As he walked past a truck, his heart paused briefly in his chest when an older man looked right at him.
If I’m going to get fucked over, this is it.
The guy merely nodded, and Gripp grunted and kept walking, not letting his relief show. He’d just had an important question answered … the guys in charge didn’t know the faces of all the men they commanded.
He headed for an area where a group of boys were breaking down rocks. He felt for them as the afternoon sun blazed on them as they worked. Gripp had been doing the exact same thing only a few days before.
Gripp cast his eyes over the nearby chain of people moving into the mountain. He didn’t know what they had done to April … if they had forced her into the mines or not.
“Hey, mister,” came a high voice. Gripp almost jumped but controlled himself just in time.
“Kid, what do you want?” he growled.
The little guy was obviously a runner, picked out to carry messages between commanders at the camp. “You’re not like the others,” the kid said.
Gripp glowered at him. “Oh, yeah? You want to find out?”
The kid scuttled back a few steps. “I just … I thought you might be here to help the nice lady.”
“Nice lady?”
“Yeah. The one with pretty gold hair. She’s in the shed over that way.” The kid pointed between some nearby buildings.
Gripp felt relief flooding through him. “Thanks, kid.”
“I knew you weren’t like the others. You don’t even have a gun.”
Gripp muttered to himself as the kid ran away. He marched decisively toward the nearby buildings, hoping that no one else noticed he was unarmed. It was only a matter of time until someone called him out, and he had to find April before then.
When he got close to the small structure behind all the main buildings, Gripp noted a lot of males coming and going. They were pointing at each other and yelling. As he got closer, he realized what was going on, and his heart fell.
“How did she escape?”
“Fuck, if I know. The chair’s been fucking splintered.”
“Find her!”
Gripp headed away from them and circled back behind the shed. The narrow window was open. Even though it appeared too small for someone to have climbed through, there were a few long, blonde hairs caught on the sill.
Gripp turned and ran into the bushes. There was not much of a trail, but he did find the odd sign she had passed through. There was something about her scent that caught his attention, a hook that drew him forward until he reached an orchard.
“April?” he called. Her scent was still strong, but the trail ended. She had to be nearby. “I’ve come to help you,” Gripp called as loudly as he dared. “April, are you here?”
There was the faintest rustle above his head, and then something fell on top of him. He went down on his knees as the pressure shoved him down. Immediately, he tucked and rolled, feeling the person … if that’s what it was … flipping off him to land on the ground.
As he sprang to his feet, he saw the other figure doing the same. The flash of blonde hair was unmistakable.
“April?” he called. The only answer was a loud growl as she rushed him.
Gripp sighed, getting his hands up. He intended to deflect her blows and subdue her, but she was so fast that he could barely defend himself against her.
“Stop!” he yelled, backing up as he blocked blow after blow. “I’m here to help you.”
“Likely story,” she said, her voice a hushed whisper. She threw up her hands, making him grab her wrists to block, then she flipped, jumping from the ground to spring off his chest and kick him in the chin as she launched herself backward.
To his amazement, she landed neatly on the balls of her feet, then rushed him again. Gripp could barely block each hit as she went for his face, ribs, and knees.
As he threw one arm up to block her fist, she came at him with her legs, smashing him in the ribs. He tried to grab her hand, and she twisted, getting him across the cheek with a swift chop from her other hand. As she spun at him again, she let out a guttural growl of determination.
