Page 73 of Corrupted Lies

Maybe that would have been better.

What was the point in surviving the ocean only to die a couple of days later at the hands of violent men?

At least these last few days had given her something wonderful, a piece of herself she’d thought lost, and some healing of old wounds. That was worth something, maybe even worth dying a horrible death at the hands of the men with guns.

“There,” Jake said triumphantly as he pointed to the small motorboat sitting on the shore.

Escape.

Freedom.

Life.

All represented in the small craft.

Ifthey could get to it.

You didn't need the same training and experience that Jake had to know that as soon as they left the trees they were exposed. They didn't know if there were more than the two men on the island, for all they knew, another was hiding just out of view, ready to pick them off once they were flushed out of the protection the woods offered.

Still, it wasn't like they were drowning in options.

They either waited to be spotted or for their shelter to be found and the hunt for them to start in earnest, or they made a run for it.

Put like that, there wasn't just a lack of options, there was only one.

Theyhadto try to get to that boat.

Otherwise, they were already as good as dead.

“You're going to go ahead of me,” Jake said, grabbing her shoulders and leaning down so they were eye to eye. Gone was the playful man he’d been just minutes ago, this Jake was the serious, stoic, always in control man she knew and loved.

Yes loved.

Loved as a friend and was starting to love as something more.

“I’ll be right behind you, but I want you to run and not stop. Not for anything.” The fingers gripping her shoulders tightened almost painfully. “You hear me, Alannah? You don’t stop for anything. You keep running until you're in that boat, and then you get yourself the hell off this island.”

“But—”

“No buts. I’m going to be right there with you, I have no plans on dying, but if we’re spotted, I will do whatever I have to in order to make sure you survive.”

Tears blurred her vision, as much as his determination to always be her protector made her love him even more, she didn't want to lose Jake, not for any reason.

“You ready?”

No.

There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to make sure he knew, so much they had to talk about, but they didn't have the time so she merely nodded.

“We got this, sunshine.”

Since there was no time for words, she merely leaned in, brushed her lips across Jake’s, and then started running for the boat. The sand was soft against her bare feet, and she became aware of the soles of her feet stinging. She must have cut them up a little while they were running through the woods.

Nothing she could do about it, so no point in worrying or letting it slow her down.

With about twenty yards of sand between the tree line and water, they were almost halfway there when gunshots suddenly filled the air.

Chapter

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