She shivered.What in the blazes happened here?
“Seems I have the map.” Hawk waved it haphazardly in the air.
They crowded around him, peering over his shoulder to get a look as he unfolded it to at least five times its original size.
There were so many details; Gemma had no idea what she was even looking at. There was an orange circle off to one side, and someone had scribbled33T WN 721 603 hlp suin one of the corners in red ink.
“Okay. So, I’m assuming we’re the red dot,” Hawk said.
“Here, give it to me.” Christian held out a hand. “I’ve studied enough of these to make decent sense of this.”
Gemma fought the urge to raise an eyebrow. She didn’t even know there were people in Perileos who had such a skill. How many tutorshadhis dad paid for?
Christian stared at the paper intensely, his eyes flicking back and forth, up and down. Every few seconds, he’d lift his head to scan their surroundings, then he’d spin the map and examine it even more closely.
Colton bounced on the balls of his feet. “I thought you said you’d studied these.”
“Shut up,” Christian snapped without taking his eyes off the paper.
A moment later, he tapped the series of eleven red letters and numbers that Gemma had noticed. “We are trying to get to these coordinates.”
His finger trailed across the map as he continued. “We need to go north first, cut across this way, go through this area, and into this building.”
He folded the large paper in a specific pattern, and a map of the building’s interior appeared, as intricately detailed as the larger version had been.
Christian held his finger over a redXthat had been drawn across a tiny section of the building. “This is where we’re trying to get. Whatever it is we’re looking for, it’s here.”
“That place looks massive,” Hawk said in awe, tilting the map toward him.
One of Christian’s eyebrows flicked upward. “You could say that. Let’s focus on getting there, and I’ll figure out where we go once we’re inside.” He folded the map into its smallest size and tucked it into his protective vest.
Gemma glanced at the rest of her teammates, realizing they, too, wore the vests. The knot in her stomach released a little. It was slightly comforting to know they each had some sort of permanent protection.
Maybe it would save them if they were hit in the chest.
“Let’s go, then,” Colton said. “Get this blasted test over with.Estou farto dessa merda.”
Imara pointed a thumb at him. “What he said.”
“Guns out.” Christian slid the strap over his shoulder, gripping his rifle in both hands. “Our guide said just one of us needs to make it to the end of this. Be ready for anything.”
Despite the fear racing through her veins, Gemma couldn’t help but grin at the way he’d taken charge. She mirrored his movements: readyingher rifle; checking how many bullets were in its magazine; finding where the additional one was lodged in her vest.
A corner of Christian’s mouth rose as he eyed her. “Do you remember how to use that?”
Gemma’s cheeks warmed. He must’ve noticed she was copying him. “Point, aim, and shoot.”
He chuckled. “Stay close to me, and I’ll cover you as best I can. And please remember to turn the safety off this time if you step out to fire.” He tugged playfully on her braid.
She grinned ear to ear, picturing what it must’ve looked like to watch her crawl away after she dove into the dirt to avoid a bullet hitting her face.
Imara smirked when Gemma caught her watching them, and when Christian turned to lead the team in the direction of their destination, Imara skipped to Gemma’s side.
“I see things went well last night,” Imara mused.
“Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself,” Gemma replied. “None of what you’re thinking happened.”
“Yet.”
