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Chapter Thirty-Five
Ariella
I trembled as I lay against the grass. I’d have covered myself with branches if that had been possible.
Gunfire erupted in the distance.
My eyes slammed shut.
Silently, I prayed Jaxson was safe and that he was all right.
The Kevlar vest felt tight, constricting. I gasped for breath, finding it impossible to breathe like I was suffocating.
Footsteps hurried through the grass in my direction.
I’d only heard one bullet.
Who’d been shot?
Was Jaxson safe?
What about Jayden?
My eyes remained shut, afraid that Sergio had survived and was gunning me down next.
Worried that he might see the whites of my eyes glinting in the moonlight, I buried my head. My hair fell around my face.
Fear didn’t begin to explain the horror that flowed through my veins and pumped adrenaline to my heart.
Heavy footsteps smacked the ground.
Whoever it was didn’t attempt to conceal their identity.
Why would they? It was over for them. Was it over for me?
The hurried steps came closer. “You’re okay.” Jaxson’s voice was music to my ears, and I glanced up, making sure what I saw was real.
“I heard a gunshot.” My bottom lip trembled.
Jaxson bent down and guided me to my feet. His arm stayed secure around me, his gaze glancing me over.
The adrenaline didn’t cease to exist anymore than it had minutes earlier. My body was racked with shivers, tremors that encompassed me from head to toe.
It wasn’t a seizure. No, this was normal when the spikes of norepinephrine beat me at my own game: life.
His brow furrowed. “Jayden, give me a hand.” Jaxson handed Jayden the gun that had been slung over his shoulder earlier.
Jaxson lifted me into his arms, cradling me.
“What are you doing?” I asked. I didn’t fight him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me, his arms tucked under my legs.
He didn’t appear to struggle in the least, but I couldn’t have been easy to carry through the forest.
“You’re not wearing shoes, you’re visibly shaking, and I can’t in good conscious let you walk back to the truck. It’s at least a mile away,” Jaxson said.
Jayden walked ahead of us a few feet. Whether he was giving us our privacy or keeping to himself, I didn’t know and didn’t care.
“Thank you,” I whispered, exhaling a soft breath. My head leaned against his chest.