Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Gabbi
The cave was cold, damp, and silent except for the slow, steady breaths of the boys huddled together in the dim glow of the fire.
I hadn’t slept, not really. None of us had.
The exhaustion in my bones was deep, settling into every muscle, every nerve, but we couldn’t afford to rest any longer. It was time to move.
Bobby stood near the entrance, his body tense, his stance rigid. He had barely spoken since last night, his mind locked in that quiet, dangerous place that I knew too well. His focus was on one thing—getting Liam out of here.
Liam, who now stood just a few feet away from his brother, watching him with cautious, unreadable eyes. He didn’t talk much, hadn’t since we got him out of that cabin. But he stayed close to Bobby, never straying too far, his presence like a shadow that Bobby would never let go of again.
I took a breath, pushing myself to my feet. My body protested the movement, my legs stiff, my back aching, but none of that mattered. "We need to go before they realize I tricked them," I said, my voice quiet but firm.
Bobby gave a sharp nod. He turned to the boys. "Stick together. Keep up. No noise."
The boys nodded, their small, exhausted faces pale in the firelight. I hated that they had learned to follow orders like this. Hated that they knew how to run for their lives.
Without another word, we stepped into the cold morning air.
The sky was shifting from black to gray, the first hints of daylight creeping over the horizon. The world felt too quiet. The kind of quiet that made my stomach twist. The kind that came before everything went to hell.
We moved fast, covering our tracks as best as we could, weaving through the dense trees, the uneven ground making every step a risk. The boys kept close, their small feet barely making a sound against the forest floor. My legs burned, my lungs fought for air, but I kept moving.
Bobby was ahead, his hand gripping Liam’s wrist, keeping him close. I stayed at the back, scanning the trees, my heart hammering against my ribs with every step.
Then—gunshots.
The crack of bullets split the silence, tearing through the branches above us.
Liam flinched, his body jerking as Bobby yanked him forward. "Run!" Bobby’s voice was sharp, commanding.
The boys sprinted ahead. I turned, firing a shot over my shoulder, my pulse roaring in my ears.
The guards had found us.
More bullets shredded through the trees, the sound of shouting growing closer. My boots slammed against the ground, my body moving on instinct, weaving through the thick undergrowth, my breath coming in ragged bursts.
Branches whipped against my skin, sharp cuts blooming across my arms, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop.
The boys were ahead now, Bobby leading them through the forest like he had been born for it. I stayed at the back, my fingers tight around the grip of my gun, firing blindly whenever I saw movement behind us.
One of the guards appeared through the trees, his rifle raised. I fired first.
He dropped.
More were coming.
I pushed harder, my legs screaming, my vision blurring. The forest was a maze, endless and unforgiving, but we kept running, kept moving, the boys gasping for breath, their small bodies fighting to keep up.
And then—flashing lights.
I barely registered them at first. The blur of red and blue cutting through the gray morning. The distant wail of sirens. The sound of voices.
Then, louder—"Freeze!"
The guards hesitated.
The world stopped.
We burst into a clearing, our bodies skidding to a stop. Police. Officers in full gear, their weapons raised, their faces sharp and alert.
I could feel the exact second the guards behind us realized they had lost.
Some of them froze, their hands twitching toward their guns, but the sight of an entire squad of officers standing in their way made them hesitate. One of them dropped his rifle. Another turned and ran. The rest weren’t brave enough to fight.
I sucked in a shaky breath, my chest heaving. The boys stood frozen, their faces pale, their bodies still trembling from the chase.
Bobby was the first to move.
He turned to Liam, his breathing still rough, still uneven. Slowly, he crouched, his hands gripping his little brother’s arms, his forehead pressing against Liam’s. "You’re safe now," Bobby whispered.
Liam didn’t say anything. Didn’t move.
Then, finally, his small hands clutched Bobby’s shirt, his fingers curling into the fabric.
Bobby’s jaw tightened, his arms wrapping around Liam, pulling him close, shielding him.
I let out a breath, my body sagging.
We had made it.