Page 76 of Protecting Maggie
Maggie sighed. She’d hoped he’d take her story at face value and leave it at that. But she should’ve known better. Looking over at Yana, she saw the little girl was fast asleep. Both boys had their gazes locked on her though. She didn’t want to scare them, but then again, nothing she said would be much of a surprise after everything they’d seen. They’d been living through this hell for quite a while.
“I couldn’t lose them,” she said quietly. “No matter where I went or what I did, they were right there. I heard a gunshot once, and it scared the crap out of me. I thought they were going to shoot me in the back. I managed to slip through a crack in a building that was too small for them to fit through. But the building was in bad shape. I thought it was going to collapse on top of me. I quickly went out the other side before the soldiers could go around and trap me in there.
“They tracked me for hours. Just when I thought I couldn’t run anymore, it started raining. And for some reason, that sent the soldiers running in theoppositedirection. As if they were scared to get wet. It was strange, but I was definitely happy.
“By this time, I was well and truly lost, and far awayfrom the route Artem and I had discussed. But I knew I had to head west to find all of you. I went down this one road, and it dead-ended. It reminded me too much of how you guys got captured in the first place. I managed to climb to the top of the rubble blocking my way, then it collapsed under me.
“I thought that was it. That I was dead. But somehow I was able to ride the concrete down instead of getting buried under it. I was sure the noise would bring the soldiers running, so I stayed hidden nearby for quite a while. Finally, when I thought the coast was clear, I started walking again.”
Maggie felt Shawn’s arms tighten around her.
“I don’t know how you guys have done it,” she told Artem and Borysko. To her surprise, the younger boy crawled over and took her hand in his. He didn’t say anything, but the nonverbal support meant the world to Maggie. Gave her the strength to keep talking.
“I went into one building that didn’t seem too damaged. It looked like it had been some kind of office or something. It smelled horrible, like nothing I’ve ever smelled before. I thought maybe I could find some food or something, so I started looking around. Toward the back, the corner of the room had collapsed. There were bricks and concrete everywhere. There was a desk in the middle of the rubble, and when I got closer, I saw…”
Maggie took a deep breath before continuing.
“An arm. A woman was under there. Dead. That was what I’d smelled. I don’t know why it surprised me somuch. I mean, there have to be more bodies around with all the destruction, but I hadn’t expected to see it. She wasn’t hurting anyone. Was simply doing her job, minding her own business, then boom! The bomb hit and the building collapsed around her. It isn’t fair.”
“Shhhhh,” Shawn murmured, nuzzling his nose against her ear.
Maggie realized she was crying. Why, she wasn’t really sure. She was safe, for the moment at least, and Shawn and MacGyver were all right.
“Why does he hate me so much?” Maggie whispered, not sure how or why she’d transitioned from talking about her harrowing flight from the soldiers, to Roman. “I didn’t doanythingto him. I was a good girlfriend!”
“Of course you were,” Shawn soothed.
“He laughed at me,” she said, admitting something she’d never told anyone else. “He came to see me in prison once. I asked him why he’d done it. Why he’d set me up to take the blame for his actions. He shrugged and said, ‘Because I can.’ Then he laughed. Said it was a rush to have complete control over someone’s life.”
She felt Shawn stiffen against her, and saw MacGyver’s lips press together.
Taking a deep breath, she did her best to rein in her emotions. “Anyway…I left that building and continued heading in this direction. Took refuge under a car for a short break. When I crawled out, I ran straight into another soldier. He was younger. We surprised each other. But instead of shooting me or yelling, he told me where to hide. Then when one of his fellow soldiers arrived, he steered him away from me. That small act of compassion gives me hope for humanity. That’s probably stupid.”
“It’s not,” Shawn reassured her.
Borysko squeezed her hand.
“When they were gone, I continued out of the city. Not too much later…I found you. Or you found me,” Maggie said with a small shrug.
“We found each other,” Shawn said.
And for some reason, those four words resonated within Maggie. Somehow in the shitshow that was her life, she and Shawnhadfound each other. Their lives were polar opposites, and yet…here they were. It was crazy that her ex had kidnapped her, locked her in a crate, and shipped her across the world. And the fact that he’d planned for Shawn to be the one to push her crate out of that chopper just showed how evil Roman was. It was a miracle that the sturdy crate broke open when it landed. That Shawn noticed there was a person inside, and he was able to get out of the helicopter before it took off and left her there.
They were meant to be together. They were going to make it home, figure out how to stop Roman from ruining anyone else’s life, and live happily ever after.
She had to believe that. If she didn’t, everything she’d been through would be for nothing. And that was unfathomable.
Borysko let go of her hand, patted it, then scooted back over to MacGyver. Yana was in his lap, and Borysko leaned against MacGyver’s side as if he’d done it every day of hislife. The SEAL lifted his arm and wrapped it around the boy’s shoulders.
Looking at them made Maggie happy and sad at the same time. These orphans were desperate for love, and MacGyver obviously had that in spades. But as soon as they were rescued, the children would be alone all over again. The thought was devastating.
Shawn’s lips touched her temple, and she looked up at him.
“You’re amazing,” he said softly.
But Maggie shook her head. “I just did what I had to.”
“That’s not true and you know it. MacGyver and I would’ve figured a way out of that church eventually. Or my team would’ve arrived and gotten us out. You could’ve stayed hidden and safe with the children.”
