Chapter 404
Chapter 404:
“Damnit!” Skye slammed on the brakes.
The Land Rover skidded, fishtailing wildly on the wet mud.
The vehicle spun one hundred and eighty degrees, coming to a halt just inches from the cliff’s edge.
Its rear tires hung over the precipice, spinning uselessly in the air.
Pebbles clattered down into the abyss.
Silence fell, heavy and suffocating, broken only by the panting of two terrified people and the approaching roar of the ATVs.
They were trapped.
The enemy riders slowed, fanning out to block the narrow track.
Men in tactical wet gear dismounted, weapons raised.
They didn’t fire immediately. They were close enough now to verify the target.
Liam unbuckled his seatbelt with trembling hands.
He turned to Skye, eyes wide and frantic, filled with a devastating clarity.
“They want you,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
Skye looked at the armed men.
She recognized the insignia on a tactical vest—a stylized skull she had seen in Alistair’s dossiers.
Lucian Graves’ elite guard.
“Yes,” she replied softly. “They want me p>
Liam reached out, grabbing her hand.
His palm was clammy, his grip desperate.
“I won’t let them take you. Not again,” he said, voice thickening. “I failed you when we were married. I failed to see you. I failed to protect you p>
“Liam p>
“No,” he interrupted, tears cutting through the rain on his face. “Stay in the car. Keep your head down. I’m going to draw their fire. When they focus on me… you run. You run into the jungle and you don’t look back p>
He shoved the door open.
𝖥i𝗇d 𝘺о𝘶r 𝖿𝗮𝘷o𝘳і𝗍e ge𝗇𝗿𝘦 𝗈𝘯 𝖻𝗲.𝖼𝘰𝘮
“Liam, don’t!” Skye lunged for him, but he was already moving.
He dragged himself out of the vehicle, hands raised, putting no weight on his ruined leg.
He leaned heavily against the doorframe, placing himself between the gunmen and Skye—a human shield made of regret and linen.
“She’s not here!” Liam screamed at the men, his voice raw. “I’m alone! Let me go p>
A single shot rang out.
It wasn’t a warning.
Liam jerked violently. A bloom of red exploded on his shoulder.
He didn’t spin. The force simply knocked the strength out of him.
He collapsed backward, sliding down the side of the car into the mud, gasping for air.
“Liam!” Skye screamed, the sound tearing from her throat.
She scrambled to unbuckle her belt, fingers fumbling.
She threw her door open and fell onto the road, crawling toward him.
The gunmen lowered their weapons slightly.
A tall man in the center stepped forward, signaling them to hold fire.
“Secure the package,” the leader commanded. “The boss wants her alive p>
Skye froze.
She looked at Liam.