Page 50 of To Keep

“Galen, I can’t leave without you.”

He stood up, reached out with his free hand, gripped the back of her neck, and pulled her close. “I love you, Skye, and trust me, I’m going to be with you soon. Nothing will ever keep us apart.”

He kissed her again and she moaned, melting against him.

“I love you too.”

How could she leave him now? It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. This seemed too cruel. There was no way she could do it.

“Do as I say. I’ve got to keep you alive, and to do that, everyone who saw us must die.” He kissed her again. “Now go.”

She wanted to argue, but he was so persistent. He’d told her days ago that when he gave an instruction, she had no choice but to follow it. If she didn’t, it could be a matter of life or death. There was no way she could risk it.

Stepping back, she kept her gaze on him. Skye hated this. She hated running away. She wanted to tell him no, to scream at him, but there was nothing more she could do. There was something in the way he’d spoken to her. He lied. He wasn’t coming back to her.

Charging through the forest, she felt the tears as they filled her eyes. They blurred her vision. She had to cover her mouth at one point as she felt the pain of leaving him would give away her location. Skye knew she had to do what he asked.

The forest seemed to be never-ending. A maze that would not release her. After she’d been walking for what felt like hours, she came to a stop and tried to listen. There was no sound, nothing but stillness and some rustling of leaves far above. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

Someone was close.

She didn’t know how she knew, she just did. Galen had told her to always listen to her instincts.

Sickness swirled in her stomach, and as she was about to make a run for it, she felt something hard and heavy hit the back of her neck, sending her into instant darkness.

Chapter Twelve

Galen weaved around the trees, resting his hand on one occasionally to catch his breath. He continually called Skye’s name. The longer he trudged on, the more terrified he became. How far could she have traveled on her own? It hadn’t taken him long to eliminate the threat, so he expected her to be much closer than this.

“Skye!”

Fuck, where was she? He’d dialed the cell he’d given her relentlessly with no answer. He didn’t like this. As far as he knew, he’d killed all the men following them. There shouldn’t be anyone else.

He finally gave up hope and returned the way he’d come. Galen found his car and headed back to civilization. As he drove, he tried not to think about what could have happened to Skye. He hadn’t been joking when he told her how important she was to him. After a lifetime of being alone, of never knowing love, he was desperate to hang onto the bond he had with Skye. It was supposed to be just the two of them against the world. And now what?

He dialed the number again. This time she picked it up. His entire body sank into the seat as relief flooded his system.

“Skye, where are you, baby?”

“Sorry. Wrong number.” The deeply male voice sent a chill up his spine. The words were spoken slowly, deliberately.

“Where is she?” he said.

The phone went dead.

Someone had his woman. A flood of wicked thoughts washed through his mind. He began to panic imagining anyone hurting her, putting their hands on her. She’d be scared, terrified. Fuck, he’d failed the only person who mattered.

He should have kept her by his side. What was he thinking sending her off on her own? He thought he was saving her and sacrificing himself, not the other way around.

Galen pulled over to the side of the road and used his phone to track Skye’s last location from the tracker on the cell. They may trash the cell after his call, but he’d get close to her last location before they could get too far.

When her signal appeared on his screen, his resolve to find her strengthened. He’d bring down Heaven and Earth to get her back. If anyone so much as touched her, he’d kill them. Death was a given, but he’d make it slow, make them beg him to pull the trigger.

As he sped in the direction of the last GPS ping, his phone rang.

“Where you at?” It was Kensington.

“Me? You two ghosted us hours ago.”

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