Page 68 of The Commander

Then I second-guess myself, which is not something I do often. Do I want her to turn around and head back on her own?

Think, think, think.

“I can help,” Quinn says, and I hear crunch, crunch, crunch on the leaves behind me. “Give me a weapon.”

She’s right.

She could.

But right now, she’s not armed, and I don’t have another one to toss her, even if I could see her. Neither of us has goggles or gear to see in this dark, wooded area.

Another snap from my left.

“Stay back,” I grunt low, estimating that she’s at least a yard or so behind me.

We need backup. I pull my phone out to call—

Thwip.

The sound of a silencer popping as the bullet whips past my head stops me. Fuck, if they have killed—

Boof.

The world goes black as my phone tumbles from my hand, and my last thought is that Quinn is dead.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

QUINN

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Noah!

All my training slams to the prefrontal cortex of my brain as Noah collapses to the ground with two beefy men standing over him. They wear black masks and caps so I can’t see their faces, and they’re carrying machine guns.

I crouch down in the shadows, clenching my fists as my anger boils up. I consider my best course of action. Do I run back and get someone?

Yell out?

I don’t have any phone numbers for the BHS crew, and my phone will light up if I use it.

Shit.

I can’t make out what they’re saying, but Noah isn’t moving, and I doubt they’ll have long before he wakes up. A minute or two at most.

Unless they shoot him.

In the distance, I hear voices. Over here, over here! I say in my head, but they can’t hear my mental pleas, and I start to panic.

Oh my god, Noah.

What if they shoot him?

Nausea rises up, forcing me to swallow as my eyes dart around the scene, trying to think of a way out of this.

Goddamn it, I wish I were armed.

I freeze when they begin to drag him along the ground.