Page 32 of Maddox

What energy I’d felt before was fading more quickly.

He turned ever so slightly, his chance to shine the beam on me. Almost as soon as he did, he lunged forward just as I crumpled into his arms.

“Maddox… I’m…”

CHAPTER 10

Charmaine

“Grab her.” The deep voice penetrated my eardrums, his thick accent giving away his nationality.

Screaming, I took off running, bolting into the jungle. Blood covered my hands, the stench horrific. Panic rushed through me as I heard heavy footsteps behind me.

“Don’t let her get away!’

No. No! I couldn’t allow them to catch me. I took a sharp right turn, sliding behind a tree. When I took a quick peek, the sight of three men holding assault rifles almost forced a sharp cry. I covered my mouth with both hands to stifle the sounds, fighting to simply catch my breath.

The moment they turned the opposite way, I took off running again. My feet pounded on the ground. Every few seconds, I tossed my head over my shoulder. They were gaining on me.

Suddenly, all three surrounded me. They were maybe twenty feet away.

Oh, God. What was I supposed to do?

One of the bastards grinned as he sauntered closer. “There’s nowhere to go.”

I scanned the jungle, noticing a long tree limb. I grabbed it, holding it out like a spear. “Don’t come any closer.”

The three soldiers laughed, glancing at each other in amusement. They started to advance and I threw out the stick as far as my arm would allow, shifting back and forth from foot to foot. “Get away from me!”

“I’m afraid we can’t do that,señora. You’ve made some people very angry. They want to have a talk with you.”

“I’m nobody. Just leave me alone.” When one came close, I managed to swipe the stick across his face. To my delight, I caught him just under the eye.

He yelped, jerking back and slapping his hand over his eye. “That bitch.”

“Get her. Now!” the first one yelled.

And the two men advanced.

“No. No!” I jerked up, flailing my arms. “Let me alone. Let me alone.”

“Whoa. Hold on. You’re safe. You’re okay.”

A different voice. A light. Cold. I was so cold. What? “No. Just… Go away.”

Arms suddenly pinned me where I was. They were huge and strong, holding me tightly. When I was pressed against a warm body, I continued to struggle.

“It’s Maddox. Remember? You were having a nightmare.”

“Maddox. Who…” The fog began to lift from my brain and I remembered. “Lieutenant.”

“That’s me. Just breathe for me.”

I did as he asked, taking several deep breaths as I continued to blink. “What is this place?”

“Like I told you a few hours ago. I know of a couple caves.”

“Wha… Caves. Really?” I’d been out for several hours?

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