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“You’re okay. Less than a quarter of a mile to go. Do you think you can walk from here?” he asked. I was surprised at the sudden change in his tone, softer and almost as if he gave a damn.
“Yes.”
“Good.” He kept his arm wrapped around my waist, guiding me through the trees until we reached another clearing. As the early morning sun lit up a small clearing, I was shocked to see a helicopter only two hundred or so yards away.
“What’s happening?” I asked, uncertain I wanted to know the answer.
“I’m getting you out of here.”
A strange feeling of fight or flight roared into me, and I wasn’t certain why. However, I knew if I was forced onto the helicopter, I’d have zero chance of escaping. I held my breath as he dragged me toward the chopper, whoever was behind the controls starting the engine. When Viper yanked something from his pocket, I bristled.
“Get ready to shove off,” he snarled into the device.
That’s the moment I chose to try to take back whatever little control I had over my life.
And my possible death. Horrible images flashed into my mind.
I slammed my fist against Viper’s chest, able to push away. I didn’t hesitate for a second, running away from him, the pain in my leg hindering my actions.
“For the love of fuck,” he exclaimed.
The adrenaline in overdrive, I raced as fast as I could, going blindly toward another set of trees, the jungle surrounding the area. A part of my mind screamed in admonishment at what I was doing, the other part encouraging me to keep running. Within seconds, I was out of breath, slipping on the damp terrain, finally stumbling forward.
Viper swept me up as if I weighed nothing, yanking me so hard against his chest that I was left breathless.
“That was stupid, Willow. You cost us precious time.”
“Fuck you.”
“Goddamn it, sweetheart. Don’t you see I’m the only person who can keep you alive?”
I continued to fight with him, although jerking free. “All I see is a vigilante prepared to take me to an unknown destination. I’m not stupid.”
“Maybe not but you’re acting like a child. Keep this up and I’ll need to punish you.”
His words made me laugh. “You’re nobody to me.”
“Jesus Christ,” he hissed as he dragged me backwards. “Why do I have to put up with this shit?”
I’d always been a fighter and my instinct forced me to continue. When I managed to jerk free again, I issued a hard punch to his jaw. His expression of incredulousness was followed by another toss of my body over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing.
“Fuck,” he snarled. “That’s it, sweetheart. You no longer have any say in this. I suggest you hold on.”
He raced toward the helicopter but before he could get there, another series of shots was fired. I heard at least one pinging off the metal of the chopper.
“Goddamn it! We need to get the fuck out of here.”
The second voice had to be from the pilot.
Within seconds, I was tossed inside the hulk of the bird, Viper jumping in after me. “Go. Go. Go!” Viper snarled, struggling to close the door. Then he ripped off the goggles he was wearing, swearing for several seconds as he remained close to one of the windows.
Even the whir of the blades couldn’t hide the continuous bullets. I remained crouched on the floor, fighting to breathe as the danger exploded into a firestorm. As the pilot took off, I closed my eyes, curling into a ball. This wasn’t real. This was just a nightmare.
Of course, I’d been telling myself that for the last week. Nothing seemed real any longer.
The pinging sounds finally stopped, the sound of the blades providing some level of comfort.
Viper shook his head, sliding his weapon into a holster I hadn’t noticed before.
