Page 6 of The Hero
He was taller than her by quite a bit. She could feel his hard muscles shifting as she squirmed frantically, doing her best to get out of his tight hold.
“Stop it, Marlowe! We don’t have time for this.”
She froze at hearing her name on his lips. And at hearingEnglish. Doing her best to turn around, to see who he was, she growled in frustration when he held her so securely she couldn’t move an inch.
As if he could sense her need—and knew that some of the fight had drained out of her—he turned her in his grasp, still keeping a firm hold.
There was hardly any light to see, but Marlowe recognized him immediately.
“Kendric,” she breathed, shocked to her core.
His lips twitched as if she’d said something funny. “Yup,” he agreed.
The man standing in front of her looked nothing like the staid and buttoned-up lawyer who’d come to the prison. Instead of the crisp white shirt, tie, and pressed khaki pants, he was wearing black from head to toe. A black T-shirt, cargo pants, boots. But the determination in his eyes was the same as she’d seen before.
“You good?” he asked.
Marlowe could only nod. Was she good? Not really. But then again, for the moment, she wasn’t locked up for something she didn’t do. There was a better-than-average chance she’d be caught and be sent right back to the hell she’d miraculously escaped, but for now, she supposed she was okay.
“Right.” Kendric let go of her, but she could’ve sworn his thumbs swiped the skin of her upper arms in a reassuring caress before he turned and bent toward the ground. When he stood, he held her shoes out to her. “You should put these on. Smart making sure you didn’t lose them.”
Even that small compliment made Marlowe want to cry. It had been a very long time since anyone had said something nice to her. But she swallowed down the emotion. She wasn’t safe, not by a long shot, and she needed to keep running. Get as far away from the prison as she could.
“You should go,” she said urgently.
“What?” Kendric asked, his brows coming down in a scowl.
“You should go,” she repeated. “The last thing you want is to be caught helping me.”
To her surprise, Kendric actually laughed. “Who do you think orchestrated your escape ... and the escape of all the other women? If we get caught, I’m definitely going to prison. But I have no intention of being captured. So put your shoes on, Mar, and let’s get the hell out of here.”
She stared at the slippers he was holding out to her and blurted the first thing that came to mind. “I can’t run with them on. It’s why I was carrying them.”
He pressed his lips together, but simply nodded. “It’s not ideal, but we don’t have far to go.”
“We don’t?” Marlowe asked stupidly.
“Nope. Come on, let’s get moving.”
Marlowe stared at the hand Kendric held out to her for a beat. Then she took it with her own. He squeezed her fingers before turning and heading down the alley.
She felt as if she’d entered the twilight zone. Whowasthis man? Had he really run that truck into the prison wall, or perhaps arranged for someone else to do it? She couldn’t wrap her mind around the risks he was taking—forher. She’d never met the man before he’d visited the prison.
“Stop thinking so hard, Marlowe. I’ll answer all your questions once we’re safe. For now, just know that I’m going to get you home.”
Home.A longing so intense swept through her. Even if her job wasn’t her passion, she definitely used to love traveling the world forvarious digs. Loved meeting new people, experiencing new cultures. But now, all she wanted was to get back to the States and never leave again.
Her mind still on overload, Marlowe followed Kendric without complaint, relieved to put her life in his hands, even temporarily. The adrenaline rush was ebbing, and she was suddenly exhausted. The lack of sleep, the crappy nutrition, the worry, the fear. All of it was catching up with her, and she knew without a doubt that if she hadn’t run into this man ... she’d be in big trouble.
Bob tightened his fingers around Marlowe’s as he led them farther and farther away from the women’s prison. They weren’t out of danger, not by any stretch, but with every step they took, they were a little closer to getting her home.
He’d watched anxiously as one of the many people working with Willis and his underground network—averywell-paid underground network—ran the truck into the brick wall surrounding the prison. He’d chosen the perfect place for the ambush, the only spot in the prison that didn’t have a building right up next to the outside wall.
As planned, the wall crumbled under the onslaught of the truck and the driver quickly fled the scene. It didn’t take long for women inside to take advantage of the crash. They began pouring out of the prison, and Bob had held his breath, praying that Marlowe would be brave enough to make her escape.
He’d tried to warn her when he’d visited previously, but the setup for visitors wasn’t ideal. Wasn’t private in the least. He’d wanted so badly to tell her what was going to happen, but he couldn’t risk anyone overhearing.
His sources had said that the women weren’t actually locked inside their sleeping quarters at night. They were crowded into the buildings and only watched over by trustees. He’d had to hope that when the truck crashed into the wall and the alarms sounded, people wouldbe curious enough to investigate. Thankfully, the crazy strategy had worked.
