AllFreeNovel
Share Us
For a long moment, she remained pressed to him, inhaling his woodsy scent, her ear pressed to his chest, listening to the reassuring beat of his heart.
Then she remembered what had to be done.
She pushed against his chest enough to look up into his eyes. “Ready?”
He nodded, his arms tightening around her as he bent to capture her lips with his in a quick and fierce kiss. Then he set her at arm’s length, turned off the light in the barracks and opened the door.
Still reeling from that kiss, PJ had to focus to remember which way to turn.
The cold rain pelting her face cleared her head as she ran for the infirmary.
The door was unlocked. When PJ entered, she called out, “Bones?”
As he’d indicated, he wasn’t there, having gone to the mess hall for the evening meal.
“We don’t have much time,” PJ said and led the way into the room where Mud lay on the bed, his eyes closed, his face still flushed and his breathing shallow.
“Can you carry him to the motor pool?” she asked as she pulled the IV from Mud’s arm.
“Yes,” he said and gathered the teen in his arms.
After Judge lifted the boy from the bed, PJ tossed a blanket over him. Then she flipped the cot over and flung the IV pool to the ground.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Setting the stage,” she said. “Come on.”
He followed her to the exit, where she stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “The motor pool door is unlocked. Go in, cross through the maintenance bay to the door on the opposite end. It leads out to the fenced area where they park the vehicles. The first truck you come to has the keys in the ignition. Lay Mud on the floorboard, get in and go. Don’t stop when you come to the guards at the gate. They’re ordered to shoot anyone who doesn’t slow down, so stay low. When you get to the highway, turn right. Left will take you to Whitefish. Don’t go there. TCW people are all over that town. It’s not safe. When you reach Kalispell, have them airlift Mud to Missoula or Great Falls. Have them take him as far as they can away from here.” When she started to pull the door open, Judge put his foot out to stop it from swinging open.
“Wait,” he said. “You’re coming with me.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
He hefted Mud in his arms, a deep frown pulling his eyebrows together. “You have to come with us. If you let me get away, they’ll kill you for failing to control your recruit.”
“I’ll make it look like we fought, I lost, and you escaped. I’ll be okay.” Again, she tried to open the door.
His foot remained planted in front of it. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“We don’t have time to argue. Mud needs medical care. Bones said they’re going to let him die rather than take him to a hospital. And if you don’t leave now, chow will be over, everyone will be on their way back, and you won’t make it out of here.” She reached up and cupped his face. “I’m not done here. I need to stay.”
“No,” he said. “I won’t leave you.”
The teen stirred in his arms and moaned.
“Mud needs you. I can take care of myself.” She stared up into his eyes. “Go.”
For a long moment that made PJ’s gut clench tightly, Judge didn’t move. Then he pulled back his foot. “I’m coming back to get you.”
She didn’t respond but flipped off the light and opened the door.
Wind drove the rain sideways, pelting PJ’s face. “Hurry,” she said and closed the door between them.
She couldn’t stand there and watch him go. Someone might see her, and that would be the end of her plan to make it look like he’d fought his way out of the infirmary.
She ran to one of the windows and peeked through the blinds, searching for Judge’s dark form.
It wasn’t until a flash of lightning illuminated the camp that she saw him as he reached the motor pool office and ducked through the door. He’d made it halfway. Now, it was up to him to get Mud out of the camp and to a hospital.
