Even being held, my ankle was throbbing. I could feel the tightening sensation as it swelled.
But I was reasonably sure it wasn’t actually broken.
Even if it was, that was just too bad.
It was run on it or possibly die.
There was no choice at all.
“Yeah.”
Just then, the overgrowth thinned.
And in the distance, I could see the way the moon glinted off the back windshield of my car.
Somehow, he’d managed to weave us through the wooded area in the dark and made it back toward the far end of the path where we’d left the car after the store.
He had to have a better sense of direction and sharper night vision than I did.
Caymen sucked in a deep breath.
I followed suit.
The tension rose in both our bodies. Because we knew how exposed we were about to be without any trees to hide behind.
And the faster and more quietly we could move, the better. If we even got a two-minute head start, that was something.
It was a chance.
“I’m not putting you down until we’re by the car.”
“Okay.”
I wasn’t going to object, not with how much my leg was hurting when I wasn’t even putting pressure on it. The fewer steps I had to take, the better.
“One. Two. Three.”
He took off like a shot.
He must have been hyping himself up because I felt like the world blurred he ran so fast.
But soon, too soon, he was releasing my arm. And I had no choice but to unhook my legs and drop down on them.
I could feel the tug in him, the desire to help me, but he couldn’t.
So he ran toward the driver’s side to unlock the door without bleeping the locks.
I sucked in a breath and ran.
The first step on my bum leg nearly took me to my knees.
More useless tears flooded as I bit my lip to keep from crying out.
One more step.
Two.
Three.
