Page 28 of Rogue Voice
“Trust me,” he said. “I’ve got this.”
She found shedidtrust him. And it was good, to feel that she could place her trust in someone else. Whatever his reasons, even if all he wanted was her money, he was taking her out of here. He was offering her a new chance at life, and she had no choice but to trust him.
Rogue fished in his backpack and brought out a length of rope, which he tied around the banister. It had little loops tied along the middle.
Of course he has rope.
“Place one foot inside here. Your hand there. I will lower you down.”
“Just like that?” she asked, her voice thready.
“Just like that. Trust me, Bea. I swear I won’t let you fall.”
He could.He could let you fall, then take the diamonds and run.But she knew, somehow, that he wouldn’t do that. He’d said he’d take her away from here, and she believed him.
Bea let go of the ledge. There was a moment where she swung in the air precariously but, before she had a chance to get too scared, she felt her body being lowered down. Soon, her feet touched the gravel below. Then Rogue was there, pulling her towards the trees.
She strained against his hold.
“The cars are there,” she hissed, pointing to the garage.
“We’re not taking a car,” he said. “We’re walking out.”
“Walking? Are you insane?” Hell, there was every chance her uncle could catch up with them, anyway. But on foot, he’d catch them that much quicker.
“Trust me,” he said. Those words, again, spoken in a tone so soft, she had no choice but to do exactly that.
He seemed to know where to go—selected the darkest areas, with the thickest branches. Once, he pulled her to the ground and covered her with his own body. Moments later, a pair of guards walked by. She didn’t know their names, but then, why would she, when her uncle made sure to keep her away from anyone and everyone. They were young, and held their rifles close to their body, in a way that made her think they might not know what to do with them if the time came to use them. Not that she wanted to test that hypothesis.
Her heart beat hard inside her chest.
“It’s okay,” Rogue said. “They’re gone.”
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” she asked. Her uncle’s hacienda was vast. They could spend all night circling, then find themselves back in the house come morning. Where her uncle would shoot them both dead.
“I’m sure,” he said. Then his voice softened. He showed her the thick black watch on his wrist. “Look at the compass. Iwanted to circle a bit, to get far from the house, but we’ll head straight out from now on. South-west.”
A few minutes later, the wall of the hacienda confirmed his words.
We made it, one part of her celebrated.Don’t be an idiot, another part of her said.You can still die. If your uncle decides to check in on you, if he goes looking for Rogue—the night is young and there are so many ways to die.
“Come on,” Rogue said. He’d gone down on one knee, holding his hands out like a stirrup. “I’ll push you up onto the wall.”
She did, imagining he was a groom helping her onto a horse and jumped up; she almost fell off the other side. She gripped the wall, an inelegant mass of limbs, holding on as tight as she could, until Rogue pulled himself up beside her. Unlike her, he didn’t seem to have any difficulty keeping his balance.
“Ready to jump?”
Bea wasn’t a fan of heights, but even she could tell this fall wouldn’t hurt her. And she didn’t want to appear weaker than she already did—didn’t want him to rethink his decision to bring her along. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—go back. She gritted her teeth and nodded. “Say when.”
“When,” Rogue said softly, and jumped, keeping his hand tight around hers.
Bea felt herself fly through the air. They landed on their feet, and Rogue immediately pushed her forward into a run. He brought out a small torch and twisted it until it shone in the dimmest setting. Bea wished he’d thought of bringing one for her as well, but she didn’t complain.
This, at least, was something Bea could do. She loved running. For a moment, she thought she might be able to give Rogue a run for his money, except who was she kidding. They ran and ran; the man didn’t even break a sweat. When Beacouldn’t run anymore, they walked. Every so often, Rogue tried to make small talk with her.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Somewhere that’s not here,” she replied, puffing. “Anywhere. Wherever you’re going.”
