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He moved closer, and when he did, she could see he held an autoainst her, his gaze was still trained on the distance, watching, observing, never once looking down at her

"We’ve got a problem," he age It’s too dangerous You could be hurt or killed I’ve told my men to stay put where they are You and I will find an alternate route to where they are"

"Cut off how?"

"There arefor you and they’re in between our position and where my men found cover for us I sent them ahead to find a place where you could rest and hopefully heal enough that we couldher lifted and she fought through the ghosts battling for control She turned, searching out his profile in the darkness Maybe he felt her gaze or it could be a coincidence that he looked down at the same moment

"I can make it," she said

He shook his head "You’re not in a good way, Grace I won’t risk you"

She pushed herself up to her elbow, ignoring the pain the movement caused "I want out of here You say you’re not one of them Okay, I believe you So I want as far away fro you can do to me can be worse than what’s already been done I can make it"

"I can’t carry you," he said softly "If it weren’t just you and me, I could take you like I did before But I have to have my hands free to protect you, which means you have to walk"

"I can do it"

There was a fierce edge to her voice that reflected strength she didn’t have It didn’t th The will If her choices were staying here and risking capture or crawling off the damn mountain, she’d do it on her hands and knees the entire way

"Then we leave now and go through the night It’s not going to be easy"

She reached up and put her hand on his ariving her just a sath he possessed

"I won’t die here and I won’t let them take me back"

Rio put his hand over hers and curled her s to die at all"

A tiny beacon of hope warmed her insides There was such conviction in his voice It sounded like rabbed hold of that proe yet?" he asked

She glanced down at her arersy, her fi, waiting for the pain to shoot up to her elbow Her fingers were stiff, but the pain had subsided to a dull ache She wouldn’t know about her ribs until she atteet up

"It’s better," she said, not caring if it was a lie It was her turn to give hioing to go down We’re going to ether You stay on my six no matter what"

"Your six?"

"My back You stay behind h the belt loop of o too fast and I’ll be careful If I tell you to get down, you drop No hesitation If I tell you to run, you haul ass Whatever I tell you to do, you are to do without question and without hesitation Understood?"

"Yes"

"We’ll rendezvous with er than it will the to have to cover round than us and do it double time so they can provide cover for us as soon as possible"

She had a thousand questions but she knew the only thing that et as far away fro herself mentally for the ordeal ahead

First she took stock of herwas easier even if still painful Her arer, as if the break was already er because she was so weakened, but she was gratified that even the few hours of rest had begun the healing process If only her mind worked like her body

She forced the weariness from her clouded mind and carefully pushed herself upward Rio didn’t help her, and perhaps he wanted to see how she would do on her own Or perhaps he just wanted to prepare her for how difficult the upco to be

While he eradicated all signs of their presence from the campsite, she pulled herself to her feet and sucked in deep breaths of the crisp air

Her legs trembled and the weakness in her pissed her off She curled her unbound hand into a tight fist and planted her feet fir to allow her knees to buckle

She could do this She would do this

"Ready?"

His voice was low and husky next to her ear She turned to see that he’d secured his pack to his back and stood a foot away fro her ability to make it

"I’m ready"

He reached for her hand and pressed the stock of a pistol into her palm "It’s loaded Here’s the safety If worse co"

Her hand shook as she pulled the gun back She looked down, not having any clue where to put it Rio gently took it from her, turned around and slipped it into a leather holster attached to his pants a er through his belt loop Then he h the loop and took a step forward, wanting to be as close as possible without hindering his forward progress There were no words for howthis

Her body screamed at her for mercy She needed rest She was at her limit--beyond her limit She had been for some time But she couldn’t stop now She had no choice It was do or die, and she didn’t want to die noin

" th1em">I can do this, Rio," she said in a

low voice