He didn’t know what escaping this place wouldmake him, and he couldn’t lie to her. “I did what had to bedone.”
“I know,” she whispered. “Just don’t becomelike one of them.”
“I won’t,” he promised, but he wasn’t sosure, and right now, he didn’t care.
CHAPTER 33
Kyle went out the backdoor first to make sure it was clear before waving them onward. Hedidn’t know where the other guards were; they’d either taken coveror were waiting for them by the front gate. Either way, he didn’tsense anyone nearby.
“Do you want my rifle?” Melanie askedhim.
“No. I can move faster without it, and youhave to protect yourself. Where’s the garage?”
Lucy pointed to a concrete building on theirleft. From his angle, he could only see the side of it.
“Where is the other exit from below?” heasked.
Melanie pointed back the way they’d come.“It’s about a thousand feet inside the trees over there.”
“Keep an eye out for anyone coming fromthere,” he said.
Melanie kept her attention on the woods asthey jogged toward the garage, but she didn’t see any movement.When they made it to the corner of the building, Kyle poked hishead around it. He still didn’t see any guards. Instead of beingrelieved, an increasingly bad feeling built inside him.
He suspected trying to get through the gatewas going to prove disastrous.
“The two of you are going to run in front ofme,” he said. “I’ll keep you protected if anyone starts shooting atus from behind.”
Before Melanie could protest, he grasped herarm and tugged her forward, so she was in front of him. Then, helooked to Lucy, who fell in behind Melanie.
“Stay low and move fast,” he said. “Nowgo.”
Melanie ran across the open expanse of lawntoward the garage. Her heart thundered with every step. She had toforce herself to keep breathing as her body tensed in preparationfor the bullets she was sure were about to shred it.
She didn’t kid herself into thinking beingher father’s daughter would save her. They’d easily kill her, maybewith her father’s blessing.
However, as they ran, the day remainedhushed, and death didn’t pummel her body. When the shadow of thegarage fell over her, she flattened herself against the side of thecool, concrete building.
Her knees trembled, and for a second, shecouldn’t move as the sweat coating her cooled against her body.This reprieve wouldn’t last, but she welcomed it. Kyle rested hishand on her arm.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“Melanie—”
She caught his fingers and squeezed them.“You’re the one who’s bleeding and looks like Frankenstein’smonster. Donotworry about me.”
A small smile curved the corner of his mouth.Despite their circumstances, butterflies fluttered in her stomach,and her fear vanished. She was too happy to be with him again tofear anything.
“Frankenstein’s monster?” he asked.
“Well, yeah, but in a sexy way.”
He couldn’t stop himself from chuckling as hekissed her forehead. “Is that possible?”
“I wouldn’t have thought so, but I guess I’ma freak.”
“I’m okay with that. Come on; we have togo.”
