Total pages in book: 215
Estimated words: 217988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1090(@200wpm)___ 872(@250wpm)___ 727(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217988 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1090(@200wpm)___ 872(@250wpm)___ 727(@300wpm)
And it hurt.
Fuck, it hurt worse than any training session he’d suffered through with his mentor. Worse than any knife wound or bullet piercing his flesh.
This . . . this was the greatest pain he could ever feel.
Opening his eyes, he glanced over at Brody. He was eyeing Autumn worriedly. Then he raised his gaze to the Fox’s.
Brody sighed and placed his hand on Autumn’s back. “It will be all right.”
He hoped so.
It had to be.
“Stay with me,” he told Brody. “We have to move quietly and carefully. You have the bag?”
Brody nodded, looking nervous but determined.
It wasn’t until they were outside, with Brody moving behind him, that he started to feel the wetness on his chest.
She was crying and he couldn’t say or do anything to comfort her. Instead, he had to keep an eye on their surroundings, ensure that Brody stayed close and that they remained unseen. He kept one hand free so he could defend them if he needed to. It felt like eyes were watching them but he wasn’t sure if that was his imagination or not.
He got to his truck and handed Autumn to Brody while he quickly checked to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with.
“Okay, get in the back, but climb into the footwell so no one can see you. Just in case.”
Brody nodded and handed Autumn back to him while he got in, crouching down. She whimpered as he passed her down to the other man. It was squished and he fucking hated making them do this.
But he couldn’t be too careful. Heading to the driver’s seat, he drove them out from where he’d parked between the trees in the local park.
He could hear Brody whispering to her, comforting her.
It should be him.
What would he say, though? How would he help her?
He felt so fucking helpless and he hated it. So, he did what he knew how to do, and he kept them safe.
If all else failed, he’d just keep doing that.
But was it enough?
Hell. Who was he kidding? Of course it would be enough. He was the Fox!
After the third vehicle change, she was feeling exhausted. Zoned out. The tears had long ago dried up.
What was the big deal? So there was a threat, and she’d had to leave everything she knew.
She had Brody.
She had Freddy Fox.
And the actual Fox. Of course, she wasn’t letting herself feel anything toward him right now. Feeling things hurt too much when she didn’t know if he’d disappear again.
Maybe if he tells me what I did wrong, I can be sure not to do it again.
Stop it. Fuck.
Everyone she loved was safe. She had to be thankful and not be a complete emotional idiot about all of this.
Had Brody remembered some of her sweatsuits? For a while there, she’d stopped wearing them. Had felt more comfortable in the things Brody and the Fox had bought her. But in the weeks since the Fox drew back from them, she’d started wearing them again.
She tugged the sleeves of the top she was wearing over her hands. The feeling of ants crawling across her skin made her shiver.
“You cold, sweetie?” Brody asked.
She leaned her head against his upper arm. At least they could now sit up out of the footwell.
“I’m okay. You?”
“Doing all right.” He kissed the top of her head.
“Here we are,” the Fox said. He’d been silent on the drive except for when he had to tell them what to do.
What did he mean, here they were? This seemed to be the middle of nowhere. A dirt road in the woods. Then he did something on his phone and a metal door appeared before them. Whatever had been covering it rolled up. The door then moved and he drove them into a small room.
Oh no. Oh no.
She had a bad feeling about this. Her breath came in sharp pants. It was better lit in here so she could see the shock on Brody’s face as he looked around. Then there was excitement as they started to drop.
Of course Brody would like this.
But for her . . . it was a nightmare.
Maybe they weren’t going underground. Perhaps this was like the other times they’d had to move around from car to car. There would be another car and they’d drive out through a tunnel.
Soon, she wouldn’t be underground.
Trapped.
Deep breath in. Let it out.
She wasn’t being kidnapped. Or held against her will. She was with Brody and the Fox.
She was safe.
Still, she kept her eyes closed, leaning into Brody.
“Sweetie. We’re here.”
Nodding, she opened her eyes, staring around a large garage filled with vehicles.
Maybe just the garage was underground and they’d go up now. She followed Brody out. The Fox was moving ahead of them, holding their bag. She held Freddy Fox close with one hand, clinging to Brody’s hand with the other.