Page 88 of Savage Escape

But she kept falling. Kept dropping like a stone. Down. Down.

Then something big slapped all the breath right out of her. Again and again.

Trees. She was hitting branches. Still dropping, but the branches were slowing her descent.

A ridiculous giggle erupted from her throat when she got oxygen back.

Someone, Holden, was laughing too.

Caden tried to find a branch to grip with her good hand, but she was getting bounced around too much. She was getting pummeled by branches and bouncing off trunks and getting slapped around by the more flexible branches.

Finally, she caught and held a branch with her good arm. But her weight was too much. It snapped off in her palm. She fought for a grip again, but she couldn’t get a good hold.

But that didn’t matter anymore because her back landed on the ground. The wind was once again knocked out of her. Something snapped—several somethings.

Something heavy thudded down beside her, but she didn’t catch a glimpse of it because she was rolling again.

Fuck—she couldn’t catch a break.

But then a warm hand caught and held her.

“No more rolling.” Holden had her. His face was tight and bloodied, but he was smiling down at her, and Caden couldn’t help but smile back.

“Anybody dead or seeing bright lights?” Jackson’s pain-filled voice filtered in through the roar in her ears. “Don’t go into the light. Reid will just bring you back and put your asses on bed rest for the rest of your lives.”

“Oh fuck, not bed rest.” Holden’s voice was an agonized growl. “Don’t go into the light, Caden—Reid’ll kill you.”

“Alive.” Caden finally found her voice. “I’m alive. No bright lights. Only a terrible burning—what’s that, Satan? You want me to go with you?”

Holden cracked up beside her for all of three seconds before the light sound turned into a pained moan and he quit laughing.

“You are so fuckin’ hilarious.” Jackson was somewhere north of her head and not sounding at all amused, just marginally shocked.

After a few minutes of deep breathing and pain management, Caden forced her body to obey her commands. With her good arm, she rolled over and pushed her aching body into a sitting position. She took stock of her surroundings and the men scattered around her.

Jackson was sprawled face up in the bushes a good six feet away. His chest was heaving up and down and his face looked flushed. Holden was on his back right beside her, skin pale, breathing irregular, and face pinched in pain.

“Holden!” It came out louder than she intended. His eyes popped open, and it took him a second too long to track her face.

“What?” He shifted slightly and his face paled even more. “Can’t you see I’m takin’ a nap?”

“No napping.” Caden shoved to her feet and swayed but stayed upright. “You were out cold rolling down the mountain—you probably broke a lot of shit.”

“Definitely broke some shit,” he agreed; his voice was a pained snarl of humor. “Looks like we won’t be able to knock Kade off his high horse any time soon.”

“What do ya meanwe—speak for yourself, cripple.” Caden needed to keep him awake and talking. “I just gotta shove this arm back in and shake it off.”

“Pfft.” Saliva and blood flew out of his mouth at the noise, and Caden only panicked a little. “Yeah, okay. Reid will most definitely go for that.”

She wanted to say something along the lines of Reid not being her boss and she could do whatever the hell she wanted, but, as much as she didn’t like to admit it, it was true. He would demand she stay in bed and not strain herself, and Caden would comply.

“You two are in-fucking-sane.” Jackson wasn’t moving from his sprawled position, but his voice was deep and strong. “Fucking laughing? Laughing? As we fall to our deaths? You’re both just gonna fuckin’ giggle as we free fall. Fuckin’ nuts.”

“What? You didn’t find it funny?” Pain and sarcasm was all but dripping from Holden’s tone. “You didn’t think, ‘huh, I’m free falling off a fucking cliff roadrunner style’?”

“No, crazies—I did not. I thought, oh shit—oh shit—we’re gonna die and the last thing I’m gonna hear is their stupid giggles.”

“Oh, come on.” Caden finally found the SAT phone Jackson carried three feet from the man’s sprawled form. It was crushed and useless. “You didn’t think for even a second that it was even slightly funny? I mean, we were free-falling off a fucking cliff and trees were slapping us left and right. It was ridiculous and cartoony.”

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