Chapter 18 #3
It was like I was suddenly in a different life. A life I wanted more than anything. A domestic scene where I returned—not to an empty apartment—but to the three of them waiting for me.
Mine.
My home.
Reality crashed back as Jewel gave a strangled snarl and leaped on me, almost knocking me back down the stairs. I felt a stab of pain in my neck as he bit me again, refreshing the bond mark he’d given me. His hand was tightening painfully in my hair.
“Don’t ever leave like that again,” he hissed in my ear, making a shudder run down my spine.
“Oh my goodness, you’re hurt.” Casey pulled us inside, his eyes wide as he looked down at my arm. “Let me grab the first aid kit.”
“No.” I grabbed his arm. Jewel had swung around to my back, still clutching me like a deranged koala. “There’s no time. It could be a false alarm, but I saw a GPRE van—”
“Incoming!” Jade shouted from the window. “We got pigs across the street!” She turned, her face flushed and eyes sparkling.
“Wait, how are we supposed to get out?” Casey said, looking at the door.
Jade ran across the room, shooting me a look. “Grab those bags and follow me. Now!”
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JADE
I ran into the back bedroom and grabbed Jewel’s hat and shades. Thankfully, the others had listened and were right behind me, packs in tow. I was buzzing, my mind on a frantic high brought on by the adrenaline.
Hugo had come back just in time. I’d deal with him later; right now, we had one task. Escape.
Jewel clambered down off Hugo’s back, and I jammed the cap onto his head. He scowled, but I’d already turned to the back window. There was a dumpster below it, which meant we could drop down without getting hurt.
I grabbed my knife and popped out the screen before opening the window wide.
Jewel’s lip curled in disgust as he saw our landing zone. “You have got to be joking.”
“This is perfect. They won’t even be able to track our scents.”
“I’ll go first,” Hugo said, already getting onto the ledge. “If there’s anything sharp, I’ll recover the fastest.”
We didn’t have time to argue.
“When you’re out, get out of sight.” I pointed at the edge of the next building. “Jewel will follow you, and if Casey and I aren’t there in thirty seconds, run. Do you understand?”
“I’m not leaving without you two,” Jewel said. I hoped Hugo didn’t hear him.
Hugo dropped into the open dumpster, and we watched with bated breath. He grunted but appeared unharmed as he scrambled to the side.
“Jewel. Go,” I said.
He groaned. “This is—”
I grinned and shoved him to the exit. We didn’t have time to argue. He muttered under his breath but dropped down next to Hugo.
I nodded. “Okay. Casey.”
I looked up to find Casey staring at me with terrified eyes. He swallowed. “I don’t know if I can.”
I took his hand. “You have to, peaches. You’ll be all right, I promise.”
He nodded but didn’t look convinced. He climbed onto the ledge, his hands shaking, then hesitated.
“Casey, love—” I started, but he squeezed his eyes shut and jumped. I heard a loud rapping at the front door as I climbed onto the window ledge myself.
I turned, clicking the screen back into place. I gritted my teeth as I edged the window down. It took precious seconds, but if I could cover our tracks, it’d buy us time. Then I tossed my backpack down ahead of me.
The others were already on the pavement when I dropped into the bags of garbage.
The smell was not as bad as I’d been expecting.
For a moment, I struggled, sinking into the bags like a child in a ball pit.
I gasped, struggling and kicking forward, but my small stature wasn’t doing me any favours.
Then a hand grasped mine, and I was heaved from the stinking depths.
Hugo picked me up like I weighed nothing and started running. My backpack was clutched in his other hand. We reached the others in seconds.
“Go!” I told them, jumping down from Hugo. We ran.
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It was good I knew this part of town. I was the slowest of us—purely because of my short legs—but we still set a decent pace as I led them through the streets.
My mum and I had lived a year or two in this neighbourhood, and I’d had a lot of practice evading the authorities.
I hadn’t quite been good enough at that age to get away with stealing when I tried, so I’d needed to know how to ditch a tail.
I was a lot bigger than I had been back then, and I had three full-grown men following me, so I had to adapt on the fly.
I skidded to a stop by a dilapidated fence, tugging at some of the boards. Damn. Someone had fixed the loose ones since I’d been here last.
My fingers scrabbled, getting paint and splinters wedged under my stubby nails.
Hugo stepped up, a determined look on his face, and I hopped back.
His aura split the air, and the boards shattered under his boot, leaving a wide hole.
I scrambled through and led the way up the steep dirt embankment on the other side.
“Ugh, this is disgusting,” Jewel complained. “And I just broke another nail.”
I shot him a glare. Despite wearing ordinary clothes, he’d still put on makeup this morning, which was a pretty dumb move.
“We wouldn’t be here, covered in mud and on the run, if it wasn’t for you, so shut it.”
“I just don’t see why the muddy part is necessary,” he grumbled under his breath.
We reached the trees at the top, and I let us stop to catch our breath.
Casey leaned against a tree, sweaty and gasping. I wasn’t much better; it had been a while since I’d had to cut and run like that. Jewel, surprisingly, was as flushed and sweaty as us. Maybe his fitness regimen didn’t include cardio.
“Shit, that was too close,” I said when I’d caught my breath.
I scrambled up one of the trees, looking out for any GPRE vehicles. All clear. I dropped back to the ground.
Casey wiped his forehead with a muddy hand, leaving a mark. “Do you think they knew we were there?”
I shrugged. “No idea.”
“I think we should assume yes,” Hugo said. “Play it safe.”
I chewed on my lip, deep in thought. “Okay. I think if we make it to Breaker’s Bridge, we can lie low there.”
Three sets of eyes turned on me.
Casey shifted uneasily on his feet. “Is it safe? I heard a lot of people get thrown off it.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be underneath it,” I said. “Besides, with an alpha like Hugo, no one's going to give us trouble. Unless you’re planning on running off again? Which, by the way, what the actual fuck, Hugo?”
It was Hugo’s turn to be stared at. He didn’t meet my eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said, finally. “I’ll do better.”
I stepped closer to him, pointing my finger in his face. “We’ve got to know we can count on you. All of us.”
“You can.” His voice shook. “I had to leave this morning. I had to clear my head after…” His eyes darted to Jewel.
“Right. If you’re gonna run off again, how about giving us a heads-up next time? And as for you—” I rounded on Jewel, ready to tear into him for going atop Hugo in the first place.
Casey caught my eye, and I hesitated. It was possible it hadn’t been Jewel’s fault.
“Just fucking keep it in your pants, okay?”
Jewel’s eyebrows rose in disbelief, and Hugo gave a choked cough.
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I didn’t like Breaker’s Bridge. The metal railway bridge had indeed earned its bloody name from the fact people got thrown off it.
A lot was relative, though.
Plus, that mostly happened at night, and it was all gang-related. It’s not like there were people hanging around there to grab and toss random people over the side for funsies.
I mean, not anymore.
It had a great space underneath that was perfect for lying low.
Best of all, it was usually empty. Not really a popular picnic spot due to its reputation.
Casey took Jewel’s hand as we approached the railway tracks. I pulled the wire clippers from my bag and cut us a way in, ushering the others to the dry, dusty space below the metal frame.
“So now what? We just wait?” Jewel asked.
“You guys are gonna wait here. I’m gonna go arrange a ride for us. I’ll be back in about two hours, okay?”