We make our way farther from the city and into the patch of woods. The sounds behind us grow fainter, but as the scent of Malcolm’s blood reaches me, I struggle against Beckett’s unrelenting hold.
“Fuck!” His arms are suddenly around me as I’m tackled to the ground, a gunshot threatening to shatter my eardrums, far too close. “They were herding us; they knew we’d run,” he pants, starting to push upright before he curses, wrapping his arms around me and rolling to the right just before a bullet drives into the dirt where we were laying a moment ago.
The rocks shift between us as we continue to build up momentum, and there’s nothing I can do besides grit my teeth at the pain in my shoulder and hide my face in Beck’s collar as we roll over each other. Tumbling down the shallow incline, there’s a terrifying drop where only air rushes around us. My back slams into rock, stealing the breath from my lungs, but with Beck still clinging tightly so we don’t get separated, it’s a relief despite the agony to know that they missed.
“Are you-” his words are cut off with a shout, a gunshot coming from somewhere far above us, the scent of his blood and gunpowder clogging my nostrils.
“Beck!”
My arms are pinned against my chest, but I break one free of his grasp to run it down his back, my fingers coming away damp. My next words are stolen from my lungs as the ledge we landed on collapses, rocks breaking apart beneath us. Several shots rain down on us as we plummet with the chunks of rock for several hundred feet, a silent scream stuck in my throat.
The skin on my back splits from the impact on the surface, bloody water surrounding us and filling my lungs as the current takes hold, wrenching us apart and dragging us deeper into the ocean.
Chapter 25
Scarlett
––––––––
Alow groan has myeyes flying open, the fire burned down to embers and sending shadows dancing around the cave and flickering across the water lapping at the entrance. I wince at the slight pull in my shoulder, careful not to jostle Beck as I sit up.
“Hey.” Brushing his wild hair out of his eyes, I skim the pads of my fingers over his forehead, thrilled his fever’s finally broken.
Blinking a few times, vibrant green eyes illuminate the darkness as he looks up at me. “Scar?” Despite my protest, he pushes himself up with a groan. “Where are we?”
I scoot behind him to get a better look at his back, thrilled to see only a faint pink mark beside his spine now. “Not really sure, honestly. I haven’t seen much beyond the view from the penthouse, but the little bit I’ve explored, nothing looked familiar.” I point at the entrance to the cave where part of the rocky ledge is submerged beneath the high tide. “We washed up on the rocks down there and after I fished the bullet out of your back so you could start healing, I’ve just been waiting for you to wake up.”
I can’t decipher the expression on his face, his eyes darkening. “How long?”
Tongue in cheek, I know he’s going to hate it, but I’m not about to lie to him. “Three days. Phones are ruined.”
He closes his eyes, and when he reopens them, all of the tumultuous emotions are carefully concealed in the face of his easy going smile. “If you wanted to get me alone, you didn’t need to go to such extremes, love. You simply needed to ask.” He pushes himself to his feet, wavering for a second as he finds his footing, standing there in his boxers. “My clothes make it, or am I free-balling it? Not that I’m complaining you couldn’t wait to get me naked, but good to know what we have to work with, here.”
Lips pressed into a flatline, his casual attitude rubbing me the wrong way, I gesture beside me to where I have his wadded up jeans acting as a pillow. “I didn’t want your fever to get worse so I stripped off your wet clothes so they could dry. And assuming your bladder would eventually explode as the days dragged on, I wasn’t in a rush to redress you.”
He simply grins, like he’s getting a massive kick out of this. “And my shirt?”
