Page 71 of Burn Like An Angel

I jerk my chin towards the odd buildings scattered outside. “Someone must live nearby. Or there’s another farm close. It can’t be that much farther.”

“You’re forgetting that we’re fugitives now,” Raine interjects. “Who would help us? They’ll just call the police.”

“We don’t know what the public’s been told,” I reason, trying to cling to some calmness. “Blackwood already fell before the riot. Now Harrowdean. People know we’re victims now.”

“Do you really believe that?” Xander laughs coldly. “No one gives a fuck about us.”

“Now is not the time to debate hypotheticals, Xan. No one knows our faces or our stories. We can use that to our advantage.”

“What about Sabre Security?” Raine shifts uncomfortably against the wall.

I want to facepalm even though he can’t even see me to appreciate the sentiment. This is where our levels of optimism differ greatly.

The asshole Ripley thinks is her friend either got himself killed or abandoned us to die. I’m not about to bet anything on this mysterious company coming to our rescue any time soon.

We’re all quiet while deep in thought. The sound of beating rotors seems to be moving farther away, giving me a small sliver of hope. They’re searching a wide radius. The woods stretch on for miles behind us.

“We keep moving,” Xander decides in a firm tone. “If Incendia’s searching for us, they haven’t been dismantled yet.”

“And we’re still in danger,” Raine concludes.

“As long as they’re operating, we will never be safe. I’m all for running, but unravelling criminal conspiracies can take years. We’ll have to stop running sometime.”

“Says who?” I retort.

His icy-blue eyes flash to me. “Be realistic.”

“I am! We are not surrendering to those bastards!”

“Nobody is suggesting we surrender.” Raine fidgets with his folded guide stick. “Right, Xan?”

“Not to the corporation,” he clarifies. “But if Sabre really is investigating and planning to shut down all the institutes, cooperation may be our only chance.”

My mind whirls as I catch on to his plan. Warner didn’t come through for us. So what, Xander wants to contact his team himself? We’ll be feeding ourselves to the wolves—just under a different guise. I don’t trust any of these corporate suits.

“We need to get back online.” Xander sighs wearily, buckling under the weight of the day. “I can swipe some phones if we find a town or city.”

“You can?” Raine wonders aloud.

“Sure. Easy.”

I know a little about Xander’s criminal past. He was sent to Priory Lane for some elaborate embezzlement scheme, and he’s happiest with his fingertips touching a keyboard. I know he has a talent for theft. The rest is a mystery, much like the man himself.

“I don’t trust anyone but the people in this room.” I blow out a leaden breath. “We’re not surrendering, cooperating… whatever the fuck you want to call it. We keep running until it’s safe to stop.”

Our gazes locked, Xander seems determined to freeze me out. The way he glowers at me chills my internal organs. But I’mnot afraid of him. The time for him to call the shots is over. We all have a stake in this.

I look back down at Ripley.

Her.

Even if I’ve done a terrible job of showing my intentions so far. Every time I see her, I just get so wound up. She knows exactly how to push all the right buttons to drive me fucking insane.

“I can’t hear the helicopter anymore.” Raine tilts his blonde head, listening closely. “Are we clear to move?”

Xander drops his stare then returns to the window. I shift Ripley in my arms, cracking my neck to loosen the kink that’s formed. Her dried blood pulls at my skin, adding to my unease.

“I hate this,” Raine mutters. “We’re sitting ducks.”

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