Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45251 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
“They’re doin’ that now,” Jameson said.
He was right. They were splitting up.
“Have we waited long enough?” Madigan asked. He pointed to the tablet. “Because we’re gonna need to locate the right group.”
And we didn’t wanna do that when they had put too much distance between the two groups. Yeah, of course. Technically, they could’ve mixed the groups completely, with some of “our” prey running off with the other group’s prey, but given that they didn’t wanna be exposed to that kink tonight, it seemed unlikely.
“Who knows the actual location of this symbolic key we’re gonna find?” Colt asked.
“Greg,” Ryan responded. “Once we have ’em tied up and questioned, he’ll come out and check ’em for lies.”
Good strategy.
“Okay, let’s go.” Jameson handed over the tablet to Ryan. “Dave! We’ll go for the eastern perimeter—y’all go west. If we run into the wrong squad, we’ll each grab one brat and push them closer to the center.”
So we could follow the dots on the screen—good plan.
“We’ll discuss scare tactics and implements along the way, I assume?” I questioned.
“The more, the better, as I always say,” Madigan agreed. “My pockets and my brain are chock-full.”
Get ready, sweetheart.
CHAPTER 10
Tracy Judd
“Over here!” Angel panted. “Watch your step—go around. It’s hella swampy because of the creek.”
I jumped over the narrowest part, then ran half a circle around the wet grass and moss. She wasn’t wrong. It was practically a swamp right here. Hopefully, it would slow down our Predators if they caught us here.
We’d parted ways from the other group some ten minutes ago, and I was so relieved my eyes had adjusted to the dark. Because this terrain was not easy! Moss-covered rocks, boulders, holes, streams, trees everywhere, ferns, and slippery logs made things…very interesting. The moon was thankfully helpful tonight. No clouds that we could see from down here.
“Okay, let’s take a break,” Abel said, out of breath. “This was the water we could drink, right?”
Angel nodded. “Oh yeah, it runs by our cabin. We use it all the time.”
Perfect. I dropped to my knees on a flat rock by the water’s edge and cupped my hands in the cold water. No need to haul out my li’l filtration system, then.
“I’m gonna do a perimeter check,” Kit said. “If the others are anything like Colt, they’ll try to sneak up on us.”
I didn’t know what Dadd—Griffin was like in this environment yet, but I wasn’t worried for crap. No matter his approach, he’d find a way to excite the fuck out of me.
“And we’re absolutely sure they can’t ambush us from the north?” Justin pressed.
“Not yet,” Angel replied. “They’ll need more time if they wanna cover that angle.”
“How fast are your Owners?” Abel asked. “Mad’s stronger than he’s fast, but he can definitely keep up.”
Another thing I didn’t know about Griffin—but what I did know might be enough to give us a good inkling. “Griffin’s always on his feet. I know that much. Like, fishing and hiking, working around his cabin, all the manual labor, and our job’s hectic too. But I wouldn’t peg him for a sprinter.”
“Colt’s not a sprinter either,” Kit said. “I mean, he never was. He was in the Air Force. But, so—” He grinned impishly when Angel and Abel cracked up. “But, that said,” he chuckled, “he will push himself to the extremes.”
“Yeah, that goes for my Daddy too,” Angel said frankly. “He always says—” She faked a dark voice to mimic Ryan. “‘I earned my comfort. You know what they do to lazy Marines? No, you don’t. But trust me, I earned this.’”
I grinned and took another gulp of water. It was admittedly delicious.
So, in other words, we had a bunch of forty-five-plus men who’d replaced rock-hard abs with comfort, but they also had enough stubbornness to make up for what they’d let go of.
I knew we were going down, though. The chase was probably our strongest ally; we could outrun our Owners, but these men were still in great shape for their ages. They were also Sadists who refused to go down.
This was obviously not a fight I wanted to win, but I still wanted to get some kicks and punches in before I surrendered.
I wanted to impress Griffin.
Kit and Justin jogged off to check our nearby surroundings, and I handed out handfuls of my homemade trail mix. We needed the energy!
“Oh my gosh, what is this? It’s so tasty,” Angel gushed.
I beamed. “Cinnamon-dusted almonds, freeze-dried apples, walnuts, pecans, and toffee-coated hazelnuts.”
“Damn, dude.” Abel was a fan too.
That made me happy.
When Kit and Justin came back, they wanted some too, and I emptied the bag into their hands. It wasn’t like we’d be here forever, so I hadn’t brought much.
“Goodness, this would be awesome on ice cream,” Kit mumbled as he chewed. “Is that apple? I like it.”
I was about to respond when we all heard a sound, like a twig snapping, and it made my pulse go through the roof. There were forest sounds, and there were clearly man-made sounds! We looked at one another quickly, and then we fucking bolted.