Page 83 of Rescuing Brinley

Brinley almost laughed at the thought. He must’ve taken his hands off her neck as soon as she’d gone unconscious—without even checking to make sure she was dead!

The joke was on them, because she wasn’t dead. She was alive, and she had every intention of staying that way.

If Tamika thought she and Louis would get off scot-free, could just go on with their lives as if they hadn’t tried to murder someone, she was mistaken.

Screw them! Brinley wasn’t going to let them get away with this.

She had no idea where she was or how long it would take to get help, but she’d crawl for days if necessary.

Her thoughts turned from hatred for Tamika and her accomplice, to Dash. And in an instant, she changed her mind. She wasn’t going to live to get revenge on her kidnappers—she was going to live for the man she loved.

Thoughts of what he’d be feeling when he realized she was missing were almost more painful than the bruises Louis had put on her body. He’d be totally beside himself. Frantic. He wouldn’t take care of himself while trying to find her. She hated to think about him suffering.

Yes, she hurt. Yes, she was the one who’d been taken against her will and assaulted, but she instinctively knew Dash was experiencing more pain at this moment. Not knowing where she was or what happened had to be the worst thing in the world.

Brinley refused to be a victim. Refused to be the cause of more pain for those she loved…namely, Dash and Cypress.

Determination to get back to them swelled inside her as she slowly sat up. It took a couple minutes before she felt like she could even move that much without passing out. Her head spun and the trees around her began to take on a menacing vibe. As if they were coming alive and reaching for her, trying to force her to lie back down and stay right where she was.

Not.

Happening.

Looking at her watch, Brinley saw that it was four o’clock in the afternoon. She’d been unconscious for several hours, which was somewhat alarming. But she pushed all the things that could be wrong with her to the back of her mind. It didn’t matter if she had a concussion, or cracked ribs, or anything else. Because it wasn’t as if she could call for an ambulance. She had no phone and no idea where she was.

All she could do was move. Try to find someone, anyone, who could help her.

A wry smile formed on her lips, and she wished she’d had time for Dash to teach her some of the land-navigation skills he and his friends taught other soldiers in the Army. They’d come in handy right about now. Because she had no clue which way was north or south, which direction Fairbanks might be, or which direction would most likely bring her across someone who could help. She could end up going farther into the wilderness rather than toward civilization.

But what she did have going for her was stubbornness. And a need to tell Dash that she loved him. Along with a smidge of spite.

She was going to live despite what Tamika wanted. And she was going to press charges against her. Do whatever she could to see her pay for kidnapping and attempted murder. The spoiled bitch wasn’t going to get away with this. She might not have been the one to put her hands around her throat, but she’d arranged for her to die. Had set the trap that led to Brinley’s current situation.

Slowing maneuvering to her hands and knees literally took Brinley’s breath away. She panted for several minutes as she crouched on the ground, trying to get the energy and strength to stand.

The second she tried, she fell.

Brinley wanted to cry as she lay on the ground once more.

But she didn’t give in to despair. She couldn’t. Dash was out there suffering, and she needed to get back to him as soon as possible.

Moving back to her hands and knees was a little easier the second time, but Brinley didn’t attempt to stand again. The world was still spinning, but less so than when she tried standing. So for now, she’d stay as she was and crawl.

Every inch hurt…but she was moving. Slowly and surely. All she had to do was follow the trail Louis had left behind when he’d made his way out of the trees to head back to her car. Once she reached the road, she could follow it back toward Fairbanks.

Ignoring the fact that she couldn’t remember all the turns they’d made to get to where Tamika had ordered her to stop, Brinley crawled on. That was a problem for the future.

For now, she was going to concentrate on only positive things.

She was alive. That was the biggest one.

And since it was almost summer, it would stay light outside for most of the night, so she wouldn’t have to move in the dark. And there wasn’t any snow on the ground, and while it would get chilly in the evening, it wouldn’t get frigid.

Another positive…since Tamika and Louis had stolen her car, and they needed it to get back to Fairbanks, maybe Dash would’ve reported it stolen by now. They’d possibly get stopped and interrogated.

And there was no way they’d be able to claim nothing had happened, that they didn’t know anything about her disappearance, because Brinley clearly remembered the deep scratch marks she’d made on Louis’s face. And arms. And neck. She’d scratched the hell out of him. A cop would take one look at the guy and know something was wrong.

Each inch she moved sent waves of pain throughout her body, but Brinley kept going. One hand forward, one knee, then the other hand and knee. Rocks and dirt dug into her skin, but she barely felt those tiny hurts over all the others on her body. Her hair fell into her face and she paused to push it back impatiently.