Page 68 of Leave Me Behind
Pete and Harrison appear through the brush and spot me. I raise my hand and signal them to come quickly. They move silently and kneel beside me. They’re covered in blood and their eyes are wide with adrenaline.
“Take care of Jobs. Sarge is on his way for an evac to the second drop location. I need to get Bunny and find Colt,” I say with a ragged breath. They nod and replace the pressure I was keeping on Jefferson’s stomach.
The blood in my veins pounds rapidly against my eardrums as I run back to Bunny. If she killed the hostage, then there’s no doubt in my mind, she’s a traitor.
I’ll have to kill her. My fists curl tightly at my sides.
Her helmet comes into view and it’s immediately apparent that she’s no longer seated atop the soldier. I unhitch my handgun and point it at her. She turns as a branch snaps beneath my foot.
Her goggles are off and her blood-smeared eyes widen at me.
“Where is the soldier?” I bite out, finger caressing the trigger.
She stares at me callously for a few seconds before standing slowly. Her shoulders are slumped with weariness and my chest constricts at the realization dawning over her darkened eyes.
“You’re going to shoot me?” She barks out a sharp laugh.
My jaw tightens and my eyes narrow with anguish. “If I have to.”
Bunny nods down to her right, I follow the motion and find the soldier, dead and with her knife sticking out of the center of his chest.
Beside him is Ian.
Ian stares aimlessly at me with his mouth wide open. Blood leaks from his lifeless lips. My eyes widen and my voice booms with shock and fury. “What the fuck have you done?”
“He was going to kill me.” Her tone is empty. “I found your rat.”
Shekilled Ian?
No. She’s fucking bluffing.
She stares at me like she’s trying to read my very thoughts.Ian couldn’t have been the rat. Could he? I don’t know what to fucking do.
Abrahm’s voice shifts across my thoughts, something he once told me.“Don’t pull the trigger until you’re sure. Until you know you won’t regret the last breath the other person will take.”
He wouldn’t kill her. Not until he was certain of the facts.Fuck.
“Turn around!” I order her. She doesn’t budge. Instead, she takes a step toward me. I secure my grip around the pistol, aiming it straight at her head. “Bunny,fucking stop. I swear to God I’ll fucking shoot you.”
Her grin is visible only in the way her eyes narrow at me. “If you’re going to shoot me, then get it over with, Bones. If I’m going to die today, it will only be at your hands.” She walks until her forehead is pressed against the gun, leaning against the weight of my hold and shutting her eyes. My hands are trembling uncontrollably. “I’m tired, so it’s okay. If this is where it ends, it’s okay.”
My throat swells with emotions I won’t dare to acknowledge.
“Give me your wrists,” I say quieter, hoping she’ll concede.
“Either you trust me, or you kill me. I won’t let you keep me as a prisoner.” Her eyes find mine. I’m entranced by her unwavering devotion, so much so that I don’t realize her gun is pressed against the bottom of my jaw until the cold steel burns my skin.
I almost smile.
She’s fucking good at killing men like me.
My lips part with words that get lost in the sound of the forest being blown to bits. A wall of fire sucks out all the air and the two of us are thrown violently to the ground with the aftershocks.
twenty-seven
. . .
Nell
