Page 102 of Holiday Hostage
I had more to lose this time.
He’d already taken Tarron, Reed, and Mav from me.
He would not take my child out of this world before they’d even had a chance to live.
Survive. I had to survive, no matter what.
29
TARRON
“How much longer?” Maverick groaned as he propped up in the bed and glared at me.
I held out the last of the painkillers I’d pilfered from the medicine cabinet and a cup of water.
“I’m not a psychic, Mav. Reed left an hour ago. God only knows how long it will take him to find a place with a phone.”
“Fucking shit.” He grumbled and tucked his arm across his stomach. “I hate this.”
“We all do.” I worked my way through the exercises that would keep my ribs and arm from tightening up and walked to the window.
Weeks had passed since the cabin blew up and we all nearly died.
Weeks of no contact with the outside world because we’d been too badly injured to make it any further than the first house we came across.
“Guess it’s a good thing this place was empty.” Mav set the glass on the side table and twisted to put his feet on the floor.
“Stop.” I held out a hand in a stop motion.
Mav glared at me, ignored my warning, and stood. “If we’re going to make it to Anchorage, I have to be able to walk. There’s nothing wrong with my legs.”
He’d grown angrier and more troubled with every day that passed.
I understood, but that didn’t mean I’d let him undo all my hard work.
“Do you have any idea the shit you put me through? I had to dig a bullet out of your chest, without anesthesia, while you lay unconscious in an abandoned house in the middle of the Alaska wilderness. You didn’t wake up forfive days.” I emphasized that part for his benefit and pressed a hand to my sore ribs.
“I know,” Maverick growled and eased slowly to his feet. “All while Reed performed surgery onyouwhile you were awake because he has shit medical experience.”
He took a step and grabbed my arm when he started to wobble. “I need to get my strength back, Tarron. We have to get out of here and find Payton. I’m going insane not knowing what happened.”
“Tucker should have found us by now.” It was that single worry that kept us all up at night. Aside from the physical pain, not knowing if Payton was safe kept us all short-tempered. Reed had gone out multiple times to try and find a house with a phone but never had any luck.
“Reed won’t come back until he’s found a solution.” He’d said so when he left this morning.
The abandoned house where we’d holed up didn’t even have electricity, much less a phone.
With the SAT phone busted and no cell service, and Maverick’s injuries, we’d been forced to sit tight until he recovered enough to make the trip to Anchorage.
“You should have left me behind a week ago.” Mav released me and shuffle-walked toward the door. “I’m going to the living room. Need to see something other than these four walls.”
“Stubborn bastard.” I followed him, my own steps shaky, my legs weakening with every stride.
Mav was in worse shape, but we managed to make it into the living room.
A fire crackled in the grate, and the giant moose head over the fireplace glared down at us in judgment.
Mav sank into the corner of the couch and rubbed sweat from his forehead. “Not that hard. A few more days and we’ll be good as new.”
