Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
The motorcycle engine roared beneath Dani as she gunned it over a ridge, momentarily airborne before slamming back to earth.
Pain shot through her freshly-wrapped ankle, but she gritted her teeth against it.
The makeshift splint she'd created from medical supplies at the animal clinic was holding. Barely.
She'd raided the vet clinic's emergency stores.
Painkillers, antibiotics, bandages, burn treatments, everything she could imagine needing for injured aliens on the run.
Though, to be honest, she wasn't sure which of the medications could work for humans or aliens.
She might have had just supplied Poppy with animal meds.
Her backpack full of supplies and alien tech bounced against her spine as she navigated the rough terrain, the damp weight a constant reminder of what was at stake.
A helicopter thundered overhead, black against the deepening sky.
Dani immediately swerved off the dirt track, sliding the motorcycle behind a massive red rock formation.
She cut the engine, heart pounding as she waited, listening to the rhythmic thump of rotors.
The chopper hovered for an agonizing minute before continuing its sweep toward the east.
Too close.
The rendezvous point Poppy had indicated was still five miles across open desert, and daylight was fading. She'd need to push harder if she wanted to reach it before dark, but staying invisible to Milano's air patrols was equally crucial.
She restarted the motorcycle, wincing as her injured ankle protested when she kicked the stand up.
The animal clinic stocked painkillers for dogs and cats, not humans, so she had no clue which ones would work for her.
She’d been forced to grab over-the-counter pills from the receptionist’s desk. They dulled the edge, but not enough.
A glint of metal caught her eye in the distance. A roadblock had been set up on the main canyon access road. Milano had established checkpoints faster than Poppy had predicted. The direct route was now cut off.
"Guess we're going cross-country," Dani muttered to herself, calculating a new path through the rugged landscape.
She gunned the engine and set off parallel to the road but hidden from it, racing through scrubby vegetation and over rocky terrain that the motorcycle was never designed to handle.
Each impact jarred her injured ankle, each jolt a fresh reminder of her recklessness in the cave.
But Solar was worth it. Worth every agonizing bump and risky maneuver.
The terrain grew increasingly treacherous as she ventured deeper into the backcountry.
Loose rocks scattered beneath the tires, threatening to send her skidding.
Twice she nearly wiped out navigating steep inclines.
The third time, the back wheel caught on a hidden rock, and the motorcycle fishtailed wildly.
Dani fought for control, leaning hard into the skid. For one heart-stopping moment, the bike tilted dangerously to one side, nearly crushing her injured leg. With a desperate wrench of the handlebars, she managed to right it, but the violent maneuver sent a fresh wave of agony through her ankle.
"Shit," she hissed through clenched teeth, momentarily stopping to catch her breath. The sun was sinking faster now, the rocks catching fire with the last golden rays. The same light that had poured from Solar's skin when he held her.
No time to rest. No time to think about what might have happened to him.
She pushed on, navigating more by instinct. The motorcycle's headlight was too risky to use with Milano's patrols overhead, so she relied on the fading natural light, squinting to make out the path ahead.
As she crested a rise, a flash of movement in her peripheral vision made her heart stutter. Headlights moved fast along a parallel ridge about half a mile away. Not just one vehicle, but three, their powerful spotlights sweeping the terrain.
Milano search teams.
Fuck.
Dani cut her engine immediately and let momentum carry her down the far side of the ridge, out of sight. But she'd miscalculated. The decline was steeper than it appeared, and without power to control her descent, the motorcycle picked up speed rapidly.
The front wheel hit a depression, and Dani felt herself becoming airborne. For one suspended moment, she was flying, and then reality crashed back as she and the motorcycle parted ways. She tumbled through the air, instinctively tucking into a roll as years of martial arts training kicked in.
She hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind from her lungs. Pain exploded in her shoulder and side as she rolled uncontrollably down the rocky slope, finally coming to a stop in a cloud of dust.
For several seconds, she lay completely still, fighting to draw breath into stunned lungs.
When oxygen finally returned, it brought with it an inventory of fresh injuries.
Ribs, bruised, maybe cracked. Left shoulder, definitely wrenched.
Right ankle, somehow, miraculously, still contained in its makeshift splint, though throbbing with renewed intensity.
The motorcycle lay on its side twenty feet away, front wheel still spinning lazily. The backpack had torn free during her fall and rested nearby, its contents thankfully still secured inside.
"Get up," she commanded herself. "Move."
The sound of engines grew louder. The Milano team had heard her crash, or worse, spotted her. Either way, they were coming.
Dani forced herself to her feet, biting back a cry as her body protested. She staggered to the motorcycle and heaved it upright, ignoring the screaming pain in her shoulder. The frame was dented, the left mirror gone, but the engine still caught when she hit the starter.
The headlights on the ridge were closer now, starting to descend her way. She had maybe two minutes before they reached her position.
There was no way to outrun them on the damaged bike, not with her injuries. She needed a diversion.
Dani reached for the backpack, frantically searching through the medical supplies until her fingers closed around what she needed. A bottle of alcohol. Surgical grade, nearly pure ethanol. She tore a strip from her already-ripped shirt and stuffed it into the bottle's mouth, creating a crude wick.
Fire. Her oldest friend. Her most reliable weapon.
The lights were closing in, now just a quarter of a mile away and gaining quickly. Dani gunned the motorcycle's engine, fighting to maintain control with one hand while holding her makeshift explosive. She sped parallel to the approaching vehicles, leading them away from the rendezvous point.
When she'd put enough distance between herself and her intended path, she pulled the lighter from her pocket. It was the same one that had survived the cave. With a practiced flick, she lit the wick and hurled the bottle toward a patch of dry brush.
The explosion was more impressive than she'd expected. Flames erupted instantly, racing through the parched vegetation. The Milano vehicles skidded to a halt as a wall of fire spread between them and Dani.
She didn't wait to see if they'd find a way around. With the last of her strength, she wrenched the motorcycle around and sped off in the direction of the rendezvous point, the growing darkness swallowing her as the fire blazed behind.
The final miles were a blur of pain and determination. Twice she nearly blacked out, forcing herself to stay conscious through sheer willpower. The bike's engine began to stutter. She didn’t know if it was damaged in the crash or running out of fuel. Either way, it wouldn’t last much longer.
“Please, please, please,” she begged the bike. “Just a little closer.”
The motorcycle gave a final, protesting cough as she guided it into the canyon entrance, then died completely. Dani half-rode, half-wobbled the last few yards before the bike tipped sideways, depositing her roughly on the ground.
She lay on the desert floor, panting heavily and fighting the waves of pain washing over her.
Dani didn't think she could stand up even if she tried. Every muscle screamed in protest, and every breath sent sharp pains through her ribs. Tears spilled hot over her cheeks. Her body couldn’t take much more.
But worse than the physical pain was the fear eating away at her core.
Where was Solar? Was he still alive? Still fighting? Or had Milano's mercenaries subdued him? Taken him to some secret facility to be studied and dissected?
Fear took her imagination to some dark places.
“Solar,” she whispered in determination. “I’m coming.”
The thought sent a surge of renewed energy through her exhausted body. She hadn't survived a cave collapse, a motorcycle crash, and a Milano pursuit just to give up now. Solar was alive. He had to be. Milano would not win.
And until she saw him again, felt his impossible warmth, witnessed that golden glow that seemed to reach inside her very soul, she would keep fighting. Keep surviving. Because somehow, in just a few days, this alien had become something precious to her. Something worth burning for.
Dani straightened and pushed to her feet despite the pain. She limped across the uneven terrain. Her gaze stayed fixed on the dark canyon entrance. Waiting. Watching. Ready.