An exasperated rush of breath pushed up from my chest. I ran. Hard. Fast.
Stumbling.
Getting back up.
Clinging to a tree. Another hiss. A snap of jaws. I twisted my head from side to side, unable to see anything but ominous shadows. My heart was in my chest.
Run. Run. Run!
Another roar.
Maverick. Maverick…
The monster was coming and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
CHAPTER 24
Maverick
Maverick…
My God. The sweet softness of her voice tickled my inner ear. I spun around in a circle, praying that I’d see her. There were only ugly shadows and flashes of lightning, highlighting ancient trees and moss.
Then another sound, deep and full of anger.
“What the fuck was that?” Hudson snarled.
We all stopped and I did my best to control my breathing. “Sounded like a roar.”
“Yeah,” Kendrick snickered. “A man’s roar. Maybe she got away from him.”
That would account for the obvious sounds of frustration.
I could see her face in my mind. I could almost feel her touch.
She was close.
“I think we have the right place.” Chase was beside me, swinging the light back and forth in the dense swamp.
The area was eerie as fuck, shadows creating false monsters everywhere. I had my weapon and the flashlight in both hands, scanning the surrounding area.
“The damn shed should be right up there if the Google map is correct,” Gabriel said as he stared at his phone for a few seconds.
“Then we keep going.”
I took off again, forced to tear my way through dense foliage and fallen limbs, fighting to get to her.
Run. Run. Run.
That’s what I continued telling myself even as the minutes ticked by and there was no sight of her.
Hope was fading, my mind spinning.
Rage was screaming through my body, the ache in my muscles intense.
I swung the flashlight from right to left, motioning for the others to fan out. We had to cover as much ground as possible.
On alert, I rolled through the trees, running through muck and mud as the storm continued, bolts of lightning flashing across the sky and lighting up the entire area. I wanted to call out to her but feared he would find her if she screamed.
