Chapter 406
He stood, picked up two guns, tucked one into his waistband, and kept the other in his hand. Then he walked to the open cabin door and spoke into his headset.
“Cover me p>
Gavin pulled the door open, grabbed the helicopter’s rappel line, and dropped quickly to the ground.
The moment he let go, the helicopter veered toward the cliff where Chris had fallen.
Gavin fired as he moved, chasing Garrett into the woods.
He shot a quick glance toward the cliff.
If Chris had been alone, a cliff like that wouldn’t have been much of a problem for him.
The problem was that Winter was with him. That made everything much more complicated.
The weeds in this part of the forest rose to waist height, making it even harder to move through than the barren mountain they had crossed earlier within Liono City.
This was where the northern and southern regions met. The forest had the thick, dense growth of the south, and with the weather warming over the past few days, the spring vegetation had grown wild.
Now a light rain had started again, slipping through the gaps in the branches.
Chris touched Winter’s rain–damp clothes, then slid his hand behind her back. Luckily, the rain hadn’t soaked through to the layer underneath. It was still warm.
He unzipped her jacket, pulled it off, and threw it in the opposite direction.
Then he took off his own waterproof jacket and the bulletproof vest underneath.
Holding Winter’s hand, he put the vest on her himself and tightened the straps as much as he could. Even then, it was still a little loose on her smaller frame.
“It’s a little big,” he said. “Still better than nothing p>
Then he put the waterproof jacket on her and pulled the hood over her head.
From the jacket pocket, he took out a pair of night–vision goggles and fitted them over her eyes.
This way, no matter how hard it rained, the clothes underneath would stay dry.
Winter looked at him. He was left in only a thin black shirt, the fabric stretched over his broad frame. When
he raised his arm, the muscles there flexed with quiet strength.
“It’s raining. The temperature’s going to drop,” she said, her voice low and slightly hoarse.
Chris’s hand paused on the gun. His dark eyes fixed on her face.
But Winter sounded as if she had only said it in passing.
He said lightly, “I’m not cold p>
Chapter 189
+25 Bonus
Then he took her hand again. “This forest is hard to get through. Stay close to me p>
Even without the jacket, his hand was still warm.
Winter pressed down the emotions surging in her chest and followed close behind him.
The woods rustled around them, rain tapping against the leaves and grass.
The farther Winter walked, the heavier her legs felt. The jacket kept the rain off her upper body, but her pants were soaked from the weeds, and water had seeped into her shoes. Every step made a faint squelching
sound.
Chris suddenly stopped.
Winter nearly bumped into his broad back.
“What is it?” she asked softly, immediately looking around in alert.
Had Fabian’s men appeared again?
Chris heard the caution in her lowered voice, and something about it was unexpectedly endearing. His chest tightened.
He suddenly remembered the first time they had gone to the island.
He had taken her out on a yacht. She had sworn she knew how to steer it, while he lay on the couch with his eyes closed, resting.
Not long after, the yacht capsized.
In the water, he had held her and told her there were sharks nearby. Then he had deliberately put on a serious expression.
She had wrapped both arms around his neck and asked him in that same careful tone, “What is it p>
Chris tightened his hold on Winter’s hand.
“Is it hard to walk p>
“No. I can walk. Let’s hurry and get out of here p>
But Chris said, “I’ll carry you p>
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Florence
A passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.