“Aspen!”
I freeze, my heart lurches.
That’s not Roman.
It’s not Knox either.
“Who is this?” I demand, spinning in a slow circle, scanning the darkness.
“Ryker.”
Relief crashes through me.
“Ryker?” I breathe out, tired from all the running. “Please, please, I need to do this. I have to—”
“We have a plan!” he shouts over the static. “Knox talked to Dante!”
I stumble, nearly dropping the radio.
“You.” Tears blur my vision. “You talked with Dante?”
“Yes!” Ryker says, the connection fading in and out. “But for it to work, you need to come back, Aspen. You have to come back!”
The static grows louder, drowning him out. I can barely hear himnow, but I don’t need more words. I need to trust them. I spin on my heel and start running, lungs burning, heart pounding.
If Ryker has the radio, it means Knox and Max went to get Dante.
Maybe,
I force my legs to move faster, even as every step sends pain shooting through my injured leg. I’m so far from the river. So far from the base, I was never going to make it in one night. I needed another day at least.
Branches slap my face. Stones tear at my boots.
The woods close around me like a dark fist.
“Bitch!” The snarl comes from nowhere.
A heavy weight slams into my back, knocking the breath from my lungs.
I hit the dirt hard, a scream tearing out of me.
“Get off me!” I thrash wildly, but the man pins me down, grinding my face into the cold, damp earth.
I twist my head, catching a glimpse of his jacket, the insignia.
Roman’s men.
“We lost four good men because of you!” He growls, breath hot and foul against my ear.
“I don’t know why Roman and that bitch want you back so bad.”
My blood turns to ice.
Wait.
“What bitch?” I gasp, struggling under his weight.
He grins down at me, teeth bloody and cracked.
