Page 18 of Whispers and Warriors
There was no arguing with that, and Alex knew it. He swallowed hard, his chest tight with a mix of fear and admiration for the man beside him. Chris’s unwavering commitment to the group’s safety was both inspiring and terrifying, a reminder of the sacrifices they might all be called upon to make.
“Liam, up front with me,” Chris ordered. “Alex, you’re in the back with the others. Not that I don’t like your driving, but I’d feel better being in total control right now.”
Alex hesitated for a moment. But he knew that his place was with Emma and the others, a protective barrier between themand whatever dangers might come. If he sat up front and a bullet struck him, the group would be without their medic.
With a final nod to Chris, he climbed into the back of the truck, settling himself beside Emma. She leaned into him, her body trembling slightly, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“It’s going to be okay,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She looked up at him, her eyes shining with a mix of fear and trust. “I know,” she whispered. “I love you, Alex.”
The words sent a jolt through him, a reminder of everything he stood to lose. But they also filled him with a fierce determination, a resolve to do whatever it took to keep her safe.
“I love you too,” he said softly, pulling her closer. “Always.”
A tense silence hung over the truck’s interior, broken only by the rumble of the engine and the occasional muffled cough. Alex’s eyes darted from face to face, taking in the grim expressions and tightly clenched jaws. They all knew the stakes, the danger that loomed over them like a gathering storm.
William sat rigid, his gaze fixed on the road ahead, while Bash’s fingers tapped an anxious rhythm against his thigh. Emma, nestled against Alex’s side, drew in a shaky breath, and her hand sought his in a silent plea for comfort.
Alex laced his fingers with hers, offering a reassuring squeeze. “We’ve got this,” he said, his voice low but steady. “We’ve been through worse and come out the other side.”
Bash let out a humorless chuckle. “Doesn’t make it any easier, though, does it?”
“No,” Alex agreed, “but it does mean we know how to survive.”
The truck hit a bump, jostling them in their seats. Emma’s grip on Alex’s hand tightened, and he felt a surgeof protectiveness wash over him. He would do anything, give anything, to keep her safe.
As they sped toward an uncertain future, Alex wished he’d been driving to keep his mind focused on anything but the upcoming issues. The ferry represented a chance at freedom, a way out of the hell they’d been living. But it was also a gamble, a leap of faith into the unknown.
What if they were too late? What if the government caught up to them before they could escape? The questions churned in Alex’s mind, but he pushed them aside, focusing instead on the feel of Emma’s hand in his, the steady presence of his friends around him.
Alex leaned his head back against the truck’s wall, closing his eyes for a moment. He pictured the ferry, imagined the salt spray on his face and the sound of gulls overhead. It was a dream, a fragile hope, but it was all they had.
Alex held tight to hope, to the belief that somehow, someway, they would make it.
They had to.
Because the alternative was unthinkable.
EIGHT
His knuckles werepast white and bordered on translucent as Chris gripped the steering wheel. The vehicle rumbled beneath him as he navigated down the mountain, the precious cargo in the back commanding his every thought.
Emma.
His team.
Their survival hinged on his actions—his resolve to protect them at all costs.
He wasn’t shocked the government found them. It was what they did. But not having a second path off the mountain set him on edge nearly as much as when Marcus stole Emma.
Chris clenched his teeth so damn hard a headache chased just behind his ears.
A deep shuddering breath wracked through him as he tried to steady the pounding of his heart. The principles he once lived and operated this unit under—order, discipline, chain of command—seemed like foreign concepts now, overshadowed by the all-consuming urgency to flee and keep Emma safe at any and all costs.
As he drove he calculated every inch of ground and route the tires covered, staring so intensely at the road one might think he thought the trees were going to get up and move in his way. There was no room for error.
They had to keep moving, had to find sanctuary somewhere beyond the reach of those who sought to control and subjugate. There was no going back to the way things were—only forward.
