Chapter 6 #3
Kara rolled her eyes. “Arrow, you’re being kind of stupid.”
“You want to know why I’m helping you?”
“Yes.”
“Because when I looked down at you in that tree, something…shifted inside me. Maybe we’re just meant to be friends.
Maybe your journey is mixed up with mine in some other way that we don’t understand yet.
But I’ve got a sense that if I leave Asheville without you, we’ll both regret it for the rest of our lives.
I’m not pressing you for anything, Kara.
Other than a chance to help however I can. ”
She couldn’t wrap her mind around this man. She’d gone from meeting the most evil man she could think of, to the most unselfish and caring. It was enough to give her whiplash.
One of the men in the chopper reached out and tapped Arrow on the shoulder and gestured to his headset.
Arrow nodded and turned back to Kara. “So? Do I have your permission to debrief my team? You can trust them. Again, I know that’s just lip service at this point, but I wouldn’t tell them if I didn’t think they’d have our backs.
If they couldn’t be trusted with both your life and mine. ”
“I…” Kara wasn’t sure what to say. Wasn’t sure she could say anything. So she just nodded.
Arrow brought a hand up and briefly touched her bruised face with a whisper-soft caress before he turned back to his friend and gave him a chin lift.
Immediately, Kara heard Obi-Wan’s voice in her ears.
“Five minutes until we’re landing. What’s the plan?”
Arrow took a deep breath…and began speaking.
Kara felt extremely vulnerable as Arrow briefly explained what had happened to her at Nolan’s hands.
How she’d come to be in the middle of the flash flood, and why going to a hospital wasn’t a good idea.
He further explained his need to find a detective who could be trusted to keep Kara’s plan to accompany them to Norfolk a secret.
Finally, he requested a discreet doctor to complete a rape kit.
If Kara thought the atmosphere in the chopper was tense before, it was nothing compared to how it felt now.
Having both Obi-Wan and Buck’s gazes on her was uncomfortable, but she kept her head up and refused to look away.
Neither said anything for a beat, then Buck shook his head. “Amazing. Bent but not broken. We won’t let you down, Kara.”
She wanted to cry at the sincerity and determination she heard in his voice.
The next few minutes were spent listening to the five men talk strategy.
What the plan was for when they landed. Casper would be in charge of finding a detective, after consulting with someone called Tex.
Buck would coordinate both her and Arrow’s medical needs, Obi-Wan would contact the colonel they worked for and get permission to head back to Virginia as soon as possible, even though they probably could’ve stayed a few more days to assist with evacuations.
And Edge would be sticking to Kara like glue when Arrow couldn’t be with her.
It was overwhelming how quickly these men worked to protect her.
A woman they’d just met. It made no sense to Kara, but she wasn’t going to turn down their assistance.
She knew down to her bones that if Nolan had even the smallest hole to slip through, he would.
He’d find her and make her pay for escaping.
She had no idea how she’d be able to stay two steps ahead of him. Maybe permanently change her name and eventually move as far away from North Carolina as she could. She’d have to constantly be looking over her shoulder. And anyone who got in Nolan’s way might pay the price for helping her.
That thought was depressing as hell, and the last thing Kara wanted was anyone getting hurt because of her. But at the moment, she needed all the help she could get. She had literally nothing. No clothes. No phone. No money. No one to turn to. Except for the five men in this helicopter.
She wasn’t sure she completely agreed with Arrow’s assessment that her luck had changed, but she wasn’t going to question it at the moment.
Buck took both bottles, which were now empty, and put them back into the metal box.
“Ready?” Arrow asked her quietly.
She wasn’t. It felt cowardly to wish she and Arrow were back in the woods, alone. At the very least, it was safer. But she nodded anyway.
“That’a girl. You’ve got this. We’ll be by your side every step of the way.”
Taking a deep breath, Kara nodded again, a little more confidently. Arrow hadn’t let her down yet. In fact, he’d been one of the very few people in her life who’d ever gone out of his way to put her first. Emotionally and physically. And she’d only known him for a day.
She scooted closer to the door of the helicopter and swallowed hard before putting her hand out for Arrow’s assistance. He helped her down, then didn’t let go. He held her waist lightly as he followed behind his friends toward a large building near where they’d landed.
She had no idea what would happen in the next few hours, but she’d go with the flow. What choice did she have?