Chapter 7 - The Stranger in the Woods
The gunfire was deafening. Caroline screamed, returning fire at the tactical unit, but she was outgunned. She took a hit to the shoulder and went down, dropping her rifle.
David grabbed my arm. “We have to move. Now!”
We bolted toward the dense woods, abandoning the SUV. We ran blindly through the briars and the mud, the shouts of the mercenaries echoing behind us. My lungs burned, and my legs felt like lead, but I gripped the ledger tightly.
Suddenly, a hand clamped over my mouth from behind, dragging me into a thick patch of evergreen brush. David spun around, raising his pistol, but another figure kicked the gun out of his hand, pinning him against a tree.
“Quiet!” a harsh, deep voice commanded in my ear.
I struggled, biting the hand over my mouth.
“Elena, stop!” the man hissed.
He slowly let go and stepped back, keeping a low profile as the mercenaries ran past our hiding spot, searching the woods.
I looked at our captor. He was tall, his face scarred and hardened by years of violence. He wore a heavy canvas jacket and held a suppressed combat pistol. But his eyes... they were the same shape as mine.
He looked at me, a complex wave of emotion washing over his cold features.
May you like
“Toby?” I whispered, the name catching in my throat.
The man lowered his weapon. “It’s been a long time, little sister.”
