Page 54 of Rescued

And the boxes of cookies for her friends, like gift boxes of hope. Tears welled up in her eyes.

She couldn’t take this. She wasn’t Mikey, and she wasn’t the right kind of person to live in a place like this.

She had to know what her choices were, and there was only one way to find that out.

There was no one around, and no one watching the cabin—at least, no one tried to stop Breanna as she walked across the compound, headed for the trail up to the overlook. If there was anywhere in this place she could get a regular cell signal—one that wasn’t blocked or monitored from the command center—it was there.

The trail was steep in places, and she was panting hard before she got to the top. Maybe Switch was right—she should eat more calories. Maybe when she was rich, she would let herself get fat.

Or maybe she should just work out more.

The view from the overlook was so beautiful it made her gasp. The sun was coming up over the distant mountains, coloring the sky pink and purple and gold. The valley below her was shrouded in an ocean of mist, a place magical creatures could be born from.

Magical creatures like shifters.

Breanna was suddenly touched by a kind of awe. She’d been living with the reality of the wolves for so long she hadn’t really thought about how magical it was. People turned into wolves and walked the forests. And if Mikey was telling the truth, there were even dragons out there somewhere, hiding in deep caves or even high-rise apartments.

The world was full of things she’d never dreamed of before she came here.

And she’d had a chance to glimpse it—a chance that would change her forever.

She wondered what it would be like to be a wolf—to run through the dark forest, under the moon. To be a part of this amazing landscape.

To be part of a pack, with a magical bond. To belong.

Would she ever belong anywhere? Money kept you safe, but it didn’t make you belong.

But then, Switch didn’t belong either. Suddenly, that made her sad for him. He needed someone to belong to.

Someone he loved, who loved him. She suddenly wished, with everything in her, that he loved her.

But he didn’t. Almost his last words before he left had been to tell her to go back to her real life.

She pulled the phone out of her pocket, thinking about what Switch said about bringing on an attack. She knew it was dangerous to use it, but she had to try to reach Kimberly. What if it were Breanna out there all alone, hiding? Waiting for someone to call and save her?

She booted up the phone and took it out of the case. As soon as it found a signal, she checked the message app. Nothing.

She bit her lip, and then sent a text message. Are you okay? I’m in a safe place. Can’t check my phone always, but call or message and I’ll get back to you when I can. Can’t wait to go for margaritas.

That last part was a private code between them from their old life, in case they ever got in trouble. ‘Margaritas’ meant they were really okay—‘daiquiris’ meant they weren’t, but someone was monitoring the message.

She waited for a few minutes, watching the mist slowly recede as the sunlight hit it. She knew she couldn’t leave the phone on for long—it had probably been too long already. If anyone knew about this phone and could track it, then they’d know where she was—or anyway, where the nearest cell tower was.

What if they came looking?

Finally, she put the phone back in the case, feeling somehow like she’d betrayed Switch. But how could she have told him about the phone, without telling him all of it?

She stayed up at the overlook for a long time, watching the mist disappear, feeling the incredible peacefulness of just being out in nature. But finally she got hungry, and headed back to the compound.

Breanna was halfway down the trail when she heard the distant beat of the helicopters. The mission team was back! She picked up her pace, scanning the sky every time she hit a spot on the path where she could see it.

She expected them to head around the other side of the mountain to the airfield, but the beat just kept getting louder—like they were coming straight for the compound.

Something was wrong.

Breanna bounded down the path, bursting out of the trees just as the first helicopter set down. It was one of the big military ones—they both were. The second one was circling the compound in a holding pattern.

Men ran out of the command center and the medical center, as the helicopter doors slammed open and the mission team started to unload.