Chapter 9
Olivia
The silence is wrong.
That’s the first thing I notice.
Not quiet.
Wrong.
Too still.
Too heavy.
My boots crunch against loose dirt as we move through the narrow stretch of rock, everyone spread tight and careful across the ridge. Wind slips through the canyon walls in low whistles, carrying dust across the path.
Nobody talks.
Nobody wastes energy.
Children cling to their mothers while Lucas scouts ahead and Russ watches everything like he expects the mountain itself to open fire.
And somehow that should make me feel safer.
Instead, the knot in my stomach tightens harder.
I glance behind us.
Nothing.
Just empty terrain and jagged stone.
Still—
The feeling won’t leave.
Like eyes are tracking every step.
Like something’s waiting.
My pulse picks up.
“Russ—”
Gunfire detonates above us.
The sound slams through the canyon so violently it rattles my teeth.
“DOWN!” Lucas roars.
I hit the ground instantly, grabbing the nearest child and dragging her beneath me as bullets shred the dirt around us.
Rock splinters explode overhead.
Children scream.
Dust blasts into the air thick enough to choke on.
“They’re on the ridge!” someone shouts.
Another burst of gunfire rains down from above.
Too close.
Way too close.
I curl tighter around the little girl beneath me while dirt sprays across my back.
“It’s okay,” I whisper automatically, even though my own heart is hammering hard enough to hurt. “Stay down—don’t move—”
A bullet cracks against the rock inches from my face.
The little girl cries harder.
Then suddenly—
A hand grabs me.
Hard.
Not Russ.
Not anyone I know.
Fear punches straight through me.
No.
The man jerks me backward violently, fingers locked around my arm.
Pain rips through my shoulder.
I twist on instinct and drive my elbow backward as hard as I can.
Solid impact.
The man grunts something sharp in Farsi—
But he doesn’t let go.
My boots scrape uselessly against loose dirt as he drags me uphill.
“No!”
The word tears out of me before I can stop it.
His grip tightens.
I don’t understand the words he’s shouting, but I understand the intent perfectly.
Cold panic surges through me.
Not again.
Not like this—
“Olivia!”
Russ.
Gunfire cracks.
The man jerks suddenly behind me.
Then the pressure disappears.
His hand slips from my arm.
I stumble forward, catching myself on shaking hands as the body hits the dirt behind me.
And Russ is there.
Right there.
Breathing hard.
Eyes black with fury.
His hand catches my arm fast enough to steady me before I fall again.
“Are you hurt?”
The question comes rough.
Sharp.
Terrifyingly focused.
“I’m—”
Another shot cracks through the canyon.
Something slams into my side.
Hard.
For half a second, I don’t understand what happened.
Then heat blooms beneath my ribs.
Sharp.
Burning.
My breath catches violently.
My hand flies to my side.
Wet.
My fingers come back red.
Oh God.
That’s blood.
Too much blood.
“Olivia!”
Russ grabs me as my knees buckle.
The canyon tilts sideways.
Sound blurs.
Gunfire echoes somewhere far away now, muffled beneath the pounding in my ears.
“I’m okay,” I try to say.
The words barely come out.
Russ looks down at the blood soaking through my jacket and swears viciously.
“Stay with me.”
His voice cuts through the haze hard enough to pull my focus back for a second.
I blink up at him.
Dust streaks his face.
There’s blood on him too.
His jaw is clenched so tightly it looks painful.
“I am…” I whisper.
But the edges of everything are already going dark.
Around us, chaos explodes.
Lucas shouts orders.
Boots pound against rock.
More gunfire cracks overhead.
Somebody screams.
Then suddenly I’m moving.
Russ lifts me into his arms like I weigh nothing.
Pain tears through my side hard enough to make me gasp.
“Sorry,” he mutters immediately.
I clutch weakly at his jacket. “Don’t drop me.”
The words come out thin.
Not really a joke.
His arms tighten around me instantly.
“Not happening.”
And stupidly—
Even now—
I believe him.
My head falls against his shoulder as he runs.
The steady pound of his heartbeat presses against my cheek beneath layers of gear and fabric.
Everything flickers in and out around me.
Sky.
Dust.
Rock walls.
Russ shouting at someone.
I can’t hold onto any of it for long.
“Hey.”
His voice cuts through again.
Closer this time.
Sharper.
“Stay with me.”
“I’m trying…”
The words slur together.
My eyelids feel impossibly heavy.
No.
No, no, no.
I can’t pass out.
Not here.
Not while they’re still running.
Not while children are still crying somewhere behind us.
Not while Russ—
“Olivia!”
His voice snaps through the darkness again.
I force my eyes open just enough to see him looking down at me.
Fear flashes across his face so quickly I almost think I imagined it.
Then his jaw locks hard again.
“Stay awake,” he orders.
I try.
God, I try.
Because the way he’s holding me—
Like letting go isn’t an option—
Makes me want to fight harder to stay.