SEVEN
I watched G as guilt swamped him and gave him a knowing look. “Don’t do that. I’m not going to tell you the story if you sit there and blame yourself for leaving me. I told you to go. I meant it.”
“We don’t leave people behind,” he said gruffly.
“Sometimes you do,” I said gently. “Besides, I’m here, aren’t I? Let me tell the damn story without your puppy dog eyes making me feel guilty.”
“Why would you feel guilty?” He asked in surprise.
“For making you leave me,” I said. “I knew you’d blame yourself no matter what. I didn’t want to put that on you. Especially after what you and I had been through and everything to do with your sister—I knew it would kill you, and still I forced you to go. I’m sorry—”
G sighed and nodded, and I could tell while all was still not forgiven within himself, I’d stemmed the flood, at least for the time being.
“You’re right. We can’t change things now. Go on.”
“So, I was pretty done at that point. I was out of ammo. It looked bad—it was bad,” I said. “Gun to my head type of bad.” G steeled himself, fists tight on his thighs. “I heard the shot and—”
A bullet hole exploded across the man’s forehead and then he, and the gun pointed at me, dropped dead in the sand.
I looked behind him to see his partner with a gun raised and a grim look on his face.
I hadn’t noticed it before, but he had an eyepatch across one eye and a gnarly thick scar ran out from under it, down his cheek and all the way down his neck to his collarbone.
He had the sides of his head shaved close, with the rest of his brown hair braided across the crown and pulled in a bun at the back of his head.
He approached, and I scrambled in the sand for the dead guard’s firearm. He kicked it away just as my fingers brushed the metal. I sank back on my haunches, convinced he wanted the kill. I followed his boots back up to his face where a striking gold eye glared at me.
“You gonna shoot the man who just saved your life?” He growled. “Bad form, my friend.”
“Friend?” I echoed.
Apparently it was the only word I could get to come out of my mouth. Gold Eye looked at me like I was dumb as the rocks that surrounded us.
“Yeah. You going to make me regret it, Pretty Boy?”
“Pretty Boy?”
Jesus, could I not talk?
Gold Eye looked around. “We need to get off this beach.”
Before I could do much else, he’d slung my arm around his shoulder and hoisted me into his side. I groaned as the pain caused stars to burst across my vision, and the world tilted precariously. I managed to take two steps before I muttered a pathetic ‘oh shit’ and passed out.
A stinging sensation on my cheek forced my awareness back into my body. Another one, and I realized it was a slap. My eyes flickered open, gritty and heavy.
“Stop that,” I slurred. “I’m awake—I’m—” My words cut off in a groan. I was awake, but everything fucking hurt. I looked down and saw my wounds had field dressings on them. Why did he do that if he was going to kill me?
“Where—”
Gold Eye interrupted me. “You passed out. But, I can’t carry your fat ass, so you need to stay awake long enough to get to the helo.”
“I’m not fat,” I grumbled.
I was starting to hate this dude.
“Whatever,” he growled. “Don’t pass out again.”
Like I could help it. He held out his hand, and I took it.
Somehow I made it to my feet with only minimal dizziness.
The world felt off though, like the colors had all been leeched from it, and my head felt like it was floating somewhere high above my body.
Gold Eye once again slung my arm over his shoulder and helped me.
We stumbled our way down the beach. I had no idea where we were going.
All I focused on was putting one foot in front of the other.
It was a shockingly difficult feat and took all of my energy to accomplish.
“We need to go faster,” Gold Eye griped.
“Fuck you,” I muttered.
I really couldn’t find it in me to care. At this point, he could drop me where we stood, and I’d die happy because it meant I didn’t have to take another painful step.
“Why are you helping me?” I ground out.
He ignored the question. Probably just as well; it took all of my concentration to survive.
And I supposed it didn’t really matter. I had no idea how long we walked through the sand.
I had no idea where on the island we were.
I wasn’t really in a place to focus on where we were headed besides the few inches in front of my feet, so when I looked up to see an airstrip in the distance, I forgot to keep walking. Gold Eye dropped me when I stumbled.
“Good a place as any,” he grumbled.
I watched him walk a few paces away and sighed. Finally, he was going to leave me the fuck alone so I could die in peace. I rolled over onto my back and stared up at the grey sky. It couldn’t even be blue—I had to go out looking at the dull grey of dawn. So lame.
There were sounds of something going on off to my right, but I literally couldn’t be bothered to turn my head. It sounded like brush and branches being moved and canvas being pulled off metal. I must have dozed off, because my body lurched and Gold Eye’s hands yanked me carelessly up.
“Come on, Pretty Boy,” he grunted as he hoisted me to my knees. “Fucking dead weight—”
I’d lost the strength to combat his snark.
I could barely get to my feet, even with his help.
I lifted my head to see a helicopter that definitely hadn’t been there before.
Or at least, I don’t think it had been there before.
I really couldn’t be sure. It was painted in splotched camouflage, and looked like it had seen better days.
“That thing can fly?” I slurred.
“Better than you can walk.”
Touche.
I supposed a fiery death was as good a death as any.
I let him manhandle me into the back and strap me in.
He climbed into the pilot’s seat and started to bring the bird to life.
It very much acted like it didn’t want to be alive.
Much like myself. I felt the darkness call to me again, and suddenly I needed to know what Gold Eye’s name was. Desperately.
“What’s your name?” I asked.
The engine coughed. The rotors whirled.
“Ranger.”
“Ranger. Weird name. Ranger Rick?”
The bird shuddered on its skids.
“Definitely haven’t heard that one before,” Ranger said dryly. “You gonna tell me your name, mate?”
“Seven.”
“And you’re saying I have a weird name?”
With a lurch the helo lifted off the ground, and I felt the familiar dip of my stomach as Ranger tilted the bird to gain altitude.
I couldn’t see out the sides from where I lay, but it was probably just as well.
I had a nasty case of vertigo, and I’m sure seeing the trees and ocean beneath me wouldn’t help.
The sound of the wind as it rushed by and the familiar cadence of a helicopter lulled me back into a stupor, and it wasn’t long before I passed out again.
“So you’re telling me, a one-eyed man named Ranger Rick dragged you to a landing strip, unearthed a hidden helo and flew you off the island,” G stated.
I pursed my lips, and okay, so maybe I needed to acknowledge how crazy that story sounded.
“Yeah, that about sums it up.”
G looked skeptical. “Are you sure you didn’t inhale some of that island gas?”
I chuckled. “Highly possible, but if it didn’t happen like that, I have no alternative so I don’t know what to tell you.”
“What happened after that?” G asked incredulously.
“That part isn’t too clear—” I said lightly.
“Oh, that part?” G huffed a laugh.
“I think I was out for most of it. The next thing I remember, Ranger Rick drove me almost to the front gate—”
“Why didn’t he drop you at the gate?” G asked. He seemed pissed off about that.
“He said he didn’t want anyone to see him.”
“I see.” G stated. “The guy sounds like an asshole.”
I laughed. “He definitely was. I still don’t know why he helped me.”
“How did he know where to drop you?” G asked.
I shrugged. “Don’t know that either.”
G grunted and he went quiet as he let the story settle.
He shook his head. “That really is a wild story, Sev,” he grinned.
“I know,” I said gleefully. “Isn’t it awesome?”