Page 14 of Rescued by the Captain

If Bria could see through me, in the way she pried the deepest emotions inside of me this evening, she’d gauge that I’m anything but steady. I’m breaking on the inside. This woman means so damn much to me and that compromises my attention and our safety.

How could I let this happen?

As I shield Bria with my torso, just so that she isn’t exposed to the flying projectiles, I glimpse men standing on the perimeter of the cabin. There must be two guns— or even three. What I know for sure is that there can’t be any more weapons than that. And they won’t be able to surround the cabin. They seem small potatoes, staying on the front of the cabin and not surrounding.

I return my attention to Bria, who’s crawled away in the few seconds I’ve looked away from her. She’s grabbing her damn sudoku book from the table.

I give a deep exhale, stride to retrieve my rucksack and shove it into her hands.

“Come on. Let’s head to the back.”

Bria nods sheepishly. Her eyes are wide, and her face drained of color. Clearly, this is testing every fiber of her being and it enrages me that these lowlifes could make her feel so small. That they could dare to threaten a woman with the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen— but we can’t second guess their humanity. We must move.

As she slides the sudoku into the rucksack, a loud thud resounds. Blood sears in my veins— I look at the doorway, to discover the silhouette of a gunman at the entrance.

I catch the glint of metal and set into action.

Urging Bria to get away, I shout, “Run! Run far away!”

10

BRIA

My lungs are on fire.The cold pierces my skin, prickling my senses with a thousand needles.

Yet, I continue to run. Because I know that if I stop — if I even dare to lull my pace — the chase is over and I’m done for.

Someone craves my blood. And they’ll pursue me to the ends of the earth to savor that need.

My heart pounds in my chest as I run. My boots kick up snow, sending it up in the air and into my nostrils. I wheeze as the frigid mountain air singes my lungs while I hurtle through the forest.

Donte is now a shadow. I’ve been so caught up in running for my life that I haven’t thought to check in on him. He’s sucking in lungfuls of air, but something about his labored breaths alerts me. I steal a glance over my shoulder.

“You’re bleeding!” I gasp. My stomach churns seeing the crimson stain on his shirt. When did he get hit? Why didn’t he say anything?

I’m desperate to search for a place where I can pull him to the side, assess if the wound will take him away from me. I can’t lose him. I can’t have him gamble his life when —

My arm is yanked forward. He is tugging me to keep running.

“I know, I’m fine,” he says through sharp breaths. “Keep going.”

I dart my eyes from his chest to the terrain ahead. Like when I first woke up, there’s nothing but trees for as far as I can see. And then, I glance at him, and I recognize the pain he must be in.

If he wants us to keep pushing on, that must mean he thinks that is our only hope.

Despite the dull pang in my chest, I know that I have to bury my emotions. That I have to focus on one goal and one goal only— getting out of here.

I lift feet that weigh heavier than lead, and run faster than I ever have. The momentum carries me for longer than I expect, but not forever. Eventually, Donte and I are choking on freezing air and have to slow to recharge.

I slump against a tree trunk. Donte is standing inches apart from me, hands planted on his knees as he’s hunched over. Even while he’s hurt, he looks so much stronger than me. I want to find the energy to jump up and embrace him. But my bottom slides to the ground, and I’m stuck in place. My throat is too parched for me to even speak.

Donte passes me a flask of water, and I take a sip. At least, I planned to— I’m so exhausted and out of it that I wind up chugging half the bottle. Shaking, I hand the rest to Donte. He gulps it down before standing up straight.

“Bria, I need you to listen to me,” he addresses me evenly. “It’s important. Do you see the smoke up ahead?”

I squint at the skyline. Through the dark, it’s hard to make out silhouettes that stretch farther than a few feet. I have to strain my eyes for a moment before I see what he’s referencing, a soft plume of smoke in the distance.

Bobbing my head, I reply, “Yes. I see it.”

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