Page 15 of Hunted (Desert Island Duet #2)

“That sound,” I say, lifting my arm and pointing at the helicopter.

“Holy shit!” Bower yells, jumping to his feet.

“Is it more mercenaries?” Kingsley asks .

“Fuck, what do we do? Are they friend or foe?” Bower asks, whirling around to face us.

Reece and Weston exchange worried glances before they nod at each other and spring into action.

Weston runs off towards the dead mercenary lying on the ground. So that must have been the second gunshot I heard, one of my guys must have taken his gun and killed him.

Weston picks up the pistol as Bower hooks his arms under me, making me hiss.

“Sorry, sorry!” he says as Reece keeps pressure on my front and back. “I’m going to lift you and move you behind the pile of wood, so we have some cover.”

I grip Bower’s arm tightly, needing to feel something other than the pain. “Bower?” He looks down at me with fear and worry written all over his face. “I’m scared,” I whisper, my fingers digging in even further.

A minute ago, I was ready to die. But if more mercenaries show up, what are the chances my guys all get away uninjured… again? I can deal with my own death, but not with theirs.

“Me too.” He bends down and gives me a quick kiss before resting his forehead on mine. “I love you, Tink.”

“I love you, too,” I whisper, my voice cracking on the last word.

“Incoming!” Weston yells.

“Hold tight, Tink.” Bower slowly stands, the movement making me cry out in pain. “I know, I know,” he whispers, as the three of us quickly move around to the other side of the woodpile .

I look back up at the sky and get a final glimpse of the chopper flying towards us. My eyes widen in fear, and I silently pray that none of us get hurt.

Looking back at the beach, I watch Kingsley follow Weston to the edge of the jungle where they turn and wait, before I’m moved out of sight.

The three of us sit back down, Bower holding me against him as Reece continues to hold pressure on my wounds. We listen in silence as the whoomp whoomp of the chopper blades grows steadily louder. The only thing louder is the beating of Bower’s heart where my ear lays against his chest.

My own heartbeat tries to match his speed as the chopper gets closer and closer, constantly feeling like it’s about to fly over our heads.

A loud thud sounds somewhere down the beach, then the sound of the blades starts to slow.

They’ve landed.

I grip Bower’s shirt in fear, and my wide eyes meet his. What’s going to happen now? We’re like sitting ducks if they find us here.

Everything seems impossibly quiet when we hear a man call out, “Mr. Benson?”

I turn my wide eyes to Reece as his head whips in the direction of the voice, as if he can see him through the pile of wood. But he doesn't move.

“Mr. Maurice Benson? I believe you may be in need of a lift, sir?”

Reece turns to us as a smile splits his face. “It’s Arnold, my assistant!”

“Fuck, you need to give that guy a raise!” Bower says, seeming to lose some of his tension.

Reece huffs out a laugh as he looks down at his hands on me. “I need to take a look, make sure he’s not being held at gunpoint or something, but I can’t let go. ”

“Hold on, I’ll put her down.” Bower slowly lowers me to the sand, then takes the shirts from Reece, allowing him to stand up and move to the edge of the woodpile.

He peeks around and watches for a full minute before he slowly steps out. “Arnold?”

“Sir! Thank goodness! Are you okay?”

Reece moves out of our sightline, but we hear their conversation. My head starts to get dizzy as I strain to hear what they’re saying.

“Who’s with you?”

“I’m insulted you don't recognize me,” a new voice pitches in, sounding amused.

“Fuck, Slade, am I ever glad to see your ugly mug!”

“What the fuck happened to your chopper? Did it explode?”

“Yeah, but we’re in a bit of a hurry, I’ll tell you later.” There’s the sound of footsteps, then I hear him yell, “West, King, it’s safe to come out!”

I hear a murmur of voices before Reece suddenly appears again. When he sees me, he presses his lips in a tight smile as he moves to lift me up.

“How you doing, darling?”

“Dizzy,” I admit.

“Just hang in there, we’re gonna get you out of here and to a hospital, ASAP, okay?” I nod my head, resting it against his chest as the two of them carry me around the woodpile.

As soon as the others come into view, I take a look at the two new people. One man is a little older and is dressed in a suit, making him look completely out of place on the beach. His eyes widen when he sees me .

A whistle from the other man has me glancing at him. “Of all the things I thought you’d find on the island, a girlfriend was definitely not one of them!”

“Shut up, asshole,” Reece grumbles, with no real heat behind his words.

“Can we do introductions later?” Weston grumbles. “She’s been shot; we need to get her medical attention.”

“Shit, sorry, of course. I have a first aid kit that might help until we get to Madagascar.” He turns and jogs towards the chopper, the rest of us following closely behind.

Kingsley walks beside us, looking down at me with a frown on his face. He reaches over and pushes a few strands of hair behind my ear. “Stay with us, okay, sweetheart?”

I nod my head as my eyes start to drift shut, feeling extremely tired all of a sudden.

“Open your eyes, Zee.”

“Mmm…” I mumble, trying to answer, but it’s like all my energy has been sucked out of me.

“Darla!” I try to open my eyes, I really do, but it’s impossible, and before I know it, everything goes dark.