Page 21 of Atone in Darkness
His succinct description snapped the noisy chaos into sharp focus for her. “They’re killing off their own people?”
He nodded. “Which means we have to get the hell out of here. Chances are we’re not the only ones who escaped, and whoever ordered the hit can’t afford any loose ends. They’ll be hunting for any evidence that someone survived.”
Nothing in her experience had prepared her for such cold-bloodedbrutality. Those guards had done little to endear themselves to her. God knows, Chase had no reason to give a damn about them. For kidnapping him and the ensuing torture, they deserved to be tried, convicted, and sentenced to years in prison. But this wasn’t justice; it was a massive execution to destroy all traces of what had been done in that compound.
The snap of a branch from somewhere behindthem set Chase back in motion. “We need to get moving. Someone’s heading this way. No telling if they’re running for their life or hunting for stragglers.”
They hadn’t gone but a few steps when a gunshot rang out. It was followed by a shout of pain, which ended abruptly after another shot was fired and found its target.
Her heart threatened to explode in her chest as they kept moving. The soundof her own breathing made it impossible to listen for any pursuers, but maybe Chase’s superior hearing would give them ample warning if they needed to take cover.
Meanwhile, she did her best to keep up with the brutal pace Chase set for them, but it was clear that he was holding himself back to accommodate her shorter legs. It took her complete concentration to stay upright as they snaked throughthe trees and undergrowth. In one of the few respites he allowed her, she’d almost asked if he had a specific destination in mind. As she struggled to catch her breath, she realized the answer for herself. Right now, the only place they were headed was away from the hell they’d left behind.
Even now, there were occasional bursts of gunfire. Then another sound entered the fray that had both ofthem ducking under the heavy cover of a large Douglas fir. A helicopter flew overhead, a spotlight flickering through the trees.
Chase cursed a blue streak. “Those bastards aren’t going to let up anytime soon.”
Once the chopper had turned back, perhaps to make another pass, he started running again. By that point, her side hurt from overexertion as she stumbled along behind him. All things considered,she counted herself lucky that he’d kept her with him. He would’ve been much farther away from their hunters if he’d been on his own.
The helicopter was back, or maybe it was a second one, not that it mattered. Regardless of how many they had flying around up there, it felt as if the two of them were being herded. That horrifying thought had her yanking back on Chase’s hand. He ignored her attemptto get his attention, so she planted her feet, forcing him to an abrupt stop.
“Will they keep coming? The helicopters, I mean. It feels like we’re being pushed in a certain direction.”
He stopped, his blue eyes glittering in the darkness asthey stared down into hers. “Maybe, but even with spotlights, they’ll have trouble finding us in these woods. I’m guessing they’re using the helicoptersfor the initial cleanup. Come daylight, they’ll send in ground troops who can follow the tracks of anyone who got away.”
While he talked, he dug one of the water bottles out of her pack and opened it. “Drink slowly.”
She took small sips until half the water was gone. “You finish it.”
When he was done, he stowed the empty container back in the pack. “Ready to move on?”
She nodded and startedwalking.
•••
HIS KEEPER WASN’Tgoing to be able to keep going much longer. She was already moving like an automaton, numbly planting one foot in front of another. If he were to let go of her hand, she’d probably coast to a stop and drop right where she stood.
Dark thoughts played through his mind on an endless loop as he blazed a trail for them to follow through the undergrowth. Logic saidhe’d be better off without her. For sure, he could move through this forest making a helluva lot less noise than she did. Not to mention she’d worked for the enemy. Even if she’d done everything she could to lessen his pain, it might have been part of the game plan. A more suspicious man might wonder if she’d done so to trick him into trusting her with his secrets.
He had no proof that he waswrong about any of that,but he couldn’t bring himself to release his hold on her hand. Rather than admit he was an easy touch, he told himself he might still learn something useful from her about her mysterious employer. That was reason enough to keep her alive. Because, God as his witness, once he found his way back to his own people, there would be a reckoning. He worked with some of the bestcomputer experts in the world. If anyone could track down the bastards behind his kidnapping, it would be them.
Had his message reached Jarvis and Devlin Bane? If so, they’d be on the hunt and wouldn’t give up until they found him. All he had to do was evade the enemy until he found someplace safe where he could update his friends on his situation. Back in his cage, he’d begun to despair of everseeing his sister and friends again, but now there was at least a chance of that happening. The taste of hope was amazing and gave him a new burst of energy.
When he sped up, Marisol stumbled over a root jutting up out of the ground and nearly took a header. Finally, he dropped back beside her and pulled her arm up over his shoulder and all but dragged her forward. They wouldn’t be able to keepgoing much longer like this, but each step took them that much farther away from the enemy behind them.
The soft babble of running water caught his attention. Pausing long enough to locate the source of the sound, he turned to the left and started down the curve of the hillside, taking it at an oblique angle. They slowly made their way toward the silver sheen of a small creek at the bottom ofthe gully. More than once he had to grab hold of a branch or tree trunk with his free hand to keep the two of them fromtumbling down the steep slope.
When they finally reached the bottom, he lowered Marisol to the ground under an overhang that would make it difficult to see her from above and then parked his ass on a nearby log to catch his breath. Probably five minutes passed before he couldfind enough energy to talk. Considering how recently he’d been dead, it came as no surprise that his stamina wasn’t all it should be.
“Are you all right?”
He wasn’t sure if she actually nodded or if she was simply too tired to support the weight of her head. Pushing himself back up to his feet, he retrieved the empty water bottle from Marisol’s pack and refilled it from the creek. After takinga sip and finding the water to be cold and sweet, he guzzled most of the bottle before stopping to breathe.
He filled it a second time and carried it over to Marisol. When she didn’t respond to his approach, he poured some of the water in his cupped hand and used it to wash her face. That got an immediate reaction.
She jerked her head back to glare up at him as the water dripped off her chinonto her jacket. “I was sleeping.”
“You need to eat and drink first.” He thrust the bottle into her hand and then dug two of the granola bars out of the pack. After peeling back the wrapper, he gave her one and then devoured the second one himself. It was tempting to eat more, but their supplies were too meager to squander this soon. Until they had a better idea of how far they were from civilization,they’d have to ration the food carefully.
