Page 57 of Marked for Execution

She hunched her body over, her arms wrapped around herself to play the part.Good girl.

She sniffed, and her voice shook as she told them that she had been wandering on her own for a while. The men easily fell for the act, surrounding her with pitying looks.

My men moved locations, Gunner slapping me with the back of his hand to get my attention. I didn’t like the way this scenario made me feel, but Reed was right, this was our way into wherever they came from. Following the men, we hid ourselves behind the nearby cluster of trees off the side of the road.

“Hey, it’s alright. Why don’t you come back with us, and we’ll get you situated. I’m sure the others won’t mind a new addition,” one of the men placated.

My hackles rose.I bet they wouldn’t mind another girl in their camp.Fuckers were going to lose their limbs if they touched her. Reed stared at me with the same intent in his mind.

“Come on, sugar. We’re not that far. Just a few more miles.”

Peeking around the tree trunk, I noticedSili’sbody tensed up. Did she know this fucker?

“O-okay. Thank you. I’m just so hungry. It’s been hard out here alone.”

“You won't be alone anymore. The guys will watch out for you.” Sounded like he practiced this line many times before. My hand gripped the butt of my pistol inside my waistband.

Reed shook his head as he ground his teeth down. Gunner had his gun aimed at the man closest toSili. Samuel was crouched behind his tree, watching their every move.

When they traveled far enough, we followed them out of sight. About an hour into it, the other group stopped for a break on the side of the road. We did the same, taking a swig out of the water we collected.

“Don’t worry about Fitri. She can handle herself,” Reed said into the silence.

The other group was far enough to not hear us. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I gave him a side eye.

“Who said I was worried?”

“The way your body looks like it’s about to kill everything in its path everytime one of them gets too close to her. Trust me, I feel the same. She’s one of us, and any scratch on her would make me explode. But we need her to make it back to the camp.”

“Fucker, you think I’m going to mess up the mission over my feelings for her? As a matter of fact, let’s get it straight, right here, right now. She’s fucking mine, you got it?”

Reed leaned forward and put his elbows over his knees. “I’m going to let her decide on that, yeah? She’s not the kind of girl to be told what to do.”

My hands turned into fists, itching to put him in his place, but he was right. At the end of the day, she could choose whoever the fuck she wanted in this group of dicks we had hanging around her.Fuck, that made me feel like shit.She deserved better than a damaged man like me, one who could give less of a fuck about the world burning around them.

Reed was more mentally stable, more caring. My head twitched over the thought of him making her fall for him. That wouldn’t be too hard, judging by how close they were already. My eyes focused ahead of me, where Gunner chewed on a piece of dried meat. That fucker was more laid back than the rest of us. If anything, it should be him. He was closer to her age, as well.What was I thinking?What can my old ass offer her that she couldn’t get from any of the other men?

The selfish part of me said fuck it all. I wanted her. She was mine. I would burn the damn world down before I let her go to someone else. She would have to wait for my deathbed. Even then, I would haunt the rest of her fucking life.

Or finally kill her and take her with me. Then I wouldn’t have to think about this at all. We wouldn’t have to struggle anymore.

“They’re on the move,” Samuel said, catching all of our attention and pulling me from my morbid thoughts.

We moved quickly, staying the same distance behind them until we came up to what looked like a concrete warehouse. There was barbed wire on top of the metal gate that rolled open when they arrived. The men and I hid behind some of the trees that surrounded it on higher ground that gave us a better look inside the compound.

The windows were dark, showing nothing. There were cars and multiple motorcycles behind the wall.Where were they getting all the gas to power these things?Two small buildings sat on each end of the main one in the center.

Gunner tapped me and I looked to where he was pointing. A group came out to greet them.All men.What was this?

“We need to get in there,” I told the guys.

They all mumbled an agreement as we slowly walked around the back parameter of the wall. There was another exit point that was manned with two armed soldiers.What the hell was inside this place?

“I’m going to look around the other side, see if there’s a wall we can breach,” Samuel said as he moved away behind the bushes on this hill.

The entire area was mostly dirt and dust. The fact that there was higher ground around it put it at a disadvantage.Why would these guys choose this place as a home base?

“Well, hello there! My men tell me that you’ve found yourself lost. Come, join us. We have plenty to go around. So, tell me where you came from…” the man in front of the greeting party said.