Dylan moved incredibly fast, hardly slowed by the big man slung over his shoulder, but all the same, a quick glance over her shoulder and she could tell they weren’t losing their pursuers.
Something whizzed past her ear and she flinched. They were shooting at them. Luckily, the shot went wide. Then at last they were in the forest, the going slower as they weaved between the tree trunks. They just had to make it to the tunnels, and they’d be hidden. Unless their pursuers were close enough to see them when they entered. They needed to get some distance.
More bullets whizzed past and, up ahead, Dylan stumbled and almost crashed to the ground. He swore and righted himself and was running again, but she could see that he was in trouble. He must have taken a bullet in the leg. Could he make it? He’d have to. But she had to think of a way to give him more time.
Suddenly she remembered the grenades. Skidding to a halt, she pressed her back against a tree trunk. Up ahead, Dylan glanced back over his shoulder, he slowed, and she waved a hand urging him to go on. Then raised the other so he could see the grenade she held. For a moment, he held her gaze, then he nodded and stumbled on.
Destiny stood, back against the tree trunk, slowing her breathing. She peered around; she could see the flash of green through the vegetation; they weren’t far behind now.
I can do this.
She didn’t want to kill anyone, but they’d been shooting. What choice did she have? Taking a deep breath, she pulled the pin from the grenade and counted to three, then she turned, stepped out from behind the tree and hurled it into the group of men. Ducking back behind the tree, she put her hands over her ears.
She heard the muted roar of the explosion, and the men crash and blunder. She took a second grenade from her pocket and pulled the pin, counted to three and then tossed it after the first.
Then she was running again, pelting headlong toward the tunnel. Dylan and Milo must have reached safety by now. She just had to get there as well. She was going to make it. She couldn’t hear anything behind her. Yet.
She stopped abruptly. The two men were sprawled on the ground feet from the entrance. She moved closer. Milo was still unconscious, his eyes closed, his face pale. Dylan looked no better, though when she touched him, he groaned. He tried to push himself to his feet, but his leg collapsed beneath him. He stared up at her with golden eyes that gleamed feral in a face that was blurring.
“Sorry, sweetheart, this is going to come as something of a shock.”
The air around her rippled with something strange, and then Dylan was gone, and a huge shaggy dog lay in front of her. Her mouth dropped open as it pushed itself to its feet, staggered, then straightened and gave a growl and a shake. He looked at her and then at Milo, took his shirt in his teeth and pulled. Then let go and growled.
She shook her head, trying to get her mind to work. The bracelet on her arm was beeping and flashing. Drones were coming.
She hooked her hands beneath Milo’s arms and dragged him, inch by inch to the tunnel entrance.
She could hear the whir of the drone now. Heading in their direction and she sobbed with the effort. He was so big and heavy, but she was nearly there.
The dog disappeared inside the tunnel and at last she was there. One last heave and they were both inside. She collapsed to the floor and then crawled closer to the entrance so she could peer outside.
A drone was weaving between the trees, low down, zigzagging the area. Could it find them?
Dylan, the dog lay just behind her, licking at the wound on his leg. He raised his head and stared at her, then gave a nod and continued his licking. She’d think about that later.
As the last of her strength seeped away, she sighed and dragged herself backward to sit, leaning against the rock wall, her legs stretched out. She closed her eyes. She’d never felt so terrified in her life.
Milo’s bag was still slung over her shoulder, and she pulled it around and peered inside. No comm unit. There were a couple of bottles of whiskey, though—nice to see he’d gotten his priorities