Page 32 of Montana Memory

Hunter followed, climbing with effortless speed despite the injury to his arm. He barely made a sound, while I felt every rattle of the old structure, every tremor in my grip.

At the top, I pulled myself over the ledge onto the flat rooftop, my chest heaving. Hunter was already beside me, eyes scanning the skyline.

“We’re going to have to jump.”

I blinked. “What?”

He motioned to the next building over. A narrow gap, not even five feet wide. It might as well have been a canyon.

Hunter didn’t hesitate. He backed up a step and leaped. Landed in a crouch. He straightened and turned to face me.

“You can do it. Take a few steps back, run, and jump. Don’t look down.”

Panic clawed up my throat. My legs felt frozen, my breath shallow. “I?—”

“Trust me, Jada.” His voice was steady, unshakable. “I know you can do this.”

He had more faith in me than I had in myself. “I don’t know.” I was starting to hyperventilate. I began pacing back and forth.

“Hey.” His voice was once again calm. “Look at me.”

I stopped. Met those green eyes. “You can do this. I’m not going to let you fall.”

I believed him. He hadn’t let me down even once up to this point. I swallowed hard, took a step back, then ran forward and pushed off.

For a split second, I was weightless. Air rushed around me, my heart stopping?—

Then my fingers grasped the ledge.

Before they slipped. I let out a squeak.

Hunter’s hand shot out, grabbing my wrist. His grip was like iron, unyielding. “I’ve got you,” he said, no strain in his voice as he pulled me up with ease.

I collapsed onto the rooftop, my pulse thrumming in my ears.

He crouched beside me, fingers still wrapped around my wrist. “You good?”

I nodded, breathless.

“Let’s go.”

We climbed down another fire escape. There was no sign of the car or Copper’s guys. We slipped into one final alley, and I saw his truck just ahead. Relief crashed over me. We bolted for it, both of us getting in quickly. I would’ve driven like a maniac, but once again, Hunter kept his cool. My hands were clenched into fists in my lap, my body still wired from the chase. Hunter, on the other hand, drove like we hadn’t just barely escaped with our lives. Like he wasn’t bleeding. Like this was just another night.

I couldn’t stop staring at his arm, the dark stain spreading across his sleeve. “You need to stop the bleeding.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine,” I snapped, but he didn’t even blink, just kept driving.

“We’ll patch it up when we get back to the safe house.”

We drove in silence. Adrenaline continued to course through me as I thought about what Copper had said. That I had been the one who’d come to get the memory-loss drug. I’d been morethan just complicit in my own demise; I’d been an active part of it.

And no antidote. I wasn’t sure how to make my head wrap around that. Since waking up in that cabin, my plan had been to figure out who I was and how to get my life back. Now, it was starting to look like that wouldn’t be an option at all.

We made it back to the safe house and found it exactly as we’d left it—quiet, unassuming, just another forgotten corner outside of the city. Hunter pulled into the garage and killed the engine, before stepping out like he wasn’t injured at all. I followed, my legs shaking so badly I nearly tripped over the threshold.

The door locked behind us as we went inside. My hands still trembled, my nerves still frayed. I turned to find Hunter leaning against the counter, his injured arm hanging loose, blood still seeping through the fabric. Enough was enough.

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