Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“I can’t believe it.” Giddy. I’m totally giddy. “I can’t believe you actually love me back. I can’t believe this is even happening.”
“Me neither, baby.”
“It seems so unreal. How could either of us even have emotions after what we’ve been through?”
“Of course we have emotions. Emotions are what make us human. Emotion is how you know, even after having been through hell, that you are still here. You’re still alive. You’re still human. You’re still you.”
His words speak directly to my heart, and I understand. I understand.
“You’re amazing, Buck. And I love you so much.”
“I love you too. So much, Aspen.”
“Okay. Now you need to rest. You’ve made me so happy.”
“As happy as you’ve made me.”
I hold his hand up to my mouth, brush my lips over the top of it.
When I look at him again, his eyes are closed.
I won’t leave this room. Not until Buck is released this afternoon. I don’t want to let him out of my sight ever again. I know that’s not possible, but it is at least doable for the next several hours.
Luke is working, and Katelyn has joined him. Neither of them owes me anything, but I’m so happy to have them in my corner.
I’m not sure what I did to deserve any of this.
Buck’s love. Katelyn’s friendship. Luke’s…friendship, I guess.
Plus my mother and father, who I should probably call.
My father wants to help as well. He probably doesn’t have the kind of contacts that Buck and Luke have, but I know he has some from his SEAL days.
To think—I had forgotten he was a Navy SEAL.
Funny how my memory is back now.
Even the parts of it that I don’t want.
Diamond gave me Nike running shoes this time.
“Why?” I ask her
“I just do what I’m told, Garnet. But use them. Use them to the best of your ability.”
I nod. The running shoes mean only one thing. Whoever is hunting me today is as athletic as I am—probably more so.
After all, whoever it is hasn’t been through hell for the last couple years.
In truth though? I’m probably in the best shape of my life. Running from these freaks, using my brain and hiding when I can, has kept me in better shape than the most vigorous volleyball training.
Running shoes.
“I’ll need socks,” I say.
“Yes, they’re inside the shoes.”
Sure enough, balled in the toe of each shoe is an athletic ankle sock.
“Do I get anything else? Clothes?”
She shakes her head. “I’m afraid not. Just the shoes.”
Whoever is going to catch me wants me to run. He wants me to run hard. Once he captures me, he doesn’t want to be bothered with having to take off my clothes.
Great. Just great.
A few of the girls have learned to have a sense of humor about all of this.
I have not.
I envy them sometimes. Their laughter. I’m not sure I’ll ever laugh again.
“Anything else you can tell me?” I ask Diamond.
“I wish I could, Garnet. They tell me very little.”
“I can assume that whoever is going to hunt me wants a challenge,” I say. “Otherwise no shoes.”
She nods but says nothing.
“So my assumption is correct?”
“I’ve said all I can say.”
“Fine. I understand.”
“Garnet?” she says.
“Yes?”
“Run. Run hard and run fast. As fast as you fucking can.”
I widen my eyes. Diamond doesn’t normally use profanity, so she means what she says.
“I will,” I reply.
I will anyway, but now?
I really will.
An anvil lodges in my gut. No. Not now. I can’t have anything weighing me down.
I breathe in and out as slowly as I can, and though I succeed in dislodging the imaginary anvil, my heart flutters rapidly.
Adrenaline. A surge of adrenaline.
That’s what I need, and my body never fails me.
Please, don’t fail me now.
I shove my feet into the shoes quickly. I don’t bother to look around and watch Diamond drive the Jeep away.
I head to the hunting ground, armed only with running shoes, my strong body, and my wits.
No one to set me up.
No one to back me up.
This is a tropical island. The weather is never cold here. The humidity is thick, and the green foliage is abundant.
I hide as best I can, but still they find me.
They always find me.
I’ve been here a while, so I know where to find the water sources. Food is another matter. Tropical fruit is scarce. The powers that be left only a few trees that actually produce edible fruit, and of course the hunters all know where they are.
They ambush us there, knowing we eventually have to make our way there or go into starvation mode, which conserves energy. On the hunt, we need energy.
I keep my stomach full as best I can. Some of the girls don’t eat what they feed us in the dorm. I always eat everything I’m given, whether I’m hungry or not.
Because when I’m out on the hunt, no way will I go to one of the food sources unless I absolutely must.