Chapter 68

We slipped out from under the pontoon after what felt like forever. Believe me when I say it scared the shit out of me. Bobbing through the water, we heard nothing. Looked everywhere and saw nothing. Yet, it didn't help our paranoia. We knew they were around, looking for us. Especially in this area, which was exactly why we needed to get out now.

No matter how long we stay hidden, these assholes would outlast us. There would be comfortable eyes on and near my property for the next few days. We needed freedom and better cover. Might as well get out now; darkness would help us along with the rain shower that just began.

However, the help of night and rainfall didn't feel like shit by the time we were in the open. Emerging from the icy water, rushing up land on the tips of our feet, we were petrified. Our soaked shaking bodies were exposed, no longer hidden by water. Being in our neighbor's backyard didn't make it any better. There was no cover of trees; anyone could spot us. Anyone, at any freaking time. Knots tied in my stomach. Dread was pumping through my bones.

That's why we didn't stop. We scampered off, knowing damn well we would be seen soon enough. We at least had direction. From my time living here, I knew after a few houses down the river, forest and nature would take over. It was our best bet.

Francis and I sneakily hopped yard to yard, following close beside the river. With each yard crossed, there was a strong temptation. One born from the constant terror, knowing we could be spotted any moment. Each time we ran past a house, I wanted to run up and take refuge, get help, find safety. Or run up to the road. Unfortunately, the assholes would be prepared. Though we were vulnerable where we were, the open road was a guarantee shot to the head.

Thankfully, after each backyard, the houses became scarce. Pines, evergreens, and brush shot up in place, offering cover. To our right, instead of houses, it extended with trees among land that evened out. We became engulfed in the forest. The river to our left was even different, the current stronger, smashing against the now rocky bank.

We slowed to a walk, fear of being seen decreasing with the nature cover. The rush of water concealed our footsteps on the forest floor. The crackling rain helped. It allowed Francis and I to walk side by side without dreading every noise we made. The relief eventually encouraged us to exchange a few words. Pointless words at the moment.

"You know what you're doing, I don't," he whispered, voice reaching over the rain and river. "I'm not as good as you."

"That's why you need the gun."

"Just take it," he insisted, extending the gun for me to grab.

Waving his offer away, I glanced to him beside me. Since a few lines of trees separated us from the river bank, blackness surrounded us. Not enough to miss the peeks of light. It occasionally illuminated us and the forest floor enough to navigate through it. One beam reached his face, revealing his worried eyes.

"Keep it, trust me, I'm fine," I whispered.

His shadow shrugged. Or maybe he was just shaking like I was. Head to toe, we were soaked and freezing – and the rain would keep it that way. I clenched my jaw to stop my teeth from rattling together, droplets falling down my face.

Beyond him, my eyes darted through the woods. Ahead of us, to the right, behind us.... Scanning in search of anyone, any threat. I looked every few moments. Still, there was nobody. Then again, it was hard to see far into the dark. The rain blurred our surroundings too.

Regardless, we didn't stop. We pushed on, continuing our stride. The further away, the better. Yes, sooner or later, we must get out of the forest and back to civilization. We would have to cut away from the riverside and find a way out. A way to get help, get to permanent safety, and tell Jackson about the issue with Luke. None of that could happen unless we're confident we are far enough away from those men. So for now, we walked.

Our shoeless feet pressed into the cold Earth, slushing along the mud and grass. The rain and chilly night kept our soaked bodies numb and freezing. At least it distracted me from my cut arms and the soreness.

Then, much bigger distraction showed up. A snap of twigs echoed into the air. It was too close, too close! Stopping in place, my horror-stuck self spun towards the deep forest to my right. Francis as well. We didn't, couldn't see anyone. Another sound reached us. The crunch of footsteps... moving swiftly through the trees. Nearing us. Almost on us! Enough that when the source came into sight, he was more than a dark blob. Enough that my eyes caught him raise the gun.

Oh shit! Before he fired the gun, I yanked me and Francis aside in time. And we didn't stop, couldn't stop. Sticks broke from anxious loud stomps. "The water, go down stream!" I said, turning and rushing out from the trees. The open skies didn't matter; we were already seen. We just needed to get far away. The current, the crashing water, it would help. It had to.

Another shot. More people. Shouts. I sprung along the large rocks of the bank, jumping into the shallow water. Seem familiar folks? Trust me, it was – and just as cold. Just as scary! The difference was the rough terrain fucking hurt! The current was quick. I could hear Francis behind me, grunting along with me at the sharpness of the rocks we ran over.

Sprinting out into the middle of the river, the water was only up to my thighs. It was deep enough and I leapt into the current. Letting it swallow my body, it pulled me along. I used my battered knees to push along the rough rock bottom, going faster with the current. My arms assisted on the surface. The rain kicked up the river water, droplets hitting my face. It forced me to blink and squint when I looked forward. Through the haze, the sight I was swiftly nearing wasn't much better. Rocks protruded from the river. Water either glided smoothly over the tops or slammed with protest into massive boulders. This would be rough, and I was already hurting, but it was worth it. It was getting me far away.

A shot rung into the air along with a shout. It ricocheted off a rock far behind me. Scooting with the current around a boulder, another shot rang into the air. I could glance behind me. There were two men off shore. Francis reached my sight. He wasn't hit. He was a few yards behind, wading through the fast water like me.

We were swept out of range of the shooters thanks to the fast river. The rain blocked us from seeing them. It was so reassuring, my tight frozen body released a sigh. We escaped. It needed to stay that way.

Unfortunately, escaping these killers was not our only problem. The current picked up and soon turned into rapids. Fast.

Like the flick of a switch, I was dragged down a slope. The drop pulled me down, white rapids flushing over my head. The strong current heaved my flailing body along the bottom of the river. Fighting it, pushing myself up and above the water, I took a hard breath. My hair clung to my face. I quickly flung it off and could see again. My body was being propelled towards even more rocks, rapids, and drops.

Though it was getting us far, when you can't control your body, you know it's getting dangerous. Digging my heels into the bottom of the water didn't help. Standing was nearly impossible; it was at least up to my stomach or chest now. We kept going forward and further down. If that wasn't bad enough, when I spun around in the water, Francis was nowhere near me. He was way too far behind! Through the rain, I could barely make him out. If—

My back slammed into a rock, knocking the breath out of me. It was like hitting a wall, a jagged one. A jagged fucking deadly bitch! Holy shit, that fucking hurt. And it literally knocked the air out of me. Waves smashing against the rock drenched my face and open mouth trying to suck in oxygen.

It didn't come until after the current swept me away that my lungs found air. A grunt finally reached me; I could suck in a hard breath as I was facing forward again. The stunning coldness of the water made it difficult to guess if the rock punctured my skin or not. Either way, there was more to contend with. Like being able to keep breathing. Yeah, I know. Deja-vu.

The ride down the river turned violent, dropping me and pushing me down, enveloping me in the core of its speed. It forced my head under. It didn't help that the river bent to the left and changed direction, flinging me around unexpectedly under the water. Mouth and eyes clamping shut, I swam up to get a breath. Then, my body and head was swallowed again. Another mini-waterfall slope sent me under. Then again... until the strong rapids had as much power as the drops. Over and over. Up then forced down. Until staying under was all the river demanded!

The current flopped me around under the surface, flinging my limbs, body, forward and back, spinning. Somehow, I needed to find control and get air. I couldn't touch the damn bottom. I fought, I swam, and tried. When I finally got control and touched the bottom, it knocked my feet out from under me. Jesus Christ, this was getting bad. Thanks river, but I think we are far enough away by now. Let me get out of this.

Panickily swimming, fighting, it finally helped. With a painful blow to my legs, I washed over a shallow stony bed in the river. Immediately, I scrambled on my knees, gaining control and throwing my head up into the air.

Standing up, it was to my thighs. Blinking and breathing hard, I took in my surroundings. I was only a few feet away from the bank; it was a flat bed of mostly small stones. I apparently managed pushing myself out of the deep part. Thank god. Because a few feet away, the river was chaos. The rapids, the slowing rain, the water smashing into all the rocks and boulders.... It was rough, but there was at least a break in the slopes and drops. That definitely helped me recover. But where the hell was Francis?

Eyes wide, I couldn't see him. Was he still behind and up the river? He fucking better be. I needed him safe; there was no way I could allow him to get hurt again. Or worse.

Yet, that's what I came to fear. Standing there, watching the water, looking everywhere, he didn't show up. The night waters just kept flushing along. By now, he would have passed by here, right? Could he have drowned? Sinking my teeth into my cold lip, I shook my head. The thought of him getting swept away, buried under the rapids, or his head hitting a rock... it was too much.

No, no, no, he is fine. Common sense told me he was alright. If he was hurt or died, I still would have seen him come down this river and pass me. There was a reason I hadn't yet. He was either behind or he managed getting out of the rapids before I did.

We unfortunately were just split up.

Slowing my thoughts, I walked up the bank. More like hobbled. My feet burned, my arms and legs were cut and sore. Ugh, and my back... movement triggered sharp pain, making me hiss and grunt. Good thing I was taking a freaking break and watching for Francis. I was far enough down river and away from those psychos where I could spare some time and wait for him.

Struggling up the slanted bank to the tree line, my eyes did not move away from the water. Reaching the first trees, I sank down beside a massive oak. Left side of my body slumping against the bark, I stared out into the rapids. Maybe he was still upriver. Though it was rainy and dark, I should be able to see him come down the rapids. Or maybe he managed to get out and was walking along the bank. I would be here if that was the case and he needed to catch up.

He at least wasn't caught. He at least was with me when we got washed away. There was comfort knowing how unlikely it was he was caught by one of our hunters. And I was very glad I forced him to keep the gun.

I don't know how long I was sitting there, on guard and waiting. It was long enough to raise my stress level through the roof. For a long time, I sat there and stared through the rain, watching the rapids. Even when the rain quit, even when more time passed... nothing and no sign of Francis.

Eventually, I knew I needed to move along. Could he have been caught? It was doubtful. Very doubtful. We were just lost. Though I had the urge to search for him, walk back up the river where we came from, I knew better. Francis was okay. And he would find a way out. Not just because that was logic and most likely; I couldn't stand to think of any other reason why he wasn't here with me now. I had to believe he was alright.

Face and side pressed against the bark, I sighed. Straightening my sore body, I stared down at my legs outstretched before me. There were scrapes, caked mud, a few cuts. The hem of my soaked plaid pajama shorts was torn. Yep, keeping it sexy.

Reaching up, I pushed my damp hair behind my shoulder. Then, I rested a hand on the bark and boosted myself to my feet. Pain pulsed through me, rusting my joints. Over the rushing rapids and crickets, I groaned. Moving might help ease some pain – or hopefully I would become numb to it again.

Just as I turned around, facing the deep forest, I froze. By now, the rain had stopped, replaced by a clear sky and moonlight. It illuminated a few feet into the dark forest – and the man in front of me.

The stranger was leaning back against a tree, staring at me. His blue grey eyes lit in wonder and thoughtfulness. Longish dirty blonde hair parted to the side, his strands were damp near the roots (either from sweat or the river). Upon me turning around, his lips tilted up in a subtle smirk. It matched his focused yet casual manner.

"And just when I thought I could stay here and stare at you forever," he said, tilting the gun in his hand up, training it on me.

The blood drained from my face. Heart a complete disaster before it drowned. Dear god, please... no. Was as this some joke? One of these assholes actually caught up to me – and now won?! No, no, no! You have got to be kidding. After all this, I get caught now. By a man who was... admittedly attractive. I suppose that was a perk, but not fucking worth this! It turned my insides to mush; throwing up felt almost possible. That gun, this man... it was sickening, bullshit, and it was enraging!

Taking in the man, still leaning back against the tree, it didn't seem like he was ready to kill me at least. No doubt he was savoring this moment. Good. Milk it, bitch. Milk this moment... because we both knew how damn good of a fight I put up. Hell, he would be lucky if I didn't fight back by the end of this.

I closed my eyes for a long moment. The shock was nearly as strong as my horror. But I needed to remain strong. He would not get the pleasure of seeing me weak. "And just when I thought you people couldn't get any more fucking stupid," I scoffed, opening my eyes. It was true though! Staring at me, not killing me, not calling in backup... could he fail anymore at his job? I mean, let's hope so. I wasn't ready to die, I wasn't ready to stop fighting. I had to fight.

His smirk grew into a pleasurable white grin. "There's nothing like witnessing your objective up close. Off guard and vulnerable, know what I mean?" He raised a thin pointy eyebrow. "Unlike the others, I respect you."

Completely tensed up, I forced my shoulders down. My body to unlock – as much as I could bear anyway. "Good for fucking you."

I was several feet away from him; not close enough to attempt to disarm him. But I wasn't dumb enough to try to get closer right away. He had been here, watching me for who knows how long. He could have easily killed me, and he didn't. If I'm lucky, I could maybe use that in my favor. However, though he was relaxed... his eyes and the gun in his hand didn't waver. He was different, sharper than the others in my opinion. I needed to be smart and careful.

He hummed an amusing tone. "I also respect your fighting nature. I'm looking forward to being your supervisor."

Supervisor? Were we not in the woods... with him pointing a gun at me? "Supervisor? Did I get hired for something?"

"Yeah, being my money maker," he said, standing up straight without the tree for support. Gun poised, he reached down and grabbed a device hooked on his belt. "Unfortunately, our time here is limited. I need to get you back to base. But I'm looking forward to working with you."

Wow. It sounded like he wasn't going to kill me. It tempted me to try even more to get out of this. "What will we be working on?" I asked, taking a step towards him and making sure the confusion was clear on my face. Just a little closer to the gun....

"Don't start your shit," he chuckled, arm raising fully and pointing the gun at me. "Another step, I'll kill you. Those are our orders. Capture was ruled out, deemed too risky after our attempts, but the reward is still up. I'm taking it. Luck allowed you to fall into my hands. So, let's both benefit from this. Don't move, and you live."

His words challenged me. And it was a painful challenge. Compared to getting gassed, shot, drowning... what this man said was appealing. I wouldn't die. Instead, they would take me. Much better than death. Luke would even want me to give in. He taught me how to fight, how to disarm, but he would want me safe and alive if that was a possibility over death. Now, it was.

As the man communicated into the walkie-talkie, updating his fellow assholes, my mind was racing. My heart racing as fast. I wasn't ready to die. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to this world and Luke. I should give in. I should let them take me. But... I just couldn't bear the thought. I couldn't handle knowing I failed after all our hard work. The worse part... was I would be failing like a fucking loser.

They found me, caught me, after all this time.... Not from tackling me, shooting me down. Not from fighting, blood, and bullets. They caught me and I failed... while on my ass, sitting by a river. Hell the fuck no. "Sitting on Ass" was not going on my headstone. Sorry folks, it wasn't. No matter how risky this would be, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if this is how we lose.

For how awfully terrified I was, praying I get out of this, I couldn't just go down like this. I would have to try. I would have to disarm this man. The heartbreaking part was I might not be able to. But I had to try. I had to somehow catch him off guard. It started with forcing a few tears to well up in my eyes. Honestly, it wasn't that difficult.

The man finished giving his fellow assholes the news, tucking away the talkie. Apparently, they had each other's location from a tracking device they all had. So, all we had to do was stay here and wait for them to arrive. Wonderful. It gave me even less time to do this.

His gun still didn't waver, zeroed in on my watery eyes with professionalism in his gaze. "I didn't take you as a crier."

"I don't cry."

He offered a small smile. How can I get closer to him? Any step, he would kill me. Never mind his casualness. Gun ready, he was at full attention. He probably assumed I would fight.

Could I snap forward and do it from here? Or could I 'accidently' move closer? "I thought we had a shot," I said, making my voice break.

"You are not living up to my expectations," he noted.

I rolled my eyes, body sagging. "Sorry. Living as a slave sounds wonderful." I scratched my head, taking a small step closer to shift my weight. He noticed but didn't seem to think much of it. Any more though would wave a red flag. I needed to do it from here. Wish me luck, guys. "What's going to happen after you and the army of fucktards haul me away?"

"You'll be process—"

Hurling my hand up, I threw my body to the side and gripped the gun muzzle. Immediately, it went off. He pulled the trigger before I could slap his arm. BANG. A second off, it would have hit me. Instead, it traumatized my ear, bullet zipping past my face by a few inches.

The ringing sound was intense, but I wasn't done. Hand still on the gun, I slammed my fist into his arm, forcing him to let go of the gun. I got it! But at the same time, he jutted his free hand up. Gripping my hair, he shoved me backwards, sending me tumbling down closer to the water. Snagging his shirt, I took him with me. The gun was dropped, sliding down towards the bank with us. We rolled onto the bank, stones ramming into my side. The bigger rocks were scattered so it didn't hurt too bad. Nature harming me was not the issue though.

Over the loud ringing sound, I heard faint laughter. Heard him scramble with me in desperation to win. "That's unfortunately more of what I expected."

I lifted myself, raising from my knees. Before I could get up, find the gun, fight him... he towered over me. He pressed his boot against my chest and shoved me down. The back of my head hit the rough stony bank, making me groan. Then, he lowered himself, and pressed his knee to my chest. Staring up towards the night sky, I took in his face above mine. Then, his fist. Winding back, he jammed his knuckles into the side of my head, below my ear.

"Ugahhh," I cried, exclaiming in pain. His fist was worse than my back hitting that boulder! My damn head, oh lord! It colored my vision with black spots. There was an irony taste in my mouth. It took me over, but I couldn't allow it! He would kill me.

I fought under him. My hands reached up, tried knocking his leg away. Digging into him, hitting him, he just smirked. As if in admiration. His weight over me was too much. He glanced around, sighing. "Now, you lost my gun."

"Go look for it," I hissed, tasting a tinge of blood.

He snorted, eyes searching. I continued fighting, trying to get out from under him. My hands scoured the ground. Then, I found my way. Fingers finding the shape of a sharp rock, I snagged it and plunged it into his knee.

"Fuck!" he immediately jumped. He didn't move off me, but he did shift his legs back and away. Fury and fire lit his reddening face under the moonlight. Hand grabbing my neck, his other slammed my arm with the stone into the ground. "I do thank you for allowing me this night. For meeting you, you bitch," he said, fingers tightening around my neck. The rest of his body flattened against me, using all his weight to pin me down. "It was a pleasure."

His grip held the power of my world. Squeezing, feeling his nails, it made me jolt and jerk. My throat was constricted, and unlike with the gas, this would kill me faster! Oh god. Staring up into his face, I struggled, I fought. Oh god, no!

Then, I remembered. The memory, the lesson from all those years back, snapped into my head. Luke showed me how to get out of this exact position.

Though it was years ago, I didn't forget. I remembered and did it several times since he taught me. Some were good, some escape attempts bad. Now was the most crucial time. It started with making sure his hand on my neck couldn't leave.

Please work! Raising both hands, I cupped below his elbow. My other gripped his wrist. Forcing his arm to stay extended, my leg shot out. Tried wrapping it around his left one. He began fighting against me, but I couldn't let him. Come on, come on! I managed to drag his leg in tight. Before he could ruin this, I lifted my hips. Left arm and leg trapped, he lost his balance. I pushed up, encouraging it. He tilted over and I threw my weight into it. Then, un-freaking-believably, I rolled him over and was on top of him!

Shit yeah, I did it – and I had the advantage. His hand broke away when I sat up over him. I had the power and wasn't wasting any time. I fought, I needed to win, almost there! Sucking in a hard breath, I slugged him in the jaw before jumping off. My wide eyes darted to where I saw the gun fell earlier. Yes! Still there! Rushing to my feet, I grabbed the gun, turned as he began getting up, and fired.

The bullet ripped through his shirt, penetrating his chest. Blood seeped, his rough gasp drowned out by the rapids. He buckled, landing on his back only a few feet away. The man's eyes grew glassy and distant.

Because of a miracle (or me continuing to be a badass), I survived. My luck would eventually run out though. There was no time to think. No time to ponder what happened, what I did, or how shocked I was. Every piece of shit after me tonight was heading here, thinking I was captured. If I didn't haul ass, I would be dead.

Tossing myself back into the river was tempting. Not worth the risk though. I would have to rely on ground, which was what I did. I booked it into the trees. From there... it became a rush. A blur.

I ran and ran, moving away from the river and deeper into the woods. Not stopping. It all became a daze. Dodging the dark shadows of trees, I continued running. I didn't slow until I felt safe enough. Until I felt far away again. By the time that happened, and my shaky legs readjusted to walk, the darkness slowly faded.

Within the towering trees, my surroundings became more visible as I walked. Dawn was coming. Full daylight would expose me again if anyone is around. Before that occurs, I needed to find some way out of here. After fleeing these dipshits, it became my next step. It sure wasn't easy.

Walking through the woods with no direction, no clue where I needed to go, it took its toll. I was hurt, freezing, uncomfortable, and afraid. For all I knew, I was walking deeper into the wilderness. That's why when I stumbled along a gradual incline in the land, I took it. Uphill hopefully meant something good.

Dragging my feet, ready to just give up, my sore straining eyes stayed ahead. The new day brought a blue hue to everything, including the maze of trees before me. It extended with no end it seemed... until my exhausted gaze reached something that made me stop in my tracks. Up more, through the dense trees, there was an opening. Therefore, maybe a way out? Maybe a road? My pace picked up as I moved up the gradual incline.

Stopping within a few trees before the opening, I could finally take a breath of relief. Yards ahead of me, the incline stopped. There was a large backyard, and beyond that, a house! A god damn awesome wonderful house! I wanted to sag in victory; just when I started to think I would never make it.... Now, I was staring at the back of a two-story brick home. It was perched on a large plot of land that flattened, ending my uphill hike.

A flower bed wrapped around the house, adding color to the dark blue morning. The back of the house had a deck and chairs, looking out to their large backyard. It was finely groomed – and I would happily race up this lovely grass and get help. There was also a lot of free space to the right of the house. Their property extended and supported a pole-barn. It faced the house on an angle.

Instinctively moving to the right, wanting to see the front of the house if I could, I didn't get the chance. Peering, squinting ahead, my guard was down. My heart was only full of joy, believing I was safe. After all, how many times in one night can you feel doomed?

Apparently, one more. Feeling a sudden jolt, a quick arm swiping me from behind, the sudden eruption of peace made me yelp. I bucked and struggled. When would this shit ever fucking end?! How could there be two dumbasses in a row who just didn't shoot me immediately?! I would take it at this point!

The strong arm around my stomach pinned me to the man's chest. Simultaneously, his other hand snatched the gun from me. I was just done, I was finished! My sore body just wanted to give up and cry! But I kicked and jostled, trying to escape.

"Albany," the voice grunted. With the gun out of my hand, the person let me go. I jumped, pushed away, and spun around. Only to have the sweet relief of his sad eyes near me, extending a hand of support. "It's alright, it's okay, it's me. I'm sorry," he whispered.

Shaking, tripping over a branch as I backed away, my chest heaved and sucked a huge gust of air into my lungs. Francis, Francis, Francis, thank god! Coming closer with sorry eyes, each step taken with a trembling body, he pursed his lips. His smooth face was pale, hair slightly damp with droplets dried on his glasses. He was okay and he was here.

Extending a hand down to me, I grabbed it and he helped me up. Groaning along with me from our painfully sore bodies. When I was on my feet, breathing hard, I just shook my head. "Where did you go? What happened?"

He pursed his lips and pulled me in for a hug. Immediately, my shoulders slumped, body not hanging on edge. "I was dragged down the river and when I finally came up, you were gone. I managed getting out and running on land, following the river. I tried finding you, but—"

"It's okay, it's alright, we're here." Grabbing his arms, I moved back, staring up into his eyes. "You didn't need to scare me though."

He sighed. "You had a gun in your hand. With how shook up you were, and its still kind of dark, I wasn't comfortable just walking towards you." Confusion suddenly hit him. "Wait, how do you have a gun? Did you find the one you gave me?"

"What do you mean? You lost yours?"

"Hey, sorry I was a little busy fighting for my life in the rapids of death," he whispered with a scowl.

"Well, I'll tell you how I got this one later. Right now, we need to get help," I said, walking up from the trees towards the backyard. That grass is going to feel fucking amazing under my feet.

"They aren't home," he said, grabbing by arm.

"How would you know?"

"I tried! Before you got here, I ran up, started pounding on the door. Nobody answered. There are no other houses around here – and you better believe I wasn't going to walk down the road in the open. I started hearing noises and hid in the barn. When I looked out, I saw it was you."

Great. Of course, nobody would be home. That was our luck. Then again, I guess it only meant we wouldn't have to explain ourselves. "Alright, hurry up," I said, shaking my arm from him. Jogging up through the heavenly soft grass, Francis followed. I was not liking how bright the sky was getting. Lord knows we could have already been spotted.

"What are you doing?" I heard from behind me.

"What do you think?" We raced up to the house. My eyes were set on a window. It was low enough, big enough. I also noticed the chairs on the deck were metal, which could shatter it. "We're breaking in."

***

"Yeah, I went outside and checked. The address is 7102. I don't know the road; not worth checking. I can tell you one thing though. It's a house in the middle of fucking nowhere," Francis said into the receiver of the telephone. He was leaning his back in front of the sink. The morning sunlight filtered in through the kitchen window, casting his shadow onto the linoleum floor. Listening to Jackson's response, he ran a hand through his hair.

"Remember, don't tell him about Luke yet," I mumbled from where I was on the barstool, staring at him across the counter and into the kitchen. One hand was occupied with an ice pack, pressing it to the back of my head. My other lifted the fork with the heated-up beef tips to my mouth.

Glancing up to his left to me, I caught his gaze. He nodded as he continued into the phone. "I'm fine. Got banged up, nothing bad. Albany though...." Walking around the long bar counter and coming up behind me, he brushed my hair aside to look at my back. "She's hurt."

I rolled my eyes, dropping my fork and turning. Wincing, I snagged the phone from him and pressed it against the side of my face. The side not currently throbbing in pain, of course. "Jackson, I'm fine."

"I don't want to hear your tough-guy shit you gave me earlier," came his voice in warning through the speaker. As he continued, he soon faulted into worry. "He said you are hurt. Where?"

My eyebrows lowered in consideration. Not minutes ago, I was on the phone with him, telling him I was fine. When I dialed him up and told Jackson what happened, the first thing he wanted to know was if I was okay. While I should be annoyed at his persistence... I didn't mind hearing his repeated concern. I didn't mind that it went in one ear and out his other. I didn't mind that he had Francis give the phone back to me. I liked that he was just that worried. Which really tells you something because it's not like I was warming up to dearest dad. It just... felt nice and made me feel more human. More mentally here. And that was hard to tap into at the moment.

"Yeah, like I told you, don't worry. I just hit my back – and took a wicked punch to the face. But, I'm really okay."

"Yeah because damaging your head doesn't matter," he mumbled in sarcasm. Louder, he continued. "So, you're sure you're fine? I'm already driving."

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sitting here with an ice pack, praying these people don't come home at any second. Hey, make sure nobody is following you. Make sure," I pushed, eyes closing at the wave of pain that echoed through my back into my cut arms.

"Why would they know where I am?"

Because they know where we were, where Luke is, and they would know where you live. It wouldn't be until after Jackson gets here that we could tell him though. It was tempting, but this wasn't a private phone we were speaking over. For all we knew, they could tap into this phone. If they could, they didn't need to know we were aware of them watching Luke. Though we gave the address to the house we broke into to Jackson, he would be here soon. Who knows how or when we would be able to get Luke out without them following him.

"They just might, trust me," I mumbled, opening my eyes as Francis rounded back into the kitchen, resting his hands against the counter across from me.

"Alright, just stay there and keep that gun close. Don't do anything fucking retarded."

A few moments later, the phone call with Jackson ended. Now, all we had to do was wait. Moving the ice pack to the back of my head more, wincing, I picked my fork back up and took another bite. Glancing up to Francis across from me, he just stared at me with an amused smile, eyebrows raised.

"What?" I asked after swallowing.

"Nothing. It's just after all this time... I didn't think you would be so comfortable breaking into someone's house. And be such a natural," he teased.

"Someone clearly don't remember I used to do this a lot," I chuckled. Being a wild-one along with homeless for a while... there were several instances of when I broke into people's homes or cars. Stole anything I needed, mostly money. Of course, in the past, I was much more discrete. I would break in using many methods; screwdrivers, knives, cards of any kind.... None of that was available for this though. Considering this was a life-or-death night, I was willing to do anything to get into this damn house.

Even though I was in the house with Jackson on his way, nothing processed. Including not what this would all mean. Not my feelings. I couldn't comprehend the future or the awful reality this attack did to us. I didn't think about tomorrow. Or where the hell we could go and be safe. It didn't cross my mind.  All I was focused on was the immediate second I lived in.

I was alive, I was fine. Luke would be fine and alive too because we somehow would find a way to get him out.  And Jackson was on his way... before he eventually pulled into the driveway.

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Hey guys, I am posting this chapter in hope it's a good one! I wanted to put more in and wrap the chapter up in a more exciting better way, because you know Luke needs to get involved with what's going on ;) Though Albany isn't thinking about the future, this will cause a ton of changes. What do you think this attack and discovery of them will mean?

 I am going out of town for the next week so the next chapter may be slightly late. Trust me though, I'm excited to write the next one! Thank you so much for reading :D