Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“Where are you injured, Vienna?” His voice was harsh.
“My ankle. I turned it, but I’m able to walk on it.” She tried not to devour him with her gaze, or give in to the sudden weakness she felt. She wanted to fling herself back into his arms, where she felt safe.
“What the hell were you two thinking?” Rainier demanded. His voice was low and sounded like the crack of a whip.
Shabina flinched visibly, but her voice was steady when she answered. “We were thinking Raine needed surgery and every single minute counted if she was going to keep her leg. That meant putting pressure on Larsen so he couldn’t target the medevac team.”
“We would have located him and dropped enough firepower on him that he would have made a run for it.” Rainier gave Shabina the smallest shake and then tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers gentle. “You might take a look at how gray I’m getting. You’re doing that to me.”
She gave him a shaky smile. “I’m so relieved you’re here, although I hate that you’re going to have to go after Larsen. That’s what you’re doing, right?”
Vienna looked up at Zale. “He’s wounded in a couple of places. Shabina shot the gun right out of his hand. We managed to harass him, but he’s determined to kill me and every single one of my friends and then he said he was going to kill my mother too. He meant it, Zale. He said that was the only way Wallin would be appeased over the death of his son, and even then, it might not work. Once he found Raine’s pack and realized she was important to the government, he figured he was a dead man no matter what, and he wanted to finish his job right.”
Zale indicated for her to sit down. “I want to look at your ankle.”
“Everyone will think he’s making a run for it.” Vienna sat down on the rocky trail. “Don’t take my boot off. I’ll never get it back on and I have to walk out of here.”
“Sounds to me like you had a conversation with Larsen.”
“I thought the longer I kept him talking the more time it gave for everyone to get here,” Vienna said. “He hasn’t run, Zale. He’s lying out in the forest right now waiting for me to take a step out into the open. I know he hasn’t run.”
“Anything give you that indication?” Rainier said.
“I just have this feeling about him. He’s sure of himself. Really sure of himself.” She pulled out Zahra’s cell. “Look. I have his location on the app. The mini Garmin sends an alert to Zahra’s phone in case she gets lost.” She held it out to Zale, who took the cell.
Zale handed the cell to Rainier after glancing at it. “Very clever, Vienna,” Rainier praised. “This was smart.”
“We’ve got a ride out of here for you and Shabina,” Zale said. “If you say Larsen’s waiting right out there on the edge of the forest, I believe you, Snowflake. We’ll take every precaution. This is what we do.”
His hands were gentle on her ankle but she still winced. Her ankle was swollen over the top of her hiking boot, and when he rolled the top of her sock down, her skin was black and blue.
“Let’s get them out of here,” Rainier said. He indicated to Shabina to follow him back up the trail.
Zale handed Rainier his pack and the rifle slung around his neck by a strap and simply lifted Vienna. She had no choice but to put her arms around his neck. “You can’t carry me to the meadow,” she whispered.
He didn’t answer but followed Shabina.
* * *
• • •
It was hotter than hell and his skin itched and burned. Larsen wiped the sweat from his eyes with his sleeve. No way would those women have the kind of patience it would take to allow so much time to pass. They were stalling him again for some reason. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t going to wait and find out.
Staying low in the grass and weeds, he crawled on his belly, using fingers and toes to move his way into the thicker trees. He just needed to find the best place to set up a base. He had survival gear with him, and Raine’s pack contained several items he could use. He had a good water filtration system. He could stay out in the forest until the heat died down and then go after Vienna Mortenson and her friends.
Once in the trees, he jogged toward the heavier growth where he could erase his tracks on the forest floor and go high. Very few people thought to look up into the trees. He had to find a very sturdy tree that had branches large enough to support his weight as he made his climb.