But my heart is working. More specifically thudding. Reverberating to my hands and feet.
For a split second, I swear something shifts between the trees. I blink hard, trying to make my vision steady. There’s nothing there.
I should tell Ryker how out of it I feel. But what would I even say?
It wouldn’t matter. There’s nothing he can do. He already knows I’m a liability. There’s no way I can outrun six men with weapons in a pitch-black forest I’ve never been in before.
My night vision is still ruined from the lights, but I sense Ryker the instant he steps into the woods behind me.
Sensing like a new radar that’s wired directly to him.
The gigantic SEAL is on me a second later, having no trouble locating me in the dark.
A muscular arm bands around my waist and drags me back against his warm, solid chest. A column of incredible strength.
I collapse backward into him, biting my lip to stop it from trembling.
He rubs a hand up and down my arm. “I’m here.”
“Thank god,” I rasp.
His hand stops moving on my arm. But it’s more than that. He’s completely, unnaturally still.
His grip tightens slightly around my waist as his head shifts, slowly scanning. Only this is so much more. Like every part of him is reaching outward into the darkness, sensing.
A cold ripple slides down my spine. There’s a kick to my pulse. An unsteady feeling in my chest.
I can’t believe the organ has survived everything it’s been through.
When I squeeze his arm, the tension snaps and he makes a rough noise as his hand rises to my throat, testing the collar. Inspecting it, but being careful about it.
“Can you get it off?”
“It’s a tracking collar with a camera. They’re listening.”
“Great.” The weight around my neck suddenly feels tighter. Choking me.
He was already angry, but by the time he finishes analyzing the thick plastic ring, rage is vibrating through him.
This is worse. It’s all a nightmare. When the hitch catches in my chest, he whispers next to my ear. “Shhh. We’re strong together. I’m trained for this.”
I nod, too choked up to reply.
He slides his hand down to mine, our blood mixing together as he folds his fingers around my own.
“Together.”
There’s utter conviction in his voice.
I whisper back, “Til death or victory.”
“Time to move. We have twenty minutes,” he adds as he lifts his wrist, showing me his tactical watch. “Careful what you say. Don’t touch the collar.”
That’s all the warning I get before I’m dragged into motion, heading right into the heart of a monstrous, impossibly dense forest.
Within minutes, I’m panting, trying to keep up. Blinking constantly to try to improve my night-vision.
“Do you think they’re really giving us twenty minutes?”
