Chapter 13
THE MORNING LIGHT FILTERED weakly through the trees, casting fractured gold across the forest floor.
Meaghan crouched low behind a thick patch of scrub, one arm tight around Willie as he sniffled against her shoulder, the other hand resting protectively on Sophie’s back.
Lucas sat beside her, his knees pulled to his chest, eyes wide and scared but silent now.
Her gaze kept drifting back to Callen, wishing he would get up again. She had no idea how long it would take whoever was shooting at them to find them, but she doubted it would be long.
Callen slumped against the base of a pine tree, which was as far as she could move him.
Beside him the emergency backpack sat on the ground, his right hand sticky with blood where it clutched his side.
The fabric of his jacket was soaked through, the dark patch growing. She thought he might have passed out.
Then he stirred.
It wasn’t a groan or a sudden jolt, just a slow, brutal determination as he pushed his other hand against the ground and forced himself upright inch by inch.
Every movement was pain. She saw it in the way his jaw clenched tight, his face pale beneath the scruff, sweat glistening at his temples.
He gritted his teeth and braced a hand against the tree to steady himself. For a heartbeat, he swayed.
Then he opened his eyes and found hers.
“I’m good,” he said, though his voice was barely more than gravel. “We have to move.”
“Callen, you need to sit. Just… just let me look—”
“There’s no time.” He reached for his sidearm, checked the clip with a practiced flick of his thumb. “If they’re tracking us, they’ll sweep this area. We have to stay ahead of them.”
She wanted to argue. God, she wanted to scream at him to stop pretending he was invincible. But she knew that look. The soldier was back in control. Wounded, yes. But not giving up.
He didn’t look like the man she’d kissed last night. He looked like the man she remembered watching walk away a decade ago, now bleeding and broken but still standing tall.
A scream cut through the air, jerking their attention around as everyone ducked.
Callen glanced at her, a smug smirk twisting his lips. “Seems someone found a trap I left out there. Let’s hope the rest of them find the others.” Callen shouldered the pack with a grunt and motioned her forward. “Get the kids moving. I’ve got point.”
Meaghan’s throat tightened as she helped Sophie up and whispered reassurance into her curls. Behind them, Lucas and Willie scrambled to their feet. She moved to Callen’s side as they began picking through the underbrush again, and before she could stop herself, her hand brushed his arm.
“You shouldn’t be walking.”
His mouth twitched, almost a smile she knew he forced. “Then you’ll just have to carry me if I fall.”
She blinked hard, biting back the surge of emotion. No time for tears. No time for fear.
They had to survive.
And then they moved, the boys trailing close behind, Sophie clutching her arm as she stayed close to Callen, just in case.
The trees were a blur of green and shadow as they stumbled through the dense woods, Callen bleeding and the kids gasping for breath between sobs.
Meaghan clutched Willie’s hand in one of hers, Sophie’s in the other, while Lucas kept close to her hip, eyes wide and terrified.
The air was thick with humidity, buzzing insects, and the coppery scent of blood, Callen’s blood.
Branches snagged her sweater as she ducked under a low limb, her lungs burning with every gasp.
Behind her, Lucas stumbled, and she reached back blindly, catching his arm before he hit the ground.
Callen still led the way, even shot, pale and sweating.
His hand remained steady on the compact pistol as he cleared the path with slow, deliberate steps.
Each time he staggered, she felt it like a punch to the gut.
She had no idea how he was still on his feet.
She should’ve been stronger. Faster. She should’ve remembered Lucas had an iPad.
Then they wouldn’t be in this trouble. Callen wouldn’t be shot and bleeding out.
The gunfire had stopped. Either they’d lost interest or were regrouping, but she knew better than to think they were safe. Not yet. Not until they were far from the cabin, far from that damn iPad and the signal that had doomed them.
“Here,” he rasped, pointing to a low outcropping of rock overgrown with ferns and brambles. “There’s a hollow behind it. Used to store gear there a long time ago. We can hide there for a few.”
She pushed the kids ahead, ushering them into the dark, narrow crevice. It wasn’t much, but it shielded them from sight. As she ducked in last, Callen collapsed to his knees just outside, his back to the stone, keeping guard.
The kids collapsed to the ground, gasping and whimpering, and Meaghan fell to her knees beside them. Sophie clung to her, burying her face in Meaghan’s side, while Willie pressed against her other shoulder. Lucas curled in, his face blotchy and tear-streaked.
Callen remained where he was, hand on his weapon, his body still alert despite the pain etched deep in the furrow of his brow. Finally, he turned, staggered slightly, and sat down hard.
“You need to come inside,” she whispered, touching his shoulder.
He shook his head, though. “Not until I know they’re safe.”
“You’re going to bleed out if you don’t let me look at that.”
He exhaled slowly, the sound like wind through gravel. “You remember that first-aid kit in my pack?”
She nodded.
“Get it. And hurry. We can’t stay here for long.”
She slid from the crevice and tugged the bag from his shoulder. When she unzipped it, the sight of the blood-soaked material around his waist nearly broke her.
“Jesus, Callen,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice calm for the kids’ sake.
“It’s just a graze.”
“Bullshit.”
He didn’t argue.
She opened the emergency kit, hands trembling, and began cutting away the fabric. The wound was a through and through, high on his side, painful but not life-threatening. Still, it needed cleaning and bandaging.
“Graze my ass,” she told him, her face pinched as she stared at it. “This needs stitches.”
“No time. Just patch it up for now.”
She worked fast. Gloves. Gauze. Disinfectant. Her hands trembled, not because of the blood, but because it was his blood. She’d watched him walk away once before, telling her it was for the best. And now that he was back in her life, in her arms, he might not walk away at all.
Because he might not survive whoever was after them.
The kids didn’t help her focus. Sophie whimpered every time Callen groaned, and Lucas kept asking if he was going to die. Willie just cried.
“I need space,” she said gently, trying to push them back.
Sophie sniffled. “You’re not gonna let him die, right?”
“No, baby. I won’ t let anyone die.”
She glanced at Callen, who gave her the faintest smirk.
“I told you,” he said through gritted teeth. “Kick-butt Ranger.”
She shot him a glare but didn’t argue. “He’s going to be all right, kids. He’s strong, remember? He’s the one who got us out after all.”
She pressed the gauze to his side, and he hissed when she did. “Just hold still, dammit.”
Callen chuckled weakly. “Bossy as ever. And I thought you didn’t like bad words. That’s two in less than a minute.”
She rolled her eyes. “Someone needs to boss you around.”
His gaze locked with hers, sharp even in pain. “I’m glad it’s you.”
As she cleaned the wound, she tried to think. They couldn’t stay there long because the cold was already creeping in, and the kids wouldn’t last a night out in the open. Besides, who knew how many others were out there hunting them down. They needed to get out of there.
The kids clung tighter, and she leaned into the rhythm of tending wounds and reassuring terrified children, trying not to unravel.
When she finally had the bleeding slowed and the makeshift bandage in place, she sagged back on her heels. “So what now? We can’t stay here forever.” She took a slow breath, her nerves almost at the breaking point. “What are we going to do, Callen?”
His expression turned grim. “Hopefully, the traps keep them at bay, if not take them out altogether. We need to get back to the SUV. Once we’re mobile, I can reach out to Blaze, and he’ll help us find another fallback spot.”
She wanted to argue, because he was in no shape to fight. Still, she could see the set of his jaw and knew he was already planning their next move.
With a grunt, he forced himself to his feet, using the rock wall for balance. The blood on his side had already soaked through the bandage. Meaghan wanted to scream, but instead she simply turned back to the children.
“All right, kids,” she said, forcing calm into her tone. “It’s time to go. Remember, stay as quiet as possible and keep an ear out for anything that seems… out of place. Stay with me.”
They nodded, pale and shaky but obedient. Lucas wiped his nose on his sleeve, while Sophie reached for her hand.
The walk back was slower, more tense, and Callen leaned heavily on her, sweat slicking his brow despite the cold breeze. The kids were quiet for once, likely too tired and scared to complain. When the cabin finally came into view, Meaghan nearly sobbed in relief.
However, Callen stopped her with a touch.
“Someone’s still here.”
“How do you know?” she asked, feeling the tension ripple through the kids. They dropped lower, mimicking his stance.
He nodded toward the disturbed pine needles near the edge of the clearing. “One set of tracks. Smaller guy. Probably remained behind to keep an eye out in case we returned.”
“So what do we do now?”
Callen gave her a quick glance. “You keep the kids back. I’ll take care of it.”
“You’re shot, in case you forgot.”
“I’m also pissed off and very motivated.”
“Callen—”
“Stay,” he ordered, and before she could argue, he slipped away into the trees.
He moved like a ghost, and Meaghan held her breath, pulling the kids tight behind a fallen tree, whispering calming words she didn’t quite believe herself. She heard nothing for a long stretch of minutes, which felt like hours. Then—a thud. A groan. A muffled shout.
Another long moment.
Then Callen reappeared, his shirt bloodier, but his expression grimly satisfied.
“It’s clear. Let’s move.”
She didn’t ask because she didn’t want to know. She simply picked up Sophie, took Willie’s hand, and hustled across the clearing. Lucas ran beside her, sneakers kicking up dust.
Callen moved stiffly, his limp more pronounced now, but he still led the way to the SUV parked behind the cabin.
“Get them in the back seat. Seatbelts on. Now.”
They scrambled in as Meaghan glanced at him. “You’re not driving.”
“No argument here.”
She hesitated for a moment, glancing back toward where Callen had disappeared. “Is he dead?”
“No, but he won’t follow us for quite a while.”
“What if there are more?”
“Then we better hurry.”
They loaded into the SUV in a rush. She got the kids buckled while Callen collapsed into the passenger seat. She started the engine and tore down the dirt path like hell was still on their heels.
“Keep your heads down, kids,” she ordered as she left the cabin behind.
Callen groaned as he leaned against the door, one hand pressed to his side.
“Don’t you pass out on me,” she snapped.
“Wasn’t planning on it.”
“You look like death, you know. We should get you to a hospital.”
“Feel like death, And it’s not safe. These people wouldn’t think of a hospital as off limits.
“Where do we go now then?” she asked barely above a whisper.
Callen didn’t answer at first. His jaw was tight, eyes scanning the mirror. “We find another safe house. I’ll call Blaze. See what he can dig up for us and tell him to send someone for the kids. But first… we get far away from here.”
She glanced over at him, this man who had come back into her life only to bleed for her. Protect her. Carry her through the fire.
Her heart ached.
Because she had no idea what came next.
And for the first time since this all began, that terrified her more than the gunfire ever did.
The kids were silent in the backseat. Not asleep, but too exhausted to do anything else.
She gripped the wheel tighter, her arms shaking. Everything was falling apart, and she didn’t know what came next.
But she knew one thing: she wasn’t letting Callen die. Not after he’d come back into her life. Not after he’d bled to protect her and her students.
Not after that kiss.
The SUV roared down the dirt road, the cabin fading in the rearview mirror.
She didn’t look back.