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“Isabella,” Davey turns to me, “we’re all just doing what’s best for you.”
“What’s best for me?” My voice is now low, with only the slightest tremor giving away the anger burning inside me. “I’m getting rather sick of people telling me what’s best for me.”
“We know you’re upset,” Hazel-eyes says. “But if you’d just listen instead of being so fucking stubborn.” He shakes his head.
“Upset?” My eyebrows raise, my eyes widen, and I push my head forward. “Upset!” I start laughing and move one hand behind my back, sliding it carefully into my back pocket. “You think this is just upset?” My anger pushes through the words. “I’ve had a really shitty few days. I found out that my whole life, I’ve been like this little creature kept in a zoo full of fucking crazy psychopaths trying to hitch me to a monster. So no, this isn’t upset. I’m fucking furious that you took my freedom away once again!”
“Isabella!” Hazel-eyes’s voice is low with warning. “Calm down. I don’t want to have to drug you.”
“Drug me?” My brows raise as my fingers curl around my pocket knife. I slowly pull it out. “You should’ve thought of that sooner.”
Before he can react, I have the knife out, click the blade, and jab it into his thigh.
“Fucking hell.” Hazel-eyes howls in pain.
Stacy balks at the sight, and I use her shock. I lean over her, shoving her head against the window with all my strength. She yelps, grabbing her head and I yank her toward me by the hair, giving me just enough space to scramble over her lap and reach for the door handle. My heart pounds in my chest as I push the door open before Pavel has time to react and hit the locks. Without a second thought I jump out, feeling the rush of cool air hit my face.
I hit the ground hard, rolling down an embankment. Pain shoots through my body as rocks and debris scrape my skin. Fuck, jumping out of a moving car hurts like hell! But I only give myself a second to wallow in agonizing pain before I’m up and limping as fast as I can into the woods.
Branches whip against my face and arms as I push through the underbrush, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I glance back once, seeing the car at the top of the embankment and hearing shouts behind me. But I can’t stop. I have to keep moving. I have to get away.
It’s getting dark, and the woods are dense, but I use the cover to my advantage, weaving through trees and bushes, trying to put as much distance between me and the car as possible. My ankle throbs with each step, but the adrenaline keeps me going. I stumble a few times, catching myself on tree trunks, but I push on, not daring to slow down.
The sounds of pursuit fade, and I find myself in a small clearing. I lean against a tree, trying to catch my breath, my mind racing. I can’t stay here. I need to keep moving, find help, and get as far away from them as possible.
I have to find water in case they set my dogs after me. I’ve been there before. I tried to run away when I was eighteen, and Zeus found me. He didn’t know he was doing anything wrong; he was just trying to find me. But I’ll be damned if I let them catch me today. Today was my day to get away. I want to be free once and for all, and that is what I’m going to be.
Well, after I find a hospital and get the verdict on how many broken ribs I have. I try not to think about the dark and the woods. I don’t like either, but I’ve trained for this, and this is no longer a training exercise. It’s the real fucking deal, and I have no safety net this time. I look down and shake my head. Fucking stupid wedge sandals. I’m going to have to run through this place barefoot.
An idea hits me. I slip the shoes off and throw them in two different directions. That should keep Zeus and Hera distracted for a few seconds longer, as I have no doubt they’ll use them to track me.
“God, when did it get to this?” I ask as my bare feet squish through the grass, and I try not to think about the bugs and spiders underfoot. “What is happening to my life? When did it get so shitten crazy?” I mutter before stopping and listening. I breathe and let myself go quiet, absorbing the sounds of the woods. I hear the sound of running water, but I can also hear the sound of barking.
Fuck, I don’t have long. I set off and find the stream. It’s not too big, but there’s a muddy bank, and that’s all I need. I jump across and head into the bush on the other side, where I scoop up a few handfuls of mucky mulchy mud. Before I can let myself think, I slather it all over myself. It might not completely hide my scent, but it could confuse them just enough.
I know that once I have my dogs, they will obey me, hopefully, if they’re not having a ride in a car which turns them into fucking little drooling pussies. But they will also be accompanied by two obviously highly trained giant SWAT team types. Hazel-eyes doesn’t have an accent but speaks perfect Russian. But if Pavel’s accent is anything to go by, they’re probably a Russian SWAT team. Does Russia have SWAT teams? Of course they do. I shake my straying thoughts from my mind.
I have to concentrate and think. My only chance is a surprise attack. I just have to take one of them down and get my dogs back on my side. Davey and Stacy, I can deal with, and oh, am I going to deal with those two motherfucking traitors. I will get back to the car. Leave them on the side of the road, take my dogs, and get the fuck out of here.
As soon as my scent has been covered, I quickly make my way back across the stream. Ignoring my sore ribs, bruised arm, and aching ankle, I nimbly climb up a tree. Flattening myself against a branch and hoping to Christ there are no fucking snakes or other curious creatures in this tree, I wait.
Minutes pass like hours. I hear rustling below and hold my breath. Pavel emerges first, looking around cautiously. Zeus and Hera follow, their noses to the ground but clearly confused by the mulch. I see Hazel-eyes just behind them, scanning the area with a stern look on his face.
Now. My instincts scream.
I drop from the tree, landing directly behind Pavel. The surprise and momentum give me an edge. I kick his legs out from under him, flipping him onto his back. He goes down with a hard thud on the ground. Zeus and Hera perked up immediately at my presence and rush over to me.
“Zeus, Hera, hold!” I command, my voice firm despite my pounding heart. To my relief, my dogs instantly obey. Zeus is on top of Pavel before the big guy can get up while Hera vaults her large one-hundred-and-ten-pound body at Hazel-eyes, taking him down with ease. Before the two men can fling the big dogs off them, they are held hostage by very sharp canine teeth positioned strategically on the men’s throats while my dogs growl menacingly.
“Don’t move!” I snap, disarming Pavel, taking his gun and pointing it at Hazel-eyes. “Because I have no qualms about shooting either of you, but before I even manage to pull the trigger, my dogs will have ripped your throats out.”
I move to Hazel-eyes and take his gun, his dagger, and the rest of the arsenal he has hidden on him. “Fuck, man.” I shake my head at him. “Seriously, dude, you have some trust issues.” I throw his weapons a distance away but keep his gun.
I feel like a super spy standing with a gun in each hand pointed at the two soldiers or whatever the fuck they are. I don’t know, and I don’t care, as I’m not sticking around long enough to find out.
Hazel-eyes doesn’t flinch, even with Hera’s jaws near his neck. “Isabella, listen to me,” he says calmly. “We’re not here to harm you. We’re trying to help you escape. We don’t have time for this. The effects of that drug will wear off soon and we need to be long gone when it does.”
“How am I supposed to trust you?” I hiss, tightening my grip on the guns when he tries to move, but stops when Hera increases the pressure on his throat, making him wince.
