Page 16 of Revenant

For now.

Rue reaches up and cups my face, her pupils wide with panic. “Gunner…you need to grab Jaceson and get him out. This place…” She shudders, then a hardness enters her eyes, and I see the instant her will solidifies. “It’s not a good place. If they catch you?—”

“Baby girl, we aren’t going anywhere without you.” I snort at the absurdity. “We’ve already been here two weeks, searching for any sign of you. Now that we’ve found you, we’re not leaving without you. We’re family. That’s what family does.”

“Family?”

The awe in her voice, the fragile hope, breaks my fucking heart. I swallow past the lump in my throat and nod, pressing my forehead against hers once more. “Forever and always.”

Chapter Five

RUE

Gunner is real.

He’s here, standing right in front of me.

No matter how many times I reach out and touch him, he doesn’t vanish.

I can’t wrap my head around it.

They came for me.

It’s all I can do not to burst into tears and throw myself into his arms. As much as I had secretly wished they would rescue me, I didn’t honestly think they would bother.

Unfortunately, it’s much too late.

While I tried to keep this part of my life separate from them, I failed miserably. Because of that, I’m now officially a lab rat. If I don’t escape, I will die within the walls of this asylum. Things just got infinitely more complicated, now that the guys are here as well. Part of me wants to curse them for coming so late, but that would be my fear talking. The only thing I can do now is protect them the best I can…by making them leave before it’s too late.

“Gunner, you must?—”

“I’m sorry it took us so long to find you.” Gunner’s voice deepens to a throaty rasp. “Every time we got close, it was like they sensed it and transferred you. It’s only by pure luck that we were able to locate this facility. It’s like you vanished off the face of the planet.”

His expression is so pained, I slip my arms around his waist and press my head against his chest. A tiny sigh escapes me when the comforting smell of grease, body wash, and man rises from his skin. My soul feels like it’s finally come home, and I can’t force myself to make him leave. Not yet. Just five more minutes, then I’ll be strong. “How did you find me?”

Gunner snorts, and my lips curl a little at the familiar sound. A tiny spark warms my chest, the sensation almost painful after being cold for so long. I’ve never had anyone in my life I could rely on. It’s an addicting sensation, and I’m almost afraid to trust it.

“It was the others—Ellis, Hicks, and the twins.” A dark expression crosses his face, his eyes lowering in shame, and he releases a shuddering breath. “I wanted to march into your father’s office and force him to give you back by any means necessary. Stepping back and letting the others do the work was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

His hands clench into fists, his muscles tremble in rage, and I can’t resist the urge to run my palms down his chest, needing the reassurance that he’s okay. The thought of the guys anywhere near my father sends a shaft of near paralyzing fear through me. “He wouldn’t have told you anything. To be an even bigger ass, he probably would have taken pleasure in denying you, even with his dying breath.”

A growl rumbles under my touch, and I find myself crushed against his chest. A contented sigh escapes me, the heat of him leaving me feeling boneless, and I melt against him. For the firsttime since I was taken, I feel warm. Unfortunately, as much as I want to stay in his arms forever, our time is limited. The longer I remain missing from the cameras, the more suspicion it will draw. It won’t be long before people come searching for me, and I refuse to put Gunner in any more danger.

“So, how are we getting out of here? Because the sooner we leave, the better.” Something sinister lurks in this underground bunker. I fear if it sinks its claws into me, I might never leave this tomb.

If Gunner learns the truth and discovers the danger surrounding me, he will act recklessly. So I tilt my head back and keep my mouth shut. Knowing I have to let him go soon, I shuffle closer, unable to be separated from him just yet.

Gunner runs a hand across his jaw at my question, the muscles of his forearm flexing, and I’m female enough to admit the sight of him is distracting as hell. Though he has always had a sharp edge, there is now a feral quality to him that was missing before.

He looks bigger and even more intimidating, if that were possible. I swear his shoulders are broader and his waist trimmer, like he’s been spending too much time in the gym. His messy brown hair has been cut almost military short, and I find myself missing the messy locks he could never really subdue, much like a child unable to tame his unruly cowlick. His face is all hard angles and edges, and I bite my lip to keep from fussing over him for not taking care of himself.

One thing stops me.

He is no longer the boy I left behind, and I’m both excited and nervous about the changes.

It’s been three months since I laid eyes on him.

What if we’ve grown apart?

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