We didn’t run. I didn’t cover Evette as we made our way to the woods. I wasn’t scanning, looking around, or examining our surroundings. I was concentrating on staying upright. That meant it was up to Evette to get us where we needed to go.
That hit my gut like a lead weight.
“There’ll be a creek,” I told her. “We need to follow it east.”
“Okay.”
Her hand in mine tightened and she quickened her step, tugging me along.
“How bad is your vision?” she whispered.
Fucking hell.
Through swollen eyes, I fixated on the thick underbrush and couldn’t make out anything more than a blob of greenish-brown. There was no definition of leaves, grass, dirt, trees. I couldn’t see where one bush stopped and another began. Everything was a haze and with each step, it was getting worse.
I evaded Evette’s question and instead said, “We got two hours until Z and Coop come up the mountain.”
“Gabe—”
“We’ll find the creek, follow it east until we put some distance between us and that cabin, and wait.”
“Gabe—”
“Walk, Evette,” I snapped.
Then I stumbled, damn near taking her down with me. We would’ve gone down if Evette hadn’t shoved my chest upright and braced.
“God fucking dammit.” My vision darkened and swayed again. “Fuck!”
“Okay, Gabe, I get this is hard for you but I need to know—”
“You do? You know how hard this is for me that I fucking failed you? That I can’t fucking protect you? That I had to ask you to fucking protect me? That I can’t even goddamn walk? That once again I’m powerless and this time with my woman in tow.”
“Yes, Gabe,” she hissed. “I know how hard this is because I know the man you are. I know whatever’s happening with you is worse than the cuts, bruises, and blood still oozing from your head. I also know how fucking hard it was for me to listen to you getting beat to a pulp while I sat powerless to help you. I get it. You’re a man, all man. Boy, do I get it, and I love that you are. I love knowing you’d do anything including getting beaten almost to death to protect me. But something you are not getting is that I am a woman. All fucking woman, Gabe Harris, and I will protect what’s mine with my last breath. And that means, right now, I get to repay what you did to protect me. So tell me how bad is it so I can do my fucking job and get my man to safety.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“Tell me how to tell which way is east,” she demanded.
“Fuck.”
“Sun rises in the east, sets in the west,” Evette mumbled and a few seconds later she continued. “This way.”
With a gentle tug, she tried to propel me forward but instead, I hauled her back so we were face-to-face. Up close I could make out her pretty features. The cuts on her forehead and blood caked in her eyebrow caught my attention. Slowly and shakily I raised my hand. Ignoring the screaming pain in my shoulder and ribs I clumsily brushed my fingers from her temple down to her jaw then let my hand fall away.
“I have a concussion. The dizziness is getting worse and pretty much everything’s a haze. I need you to take the gun. And when we stop, I’ll explain how to use it. In the meantime, if someone approaches just aim and shoot. I don’t know how much ammo’s in the magazine though.”
Evette nodded and returned, “We’ve never talked about this but I’ve been going to the range with my dad since I was thirteen. He had guns in the house and his first priority as it should be was gun safety. I know how to shoot. Not great but well enough.”
Relief washed through me. Not enough to clean away the acid that had burned my insides but enough to know that when I passed out she’d have a weapon.
“Good. Take the gun and let's move.”
Evette reached around me and pulled the Glock from my waistband. After that, she brushed her lips feather-soft against mine.
“I love you, Gabe, and I promise I got this.”
Jesus fuck.
“I know you do, honey.”
Then she resumed her position in front of me, found my hand, and my woman did what she said she would do, and walked us to safety.
Chapter 27
We’d only been walking ten minutes when it happened. I’d been chattering quietly asking Gabe questions, trying to keep him from passing out even though each word he spoke