Page 56 of Fourth Point Of Contact

My feet ached from stomping around with no shoes on, but the thought of being rescued steeled my spine. “I’m good. I’ll make it.”

“Good.”

Sheer determination pushed me to keep moving even though I was exhausted. I could rest when we got the hell out of here. There was no way I was going to be the one who slowed them down. Not when it could mean the difference between life and death.

They loaded him quickly and then we were out the door. I didn’t bother looking back at the cabin that had been our shelter. None of that mattered now. The guys moved at a fast pace like they were just out for a jog. I did my best to keep up, ignoring the aches and pains as we raced through the trees. My thighs burned and several times, I felt like I would pass out, but I pushed through. I would not be the reason Patrick died.

“Right up there!” Chase said over his shoulder, pointing to the clearing.

Disappointment shot through me when I saw nothing but a small clearing. No one was waiting for us. Still, I pushed on. As soon as we got there, I could rest. Five minutes later, I was huffing and puffing as my legs collapsed from underneath me. Laying on my back, I stared up at the stars and pressed my hand to the stitch in my side.

“You okay?” Nick asked, kneeling beside me.

I nodded, unable to speak yet.

“You sure?”

I nodded again.

“Because you look like you might puke.”

I held up my thumb, then the okay sign.

“When was the last time you drank water?”

I pointed back in the direction of the cabin. If I spoke right now, I might throw up.

“Let me see those feet.”

I didn’t bother to move as he lifted my leg and examined the bottom of my feet. I already knew they were torn up, but it wasn’t like there was anything we could do about it. They had to get Patrick out of there, and I wasn’t about to be a burden.

“They’re gonna really start hurting once the adrenaline wears off.”

I held my thumb up again. Seriously, I would vomit if I started talking.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I held up my thumb again. The spots that had been floating in my vision were starting to recede, but the nausea still swirled. I let my eyes drift shut and focused on my breathing, keeping it nice and slow. I fell into an almost kind of trance, which was how I completely missed that our ride showed up. It wasn’t untilsomeone lifted me and carried me to the waiting helicopter that I even realized what was happening.

We were leaving the forest behind.

And that one shoe I had promised I would return to Jeanie.

The flippingof a page woke me from a dead sleep. That, and the light shining in my eyes. Whoever decided it was a good idea to let the sun in had clearly not been stranded in the forest for over a day.

“Turn off the light,” I groaned, rolling over in bed and tugging the thin, scratchy blanket higher. I had been sweating outside, but in here, it was like they shoved me in a freezer.

The light dimmed a little at the sound of blinds closing, but it was still too bright for my liking.

“How are you feeling?”

I didn’t recognize the voice, and right now, I didn’t really care who it was. “Peachy.”

“I bet. Your feet are all torn up. The doc cleaned you up and bandaged your feet. You probably don’t want to walk around too much.”

I peeled one eye open and glared at the man standing at the foot of my bed. Long waves of dirty blonde hair flowed over his shoulders and muscles rippled around his shoulders and down the length of his arms.

“Fabio?” I asked, sure I was delirious.

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