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He laid a hand over top of hers, his warmth spreading through her.
“He’s going to get away.” Seyla heard the defeat in her own voice.
Jax squeezed her hand. “Today, yes. But it’s one battle, not the war.”
“How many people have to get hurt before it’s over? How many animals?” Seyla couldn’t stand the thought of one more person or animal suffering.
Forked lightning illuminated the forest. A massive limb slammed to the ground near their feet. They scrambled away. The sound of a quad’s engine started up over the small hillside.Seyla wasn’t sure if she felt more relieved or disappointed. “I guess we should go after him.”
“We can’t. We have to get out of here before we get clobbered by one of these tree branches.”
“No, we—”
“Neither one of us can go fast enough in the mud to catch him. It’s making the ground too slippery. Besides, he has a gun. We have nothing. It’s time to get out of here.”
Jax was right. It wouldn’t be fair to put him in harm’s way for her own agenda anyway, no matter how important she deemed it. “Fine.”
He threw a rock a few feet away as a test. No response. “Okay. Let’s go.”
They got to their feet. The wind whipped through the woods again, sending branches crashing to the ground around them.
“Come on!” Jax growled.
They raced across the forest floor, dropping into the mud each time lightning cracked or a branch fell. “I can’t tell what direction they’re coming from!” Seyla shouted.
She heard what sounded like a firecracker.
“Duck!” Jax bellowed. They dropped into the mud right before a large limb swung over them like a pendulum, then slammed to the ground.
The wind slapped against Seyla’s soaked clothing, chilling her skin. The temperature had dropped significantly. She wiped the hair away from her eyes again.
“Up ahead!” Jax shouted. “There’s an outcropping over there that forms a ledge. We should get under it and wait out the storm.”
“Is it safe? There’s a lot of mud pouring off of it.” Seyla hesitated. What if the rocks above fell on them?
“See those grooves along the edge of it? That’s from water eroding the rock during past storms. It’s held this long. I thinkit’ll be okay.” Jax grabbed her hand. He hesitated, his eyes locked on hers. “Trust me.”
He appeared to be asking for permission. Touched by the thoughtful gesture, she nodded her consent. There weren’t a lot of options right now, anyway. They’d have to trust each other. The rest was in God’s hands.
They crawled underneath the rock and huddled there, the crack of lightning hitting a tree at their backs. The ground beneath the rock was damp, but at least they weren’t sitting in a mud puddle. At least not until the mud and rain soaking their clothes pooled beneath them. Seyla worked her phone loose from her waterlogged pocket. Muddy water dripped from it.
“I’m sure mine is ruined too,” Jax said, a half-smile fueled by commiseration hitching his mouth up on one side.
It sent a ripple of attraction through Seyla. Her mouth went dry. She couldn’t see the colors of his eyes, yet he stared at her with an intensity that she didn’t want to tear herself away from. She swallowed hard. His eyes followed the movement.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Jax murmured in a gravelly tone.
“Sure.” Did she actually mean that?
His head tilted, his soft gaze remaining on her. “Your necklace. It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“Does it have some significance to you? I got the impression you take comfort from it.”
Seyla’s hand automatically reached for the opal pendant. How much did she trust him? She found she longed to tell him things, things she hadn’t wanted to share with others before. Why did he make her feel like she could bare her soul? “My mother bought it for me after…after what happened in high school.”
“I remember finding you outside Matt’s house that night.”
