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Clicking the safety off, I waited calmly and quietly. Our tracks could be seen in the snow, but if we moved right now, we risked being seen.
Car doors slammed shut. Agitated voices reached my ears. The sound of heavy boots stomping across the porch of the cabin echoed through the woods, bouncing off the trees. Gabriel shuddered behind me, his throat clicking as he swallowed.
I’m going to keep you safe, I silently swore.
It was a vow I had no plans of breaking. Over my dead, cold body would these sons of bitches get their hands on my precious boy. He was mine. And I didn’t let others touch my things.
The voices grew louder until I could distinctly hear someone say, “Search the fucking woods!” in a thick, Russian accent.
Fuck.
I grabbed Gabriel’s hand again and led him deeper into the woods and further down the mountain. The vegetation grew thicker the further we went down, but Gabriel didn’t say a word. He just followed me, using nonverbal cues to get my attention if he needed help down a particularly steep slope or through a freezing-cold stream. We moved briskly and silently, Gabriel stepping through the tracks I made so it looked as if only one person was here. Hopefully, it would deter the Russians from following too far.
The smell of smoke reached my nose. I paused, turning to look over my shoulder, grimacing at the sight that greeted me. Black smoke billowed up into the air, the cabin on fire. A moment later, an explosion sounded. I muttered a curse. If I’d had any hope of going back to get the truck Alejandro had loaned us, that hope was now gone. Because I bet it would be nothing more than charred fucking metal.
“Oh, no,” Gabriel moaned in a whisper.
“We need to keep moving,” I told him quietly. “I’ll regroup as we walk.”
He nodded and quickly began to follow behind me again. I had no idea where we were. I needed to find my way to a road, and then I could get us to a small town. From there, we could get food, hydrate, and I could find a fucking map and figure out exactly where the hell we were. I could plan.
We walked for a while longer. Whoever they’d sent after us had long ago abandoned the search, making it easier for me to get Gabriel the fuck away. According to my watch, about two hours had passed, but those two hours had felt like a goddamn eternity… with no fucking road in sight yet.
After another hour, we finally—fucking finally—reached asphalt. I kept us in the safety of the trees as we followed the road. Gabriel was growing tired, his steps a little more sluggish, but he powered on, refusing to give in.
I was so fucking proud of him for pushing through. I knew he had to be anxious. I knew he was tired, his body worn down and needing rest, needing hydration and food. But he kept putting one foot in front of the other.
As darkness began to fall, I finally saw the lights for a town and a small sign for a diner. I gently squeezed Gabriel’s hand. “Hey, baby.” He glanced up at me, his gray eyes shadowed with exhaustion. “Food ahead.”
He groaned. “Thank God,” he muttered, his stomach growling its agreement. “I could kill for a chocolate milk right now.”
I chuckled, squeezing his hand again. “We’ll stop in town. Get some food. Hydrate. After we eat, I’ll see if I’ve got enough cash on me to cover a motel.”
“What about a car?” he asked, yawning.
I shook my head. “Afraid not, baby.” I knew we didn’t have enough money for that. And even if this small town miraculously had a rental spot, chances were, they wanted a credit card—a credit card I couldn’t use since it could be tracked. Gabriel sighed, his shoulders slumping the tiniest bit in defeat. “We’re going to be on foot to wherever our next destination is.”
He squeezed my hand despite the weariness on his face. “I’ll follow you wherever.”
I pulled his hand up to my lips. “I know you will, baby boy.” And if he couldn’t follow me, I’d carry him. But no matter what, we’d get to our destination together. Always.
Gabriel frowned at me from the bed, his hands tucked under the pillows beneath his head. “We’re doing what?” he muttered.
I used the pen I’d slipped out of the waitress’s pocket at the diner to mark a blue trail that I planned to follow come tomorrow. We were close to a friend of mine I hadn’t seen since I’d been discharged from the military, but he wrote to me once a year, usually around Christmas time just so we could check in with each other. I was hoping he wouldn’t mind me barging into his place—especially since I knew he preferred his seclusion. He preferred being alone since he’d gotten out not long after I did. But I didn’t have another plan at the moment. I was low on cash, and I couldn’t reach out to any of the club members or Alejandro.
Despite Alejandro finding a secluded cabin far north, not far from the Canadian line, they’d managed to find Gabriel anyway.
It was time to do things my fucking way now.
“We’re walking to an old friend of mine’s place,” I told Gabriel again as I stared down at the map, my head beginning to pound from tiredness and stress. “It’ll be a long walk, but right before daylight, we’ll head up to the truck stop down the street and get some water and protein bars.”
Gabriel sighed tiredly. “Okay.”
I stood from the table and walked over to the bed. Leaning over it, I cupped his cheek, stroking my thumb over his soft skin. “I’m going to keep you safe,” I promised.
A small smile tilted his lips. “I know you are, Tango.”
I pressed my lips to his in a small, soft kiss. “Get some rest, baby.”
