At least the men aren’t chasing me. Then again, I don’t want to be on my own out here. We should have taken a car and driven as far as we could. Or maybe we should have killed them all. I’m sure there’s something we should have done so that Reed could escape as well.
But he must have gone through all the options and graded them, so that the plan most likely to succeed was the one we used. How many did he throw away?
I howl like some wounded beast at the unfairness of it all.
Something moves to the right of me. Then I’m wrapped in strong arms. I struggle and fight, lashing out with my feet and weapons.
“It’s OK. You’re safe now,” the male voice says.
It takes several seconds for me to process those words and to recognize the voice. It’s Priest.
I let out a sob and go limp in his arms. His grip softens as Hargrave and Colton step out of the night. Their faces are smeared with face paint, so their skin doesn’t stand out in the dark, and they’re wearing goggles. But I’d know them anywhere.
My legs weaken as if they’re made of cooked noodles. It’s only Priest keeping me upright. And I think he knows that because he doesn’t let go.
Hargrave steps forward and takes the knife out of my hand. I’m clearly not to be trusted with it. I don’t know how to use it, and I don’t think I could kill anyone.
“Where’s Reed?” Colton pushes up the goggles.
I hear the hope catching in his voice. Now that Reed has confirmed what I suspected, it’s easier to catch the tells.
That doesn’t make it easier for me to confirm his fears. My lip quivers as I try to find the words to soften the blow. But there isn’t any. “He’s at the camp site. He stayed so I could get away.”
Colton closes his eyes as though I’d lifted the knife and stabbed him in the heart. “Was he alive when you last saw him?”
“Yes.” I close my eyes, remembering the way he calmly shot the men who had been holding us. “He was armed. He said he’d follow if he could. So he might have gotten away…”
I hope he’s somewhere behind me. He has to be. Because if he’s back at the site, he’s dead.
“It’s okay, we’ll find him,” Priest whispers in my ear. “You did good getting away.”
I shake my head, not wanting to hear his kind words. Tears fill my eyes and roll down my cheeks to mix with the rain. “He was hurt. We should’ve waited for you.”
“And if we hadn’t shown up?” Hargrave takes the crowbar. “You can’t bank on rescue.”
“That’s what he said. And he wanted to escape before the wound got infected.”
“Where was he injured?” Colton asks.
I hold my side, pinching my waist. “It bled at first, but he had bandages in his pockets, so I covered it.” My throat tightens. “They…they stripped him of clothes. Of bandages. Of everything while I was at the mine. They thought by hurting him I’d work better or faster. Their big boss is arriving soon.”
A look passes between Hargrave and Colton and I’m sure the temperature drops.
“How do you want to do this, Priest?” Colton glances at me as he speaks.
“What do you mean? We have to save him.” They aren’t considering leaving him, are they?
“We’ll get him. But taking you with us is a bad idea. You’re exhausted and you can’t fight,” Priest says, making it clear that I’m dead weight.
“And she’s the one they want,” Hargrave adds.
“We can’t leave her alone either.” Colton’s hand rests on his rifle.
“No,” Priest agrees. “Tell me what you know about the camp, the number of men and vehicles? How many buildings? The layout? As best you can.”
I nod. And tell them everything I told Reed, and I add all the new information from our escape attempt. While I’m talking, Hargrave hands me something that looks like a muesli bar. I take a few bites while I’m talking and try to keep it from getting wet, which is futile.
Colton nods as I’m talking. “Reed drilled you on this, didn’t he?”
