Page 68 of Enemy of the State

Taking a deep breath, inhaling the humid night air, I close my eyes and try to think. I’m not even at the edge, and I can tell that the drop will be as steep and treacherous as the one I came from. Letting my gut guide me, I veer right, avoiding more tropical vegetation. More gunshots sound in the distance, and I grit my teeth.

Adrenaline and sheer determination spur me onward and dispel any possible uncertainties. The taste of freedom is so close and I long for a sip.

I dash through the trees as fast as I can until I hear the low thrum of voices over the sound of the crashing waves. Crouching down behind some bushes, I’m sure I haven’t been spotted, at least not yet. As quietly as possible, I eject the magazine from the Glock and count how many rounds I have remaining—nine.Replacing the magazine, I begin to crawl forward on all fours between the branches and heavy foliage.

Getting as close as I can, I peek through the leaves on the bush in front of me and see…a beach. But more importantly, my eyes lock onto a bloodyboat. With a way off this God-forsaken island, I squint to make out only two men standing by my means of escape.I unstrap the rifle from my back and thread the barrel through the branches as I lie on my stomach on the ground, getting cozy.

This could easily be my favorite position in the entire world: lying on the ground with the butt of a rifle nestled in the cushion between my shoulder and chest, my finger hovering over the trigger, my breaths coming evenly as I lean forward and observe my target in the viewfinder.Through the scope, eyebrows pinched, I watch the two masked men. As I take in their familiar builds, my entire body locks up, recognition taking hold. Potent relief washes over me like the salty water sliding up the sand.

“Sean,” Honey Eyes declares, his voice barely audible over the waves slapping against each other, but his words and the solemnity of his tone reach me. Honey Eyes and Sean face each other, the surf threatening to cover their boots as the waves swim toward them.

“If you do this, you won’t just be a deserter, you’ll be an enemy of the State. Is she really worth that? I want you to be sure,” Honey Eyes asks, and my lungs trap my intake of oxygen, refusing to let it go as I anticipate his response.

Sean doesn’t so much as hesitate before stating, with unwavering and impenetrable confidence, “She’s worth everything. She’s worth more than my life.”

My mouth parts in a radiant beam that I can feel in the depths of my soul as carbon dioxide whooshes out of me.He bloody loves me.

Just as I’m about to climb to my feet, I hear Honey Eyes speak again. “What if she didn’t make it? What if she doesn’t come? I better not have killed Martinez for nothing. Sucks that he had to die, you know, he was one of the better ones.”

Even from this distance, I catch the anxiety woven into his voice, and it makes my heart squeeze.Bloody hell, I really need to lock that organ up again. She’s going to get me into trouble.

“She’ll make it,” is the only thing Sean says, but it’s enough to have me stretching to my full height, swinging the rifle back over my shoulder as I saunter toward them.

“Hello, darlings,” I chime casually, drawing their attention, the Glock dangling at my side. Both men whip their heads in my direction as I slip between the bushes and descend the sandy slope toward the beach.

“You’re here.”

“Of course, Honey Eyes. When will you stop underestimating me?”

Then, I shift my attention to Sean, who has turned to face me fully. He tugs off his mask, crumpling it in his fist, shoving it into his friend’s hands. His face is marked with relief and something else, something almost light and sugary that my tongue is desperate to taste.

Just as I come to a stop before the two men, thunder cracks in the distance, and I tilt my head toward the sky. The air is thick with the threat of a downpour, and I don’t think we have long before that storm is upon us.

Still in his mask, Honey Eyes tilts his head to the side and narrows his gaze on me. “Wait, how did you get out?”

“Drainage pipe.”

“The one that leads to the cliff?” Sean clarifies, speaking for the first time since I made my presence known.

His eyes are wide and disbelieving as I smile broadly. “That’s the one.”

“Fuck, we figured you’d kill a guard, put on his uniform, and walk out the front gate,” Honey Eyes explains. “That was our plan, anyway.”

I shrug. “I suppose thatmighthave worked, but I’ve never done things the easy way. Besides, the path I took was far more impressive.”

“I won’t argue with that,” Honey Eyes admits, and I wink at him.

“You ready to get out of here, Lou?” Sean inquires, and I bounce on my toes, practically skipping toward the boat anchored in the ocean not far away.

I’ve just begun wading into the chilly water as Sean’s low register rings out from behind me. “Tell my mom… Fuck.”

Frowning, I spin around to find him running a hand over his buzzed hair, his profile etched with determination. He stands on the beach, his gaze locked with Honey Eyes, the surf spilling onto his boots. If I had to describe his expression in two words, I’d choose despair and grief.

In light of what I overheard them say on the beach, I didn’t consider that Sean might be…coming with me.Abso-fucking-lutely not.I don’t want to be the reason he abandons his family, his career, his entire bloody life.I’m not worth that.

“Fuck, Sean. You’re not escaping with me, are you? You can’t. You’ll be a criminal. Let me go alone.”

I’ve barely gotten the words out before he’s stomping toward me. I march back toward the beach, meeting him where the water laps at the sand, both of us glaring at one another, our breathing heavy. I don’t know what I plan to do to keep him from chucking his life away, but if I have to shoot out his kneecaps to stop him, I will.

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