There was a small scrape on the left side of his forehead and a cut at the right corner of his bottom lip. Aside from that, he appeared to be okay.
Olivia was thankful beyond words. She was also mad as hell.
She swung her fist again, this time, ramming it into his rock-solid chest. Having forgotten about his vest, she knew it hurt her knuckles much more than it did him. Damn, if she’d ever admit it, though.
Instead, she whispered loudly, “What the hell, Jake?”
His eyebrows arched in surprise. “What?” Those same eyebrows quickly turned inward. “And I thought I told you to stay put.”
“Yeah, well, I thought you weredead!You left, and I waited forever. Then, I heard someone fire a gun. I was afraid you’d been hurt, so I went looking for you. I called out, but you didn’t answer, and then, there were two huge explosions, and I thought...I thought—”
Olivia was talking too fast, adrenaline and conflicting emotions soaring through her with such force, she had to stop and take a few breaths to calm herself down.
Jake’s scowl eased with understanding, and he took a step forward. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to scare you. I left you there because I didn't want you out in the open and in more danger than you already were. I handled the threat. He won’t be coming after us again.” Jake stepped closer, gently grabbing her shoulder. “I was always coming back for you.”
Ignoring the electric zing from his touch, Olivia processed Jake's choice of words.I handled the threat.She knew exactly what he meant.
Although she wasn’t the least bit sorry he’d killed one of the bastards, she hated that Jake had been forced to take a life today.Because of me.
The thought pissed her off even more. Not at Jake, of course, but that didn’t keep her from taking it out on him.
“Yeah? Well, how in the hell was I supposed to know that? I heard the shot and then, nothing. How was I supposed to know it wasn’tyouwho’d been killed? Just in case you’re wondering, the answer is, I couldn’t. So, you can be mad at me for moving if you want, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to keep lying there, just waiting for those guys to come find me. And if you think I should have, then...you’re an even bigger idiot than I thought.”
Olivia crossed her arms and lifted her chin. Okay, yeah...even she knew it was a juvenile move. But in that moment, it was either fight or break down in a sobbing, emotional mess. And she wouldnotdo that in front of Jake.
One corner of his mouth twitched. It was a tiny movement, almost indiscernible. One that he was trying very hard to hide. Olivia saw it, though, and knew exactly what it meant.
Stepping closer to him, she poked her finger into his chest. “Don't eventhinkabout laughing at me, McQueen.”
Jake rolled his lips in to try to control it, but his shoulders still shook with laughter. Olivia punched the vest for the second time, releasing the quiet chuckle he’d been suppressing. Then—as unbelievable as it was, given their current situation—she found herself snickering, too.
For the first time in weeks, Olivia felt something other than guilt and terror. Right or wrong, she allowed herself that brief moment to enjoy it.
Still smiling, she glanced up at Jake. His eyes gleamed with laughter, and Olivia knew she would remember this crazy moment for the rest of her life. She was still thinking how good it felt to laugh again when a bullet whizzed past her head, exploding into tree next to her.
Splinters of bark went flying. One struck her cheek, but she didn’t even have time to react before Jake yelled, “Get down!”
He grabbed her shoulder, pushing her to the ground like before, only this time she was face down with Jake lying protectively on her back. He returned fire, and Olivia put her hands over her ears to help muffle the deafening sound.
Leaves crunched beneath her elbows. They soon gave way to the sodden earth below as she scooted her arms down even more, making herself a smaller target.
Her nostrils filled with the pungent scent of decaying foliage and dirt. She could almost taste the musty smell as it mixed with the hot and humid air. Olivia pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, her body jerking violently with each discharge of Jake’s weapon.
Tears began to form, but this time Olivia refused to let them fall. She wanted to be strong and brave like Jake. Like her brother. God, she wished she could talk to Mikey now. He’d know what to do.
He’d been a good soldier. Jake had told her that so many times. He said Mikey was the best in their unit, and she believed him.
Help me, Mikey. I need you to tell me what to do so I can get through all of this. Please, Mikey. I just want this to be freaking over with already!
Out of nowhere, Olivia was hit with a memory from when she was a little girl. She was six, and Pops had taken her and her brother to an amusement park. Mikey had talked her into going on a ride that looked like an octopus.
When the ride started, its long arms went up and down while the entire thing moved in a clockwise circle. Then, each individual cart began to spin.
When she and Mikey’s cart spun on that first turn, Olivia remembered crying and screaming that she wanted it to be over. She’d been so scared, certain she was going to fly right out of the dang thing any second.
Mikey had pulled her close, his voice calm when he spoke into her ear. He told her to open her eyes and look for one thing inside the cart. He said to stay focused on nothing but that one thing, and the ride would be over before she knew it.
Trusting her big brother, she did what he said. Olivia remembered opening her eyes and staring at a small, rusted place where the paint had long ago chipped away. With hiccupping breaths, she kept her eyes glued to that one spot, and by the next go-round, she’d stopped crying altogether.
