Chapter 39

The longer it took to get there the more frustrating it got. Beside me, Kyle chewed nervously on his nails and in front of me, Simon sat cursing into his cell phone. With every mile we drove my anxiety grew and the pain in my chest grew with it.

Where were Nate and the others?

What kind of trouble were they in?

Were the hurt?

Were they even alive?

These question whirled around in my mind, over and over again, with each possibility just as sickening as the last.

I looked at Kyle, took in his nails which were bitten down to the quick, the way his eyes seemed to take in everything we passed and the way he'd gone quiet for possibly the first time since I'd known him; that alone was frightening.

I was so used to him being my positive ball of energy, the one who could make me see the silver lining in even the worst of circumstances, but here he was, just as terrified as I was and offering nothing in the way of comfort. For about the hundredth time since we'd set out, I felt my eyes fill and again I refused to let them fall. If I lost all hope now I'd fall to pieces and then I'd be of no help at all to Nate if he needed me.

I curled my hands into fists and felt my nails bite into the soft flesh, then I took a breath, opened them and looked at the red, crescent shaped punctures dotting my palms.

I needed him to be okay. I needed them all to be okay. I glanced over at Kyle again and this time he looked at me, but gone were the cheerful eyes and insane optimism. He looked lost.

"You've always been so fearless. Even when we were in prison you didn't care, it never bothered you. When we escaped you were fine with it, so what changed Kyle? Is there something you're not telling me? What else did John say?" I questioned in desperation and he shook his head, almost in pity.

"Don't be stupid Riley, do I look fearless to you? I was terrified in prison. Every time my dad visited I begged him to find some way to get me out, practically every night I cried like some little girl from just wanting to be anywhere but there and of course I was afraid when we escaped, I'm still afraid, if I get caught, I'm going back and it's not gonna be a measly three month sentence this time!" he raged and I sat back in surprise.

"But you always seemed..."

"I can't help that I don't wear my heart on my sleeve like you do. I've tried to make the best of the situation, to push it all to the back of my mind so I could cope and...I guess having Johnny there helped too, but I'm only human...we all are and we all get scared and we all die. It's just how life is...but if Johnny..." he took a shaky breath, "If anything happens to him it'll kill me Riley...."

I watched in horror as his lower lip wobbled, but he bit it and turned away. I sighed. "Please give me some good news Simon." I begged when he finally dropped the phone onto the seat beside him, but he only shook his head and I felt my frustration grow.

"We have just as much right to know what's going on as you do. Why are you being such a dick?" I raged, pissed that he'd try to keep crucial information from us.

He glanced into the rearview mirror and our eyes locked, then his he glanced back on the road. "There's been reports of a high speed chase on the highway; two SUV's pursuing a vehicle that matches the description of Eddie's van. Witnesses claim shots were being fired." He began and I felt my chest tighten.

"John says they're heading to a warehouse not far off course. I did a bust there once."

"Why are they going to some warehouse? Why don't they drive to a police station or something? What the hell are they thinking?" Kyle erupted and Simon shook his head.

"They've got a busted tire, they won't be able to keep up for much longer. Their best bet is to find somewhere they can lay low until help comes."

"Who are these guys? Is it guard Kelly?" I questioned, leaning around the seat so I could see his face.

"I don't know, but I doubt it. He'd likely get his son killed chasing after them like that..." he trailed off, "Then again I don't know a thing about the guy."

I took a shaky breath. "This is bad."

Simon nodded. "That's all I know. Now shut up so I can concentrate."

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The flashing lights were the first indication that we had finally arrived and I sat up straighter in my seat, craning my neck to see if I could even catch a glimpse of Nate and the others, but all I could see amidst the trees and dirt were police cars and official looking people dressed in suits.

Simon brought the car to a stop about a quarter of a mile away from the others, down the narrow street and shot us both a look when we automatically moved to open our doors.

"Bringing you two here was a mistake, you're still fugitives and there's still a manhunt on for you guys, which means you're not safe here." He began seriously. "I need you to stay here, no matter what and keep hidden. Keep your hoods up and get on the floor." He continued and we scrambled to do as he instructed.

"There'll be cops and agents coming in and out of this street, so no matter what you do, don't let anyone spot you, understand?"

I nodded while Kyle kept his gaze fixed on Simon's face.

"I'll keep you updated." He finished, then I watched as he cracked the windows slightly and pulled the key from the ignition, before locking the doors and stepping out into the cool evening air.

I craned my neck, watching his progress until I lost him in the mess of officers, then I dropped my head into my hands and prayed for the best. Beside me, Kyle stretched out as best he could on the floor of the car, his head cradled on his arm as he looking unseeingly at the back of the seat.

Twenty minutes later and Simon had yet to show up. I had no idea what was going on out there and I was pretty sure the wait was going to eat me alive. Not too long ago I'd fished out Nate's card pack from where it was hidden deep within the confines of my bag and Kyle and I were already on our third game of Go-Fish when we heard the shots.

I jumped up from our hiding place, peeking over the seat to see if I could somehow catch a glimpse of what was going on out there, but all I could see from this far out, were agents moving about while the shots continued from somewhere deep within the trees.

Nate was out there. Caught somewhere in all that mess, he was out there fighting to stay alive, while I was trapped here without a clue as to what was going on. I felt the frustration build and I slammed my fist against the seat.

"I need to see what's going on." Kyle said seriously and I glanced over at him with a frown.

"Yeah well until Simon comes with news, we won't know a fucking thing." I growled in frustration and his mouth tightened.

"I'm going out there."

My brows furrowed. "Don't be ridiculous Kyle, if you set one foot out of this car they'll haul your ass back to the prison. If they don't shoot you first."

He shook his head. "Then I won't let them see me. I'll go through the trees."

"They're firing shots through the trees! Or haven't you realized that by now?" He was losing his mind.

My eyes widened when he reached for the door. "I'll keep hidden. I just need to see if they're alright." He said, then pulled on the handle and pushed the door open.

I grabbed his arm. "Don't. Kyle this is crazy!" I practically yelled, but he pulled away from me, his eyes hard and glinting.

"No! Sitting in here, hiding while the people we care about are out there fighting for their lives is crazy! I'm going to find Johnny. You can stay here and wait for Simon all you want!" and just like that he was gone. For a second I could only watch in stunned silence, then when I gathered my wits, I was pushing through the door after him, ducking down as I ran from the car and into the trees not far away.

...................................................

I wiped my runny nose with the back of my hand and almost tripped over a protruding tree root for my troubles. Beside me, Kyle ducked behind another tree, glancing out into the bushes. I could still hear the gun shots not far away and at one point I had even spotted an FBI agent, with gun aimed and firing.

It would be sad indeed if we ended up getting shot by the good guys. Kyle was of course, determined, pulling me along with him whenever I stopped to catch my breath and cursing me out whenever I so happened to start my usual bout of coughing. At the moment, my chest was so tight I felt as though I was struggling to breathe and I cursed the damn flu that just wouldn't go away.

"Jus gimmie a sec." I gasped, slapping a hand to my chest as I tried to take a deep breath.

Kyle bit his lip, looking out and about, possibly to make sure we weren't spotted by anyone who just happened to come this way.

I sniffled, wiped my nose again and tried to get a normal flow of air through my lungs. Kyle glanced over me and his brow furrowed, this time in concern and when the back of his hand came to rest against my forehead I batted it away.

My illness was taking its toll. We'd only been out here amongst the trees for about half an hour, yet my body felt as if I'd been running for hours on end.

"You don't look so good." Kyle commented with a whisper and I nodded.

I could have sworn that particular round of shots was closer than the others. "Come on let's go." I rasped, pushing up from the ground.

The more we ran, the closer the shooting sounded and the more nervous I became. I could no longer count on two hands the number of times I'd tripped and fallen.

At one point, a branch smashed into the side of Kyle's face, leaving a massive bruise from chin to eye and for a second he groaned, holding his face in his hands and I watched in horror as about half a dozen agents darted through the trees not far from where we stood.

"We need to keep moving." I said, grabbing hold of my friend's arm and once again we were moving silently through the trees, sidestepping roots and ducking under low hanging branches.

Throughout the entire journey, I managed to scratch my skin raw, sprain my pinky and skin both my knees and when I thought it could get no worse, a spider, the size of which I had never seen before, somehow lodged itself into my hair and I'd had to hold my breath as Kyle smacked it away with a stick.

It was highly likely that the agents were trying to surround the shootout, which was certainly a good plan if they had any chance of catching the bad guys, but our plan was to somehow get to Nate and the others, which meant we would need to bypass the agents and get into the middle of the chaos. With every step I took, my confidence in the plan shrunk.

This was borderline insane. I knew it, Kyle knew it, but if he wouldn't give up, then I couldn't either. Letting him do this alone was out of the question, even if it got us both killed.

I sniffled again and Kyle clapped his hand over my nose, before shoving me to the ground. From there, we had to crawl along the thick grass and dirt, over a strange assortment of insects and somehow do it all as silently as possible.

We'd managed to make it past at least two sets of agents without being seen; the thick cover of the trees and the noise from the gun shots provided us with the best shield and I counted my lucky stars we hadn't been shot yet.

It was only when the sound of the shots reached an all-time high and a bullet whizzed past us, lodging itself deep into a tree not far behind that I realized we'd somehow managed to make it into the very center of the shoot-out. I crawled behind Kyle, staying as low as possible until we were 'safely' tucked away behind a wide oak.

I rubbed my chest, trying desperately to loosen the tightness I felt there and Kyle instructed me to take slow, deep and calming breaths.

"Let's just stay here for a while, I don't... think I can manage to go much further." I pleaded and he was quick to nod, looking every bit as worn out as I felt.

As we rested up against the bark of the tree, feet spread out before us, I felt as if the shooting would never end. It seemed to come from every direction and every sound sent my heart racing and my hands shaking.

When Kyle took my hands between his own and squeezed them, I offered him a small smile at the comforting gesture. I was scared. No doubt about it and right then, I felt as if we were trapped in a war zone with no possibility of coming out of it alive.

I closed my eyes and offered up a silent prayer.

"I don't know what to do." Kyle shouted and I looked at him, which allowed me to see the fear in his eyes which mirrored my own. We shouldn't have come out here.

I felt like we sat there for ten minutes at least before everything died down and the forest became silent again. All that could be heard was the rustling of the trees and I wondered what had made them stop. I looked around in confusion, too scared to move my body even an inch lest it all started up again.

It was then that the shouting began and for the first time since we'd been out here I felt a frisson of hope when I heard John's voice.

"Just give us the kid and we'll be out of your hair!" an unfamiliar voice shouted into the silence.

"Kelly? Is that you?" John called back and Kyle froze beside me, his eyes darting around as he searched for the direction John's voice had come from.

His question was greeted with silence but John went on.

"You sure you wanna do this Kelly? Your kid could get hurt out here if you don't ease up!"

"Aint no body named Kelly out here man, give us the damn kid or I swear you're gonna wish you'd never gotten within a mile of that brat!"

The voice called back finally and I knew instantly that Guard Kelly wasn't among them. I would have recognized his voice. I was sure of that.

"Johnny!" Kyle called out then and I froze, shocked that he would give away our position so easily.

There was only silence in response and I held my breath, then sure enough a hesitant answer went up.

"Kyle?"

"I'm here! Come get us Johnny please!" he pleaded and this time a spray of bullets came our way. I threw myself to the ground, as low as I could manage and covered my head. Through the mess of flying bullets I could hear John shouting Kyle's name, but it was only when the shooting stopped again that I grabbed Kyle, pulling him along with me and away from the spot.

The bad guys knew there was a third party involved now and I was worried they'd come after us. The farther we ran the more paranoid I became, but I kept going until Kyle tugged on my arm and I glanced back to see that he'd stopped running. His eyes were focused on something up ahead and I followed his gaze. What I saw made my heart jump in my chest and I gasped.

Nate!

Not too far ahead of us, my lover was ducking down behind a tree, a gun held tightly in his hand as he stared at us in shock. I took an unsteady step toward him and he shook his head and waved at me to get down so I dropped, pulling Kyle down with me. I looked for any sign of the others but it was only Nate, looking battle worn but otherwise unhurt and I thanked whoever cared to listen that my baby was safe.

When Nate shifted further away from us my eyes widened but when he looked at me and put a finger over his mouth I nodded in understanding, going as far as to purse my lips as I lay there waiting for something...anything to happen.

It was then that I heard it; someone moving through the trees and I stiffened in fear, terrified that we were about to be found, then all too soon everything went quiet again and I held my breath, but kept my eyes firmly on Nate who seemed to be signaling to someone further away.

A long time passed where all around us was silence and I wondered if by some crazy miracle it was all over. I felt Kyle straighten up off the ground and I silently followed suit, pressing my back against the tree trunk as I listened. It was only then that I felt the familiar tickling deep within my throat and fought against the automatic reaction, going as far as to hold my breath to prevent it.

I rubbed my hand against my throat, trying desperately to dislodge the feeling until my eyes began to water and I couldn't any longer and Just like that, I broke down in a fit of coughs, unable to catch my breath as the symptom of my illness took over.

The bullets came then, slamming into the tree I was leaning against and hitting other things around us. I screamed in horror when they just kept coming and I could feel bits of bark flying around me and leaves from the trees being ripped apart against the onslaught.

Kyle pulled me roughly to the ground and covered me with his body as everything around us went to hell. Twice I heard my name being shouted through the trees but mostly I heard the chaos and the loud explosions and never in my life had I ever been so utterly terrified.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

I DO HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER AND I'LL SEE YOU NEXT WEEK WITH ANOTHER UPDATE!

DON'T FORGET TO Check out my book: 'A VAMPIRE'S MARINE' AND FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM at : doublezone_books

YALL BETTER NOT HATE ON MY KYLE!

KEEP SWEET!

-DoUbLe.A

-unedited.