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I didn’t have time to argue with her. “Yeah. The scary one.”
She stepped closer to Victor’s body and before I could stop her, she bent down and touched his shoulder gently.
“Is he...?” she asked softly, her voice trembling with emotion.
Victor groaned softly in response but didn’t move otherwise. Relief flooded through me as I realized he was still alive, though barely conscious and weak from blood loss. There was no way he could make it out of here on his own; he needed our help if he was going to survive this night.
“Hey,” I said, kneeling next to him. “Hang in there, man. We’re going to get you out of here.”
Victor’s eyes fluttered open and then closed as he tilted his head toward the radio that laid by him.
“Can you talk?”
“I’m so tired,” Victor replied.
Fuck. This was really,reallybad.
I knew we couldn’t stay here any longer. We needed to move fast before the Viper’s men caught up to us. I glanced around, scanning the area for any sign of movement, but everything seemed eerily still.
“Miranda, can you help me get him up?” I asked, my voice filled with urgency. “We need to move, now.”
“Y-yeah, of course,” she stammered, her face pale but determined as she helped me hoist Victor’s limp form off the ground.
“Stay close to me,” I warned them both, my senses on high alert as we began our slow and painstaking journey through the treacherous Everglades once more. My thoughts raced with fear and uncertainty, but I needed to make sure to get us the fuck out of here.
My heart hammered in my chest as I scanned the area for a suitable hiding spot. The oppressive darkness of the Everglades seemed to close in on us, and every rustling leaf or snapping twig sent chills down my spine.
“Over there,” I whispered to Miranda, pointing to a dense thicket of bushes nearby. “Hide in there, and don’t make a sound. Don’t try to run. If you do, I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to find you and come back for you.”
“Jace, what about you?” she asked, her eyes wide with fear.
“I need to get Victor to safety first,” I replied, my determination steeling me against the terror that threatened to take hold. “I promise, I’ll come back for you as soon as I can.”
“Okay. How long should I wait?”
“I don’t know, okay?” I said. “Keep the radio on you, just in case.”
I watched as Miranda disappeared into the thicket, her form swallowed up by the darkness. My heart raced with fear and uncertainty as I turned my attention back to Victor. His breathing was shallow and labored, and I knew we didn’t have much time.
“Stay with me, man,” I urged him, my voice coming out as a hoarse whisper. “We’re almost there.”
The weight of his body pressed down on me, slowing our progress as we struggled through the thick underbrush. Every step was agony, but I refused to give up. We were so close now; I could feel it.
I just needed to find our SUV and drive the fuck away from here.
“Sofia would be pissed if she knew we were in this mess,” Victor wheezed through clenched teeth, his face contorted with pain.
“Damn straight, she would be,” I agreed, my thoughts briefly flickering to Sofia’s brown eyes. “But we’re gonna get through this, Victor. Just hang in there.”
“You’ll take care of my cat, right?”
“No. You’ll take care of your cat,” I said. “Stay with me, Victor. We’re going to make it out of this alive.”
“God, I hope so,” he muttered, his voice barely audible amid the sounds of the Everglades’ nocturnal creatures.
“Trust me,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
I just wished I could believe what I was saying, too.
