Page 11 of Code Name: Phoenix

The only way I have a chance is to not look back. To not look at him. My heart breaks apart as I run from the one person I’ve obsessed about for ten years.

The trees become blurry as tears threaten to burst from my eyes, and I blink rapidly to clear my vision. Get to the boat, get away from the shore.

Get away from him.My heart crumbles at the thought.

“No, don’t—” I faintly hear him call out, but I block it out and keep moving, forcing myself to push harder.

My adrenaline blocks out all sound, and everything around me becomes muted. I push him to the back of my mind, telling myself he isn’t here.

Get to the boat.

Get to the boat.

Get to the—

A gunshot rings into my mantra and jolts me out of my zone as a patch of grass five feet in front of me explodes.

Thrown off balance, I trip over my own feet and almost go completely down, but I don’t. I recover quickly and cry out as I push hard to return to my top speed.

Just as I regain a solid running pace, the weight of a body much stronger than mine slams into me from behind. I grunt as the ground moves up to meet me, but I don’t make contact.

Somehow, Jack has managed to tangle himself around me, and we hurtle toward the ground. As we hit, he groans, and I don’t feel the impact I think I should. Opening my eyes as we roll, I see he’s managed to put himself between me and the grass so he makes contact first.

Our bodies stop, and I cough as I try to clear the air lodged in my throat from the fall. Then I realize he’s rolled on top of me, and I freeze in place. The weight of his body pins my soul to the ground.

Then everything hits me.

I’ve been warned never to look for him. I’ve been told—shown—what the consequences will be if I disobey that order. And I have no escape. No way out.

I should fight to keep going, but I know I won’t win this time. His deadweight alone is too much for me to get out from under. Warring emotions consume my thoughts as I struggle to reconcile my old feelings for him with my desire to survive and save Dana.

Looking up to meet his glare punches me into reality.

His dark eyes are barely holding in his rage. His teeth are clenched tight, and the muscles in his jaw are flexed. He looks like he wants to tear me limb from limb.

In one move, he stands, and his fingers dig hard into my arms to lift me up as his snarky buddy and a few others join us.

They have Dana.

Purposefully, and with intense control, he releases me from his custody and places me into the hands of one of the other men.

I glance at Dana as I evaluate our new reality. The largest of the men holds her firmly in place.

We aren’t getting out of this right now.

Dana nods, then looks down at her feet. At least one thing went right with our escape. Her confirmation tells me she was able to destroy the computers I had downstairs, and I exhale a relieved breath.

“Care to share with the rest of us, Dee?” Jack’s buddy pipes up, and Dana pinches her lips together, shaking her head.

It’s clear that one of these two men are in charge, as everyone else is just standing around, waiting for them.

I have a sudden urge to blurt out everything, to tell Jack about our hell. But ten long years have passed. A decade has been lost, and, as much as I want to, I don’t know the man standing in front of me anymore.

I try to derail the conversation. “Just upset we got caught, is all.” I shrug. Then, looking at Dana, I continue, “You should have joined me in those online self-defense classes I signed up for.”

“Yes, because that worked out so well for you.” The guy holding me makes a sad attempt at sarcasm, but I’m not in the mood.

Jerking my elbow up and back, I catch him square in the face, and he crumples behind me as all of the men except Jack and his friend startle and brace for an altercation.

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