? Why aren’t you killing me?” she asks as tears run down her cheeks.

“I don’t want you dead, Emerson. I much prefer you alive. Do as I say.” I squeeze her hand once, and she nods her head. I start to move, heading toward the trees at the back of the property. I know he tells them it’s surrounded, but it isn’t. No one has ever made it that far before, though.

I drag Emerson along, knowing this is tearing her feet apart, but we have no choice except to run right now.

We keep going, and the screams of the girls become more distant until we reach the edge of the tree line. Emerson is panting, gasping for air. She’s bent over, coughing as if she can’t get enough air into her lungs. I don’t know what the hell he did to her. How he made her so sick, but I’ll take care of her.

“Come on,” I encourage her, but she’s still doubled over, unable to keep going. I walk over and lift her, tossing her over my shoulder and rushing down the trail.

Emerson feels more like a limp doll the closer I get to where I told Ren to have the car waiting for me. She may have passed out, but she damn sure had better not die on me. Not now.

The closer I get, the more anxious I feel. I’ve gone against my brother. I’ve gone against everything we were taught to do. The hunt was something my father started long ago and something we carried on over the years. And I just ruined it. A part of me is disgusted, but the other part is glad I didn’t go through with it.

I see a car and make my way up to it a little slower than usual. Looking in the front window, I spot the keys on the seat, and I know it’s for me. I open the back door and place Emerson’s limp body on the backseat before closing the door and climbing in. I have to get out of here before Gary realizes I’m gone. More importantly, she’s gone.

I start the car and pull out my cell, calling Ren on speaker phone.

“You got the car?” he asks as soon as he answers.

“Yeah. Tell me where I’m going,” I tell him.

“About four miles from you, there’s a private runway. I have a small plane ready and waiting for you.”

“No one knows?”

“No one knows, Nix.”

“Good. Have the doctor at my house with as many supplies as he can come up with for our arrival.”

“Is she alive?”

“She isn’t looking good.”

“I’m on it. Just get there.” The line goes dead as I step on the gas watching my rear view to make sure no one is following me.

Chapter 18

Emerson

Everything hurts. My chest feels like it’s on fire, and it’s hard, so hard to breathe. There isn’t a place on my body that doesn’t hurt at this point.

I try to blink my eyes when I hear people talking, but lifting my head is nearly impossible.

“You can’t leave her hanging there!” Someone yells.

“Yes, I can.”

“You want her to heal? You want her to get better?”

“Of course I do! What the fuck Ron?” Who the hell is Ron? Where am I?

“Then get her off there!” When I can finally lift my head and open my eyes, I blink rapidly. A few men are standing in the middle of the room, they all turn to look at me, and that’s when I notice the one. He’s the one who got me out of there, but where the hell are we now?

I glance around only to discover I’m chained to the wall. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. My voice is gone. Tears roll down my cheeks as the man walks closer to me. He raises his hand and cups my cheek, wiping at the tears before bringing it to his lips and licking them off.

“You’re awake.”

---