Page 91 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
Maeve looked at him, but he couldn’t stare into her eyes right now. “Waya…” She reached out and touched his hand. She sighed and looked at the windshield when he refused to glance her way. He needed to keep it together and looking at her was going to unravel him.
Maeve leaned forward in her seat. “Are those enemies?” she pointed to the blinking dots on the screen.
“Yes.” He licked his lips and looked over at her. “Go in the center console and take out the black box.”
As soon as she had it out in her lap, she opened the lid.
“That is everything you need to know about our internal systems. When you have time, and no one is around, make sure you watch it and memorize everything. It will explain our weapons and the vehicles. I also put special codes that only a few of us know, and there are even a few secrets on that stick that will get you a favor or two from some very powerful people.”
“I don’t like that you’re talking like you’re not going to see me again.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat and pushed aside his own emotions and looked over at her. He could see the worry shining in her eyes, and he wanted to tell her that everything was going to be fine, but the dots on the screen, continuing to get closer, told a different story. He wasn’t getting out of this, at least not alive, and he forced his injured arm onto the wheel with a groan as he tried to ignore the searing pain.
He reached out with his good arm and ran his thumb along Maeve’s cheek. The moment he’d met her, his life had been turned upside down, and he wouldn’t change a thing. She was worth every second.
“There is so much I want to say to you, so much I’d hoped for us.”
She rubbed her cheek into his palm, and he could feel his own tears wanting to form, but he wouldn’t allow himself that moment. He didn’t want her last image of him to be crying. It would hurt her soul, and she already held enough pain there.
“If you get a chance to run, then run, and don’t hesitate to call Morry. I know you have doubts and questions, but she can help you, and I have no doubt that Morry loves you. She doesn’t waste her time on someone she doesn’t care for, especially for three years. I should’ve gone to her sooner. I’m sorry, Walela, I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you the way I promised, I’m sorry that I failed you.”
“Stop it, I mean it. We have to keep trying. You can’t give up.”
“I’m not giving up, but there’s no way out.”
As he said the words, the sound of helicopter blades reached them inside the cab. The bright spotlight was like they’d turned a light on inside the cab. Maeve looked out the side window, and she made a little sound that reminded him of a wounded animal as the fear of the situation pressed in on her.
“They’re not going to let us get to a public area, Walela. They are trained like I am and know that’s what I’d do. They’re going to stop us one way or another. I need you to know that no matter what happens, I love you with my whole heart, and I have never been happier in my life than I have in these last weeks with you.”
“I hate that you’re talking like this.” Her beautiful features were pained, her lower lip trembling.
“We don’t have much time, and I need to say this. They are going to take you. Remember, you’re an asset to them. For whatever reason, their mission has changed. Use it to your advantage, and I need you to remember that no matter what they have planned, you’re stronger. Remain the warrior you’ve turned into, kill them when you get the chance, and never look back.”
“Waya, please.”
Tears were streaming down her face, and he hated to see her in pain, but he needed to prepare her. The Hummer weaved as his injured arm lost its grip on the wheel. He quickly grabbed it with his good hand and glanced in his rear-view mirror.
They were fanned out in a perfect V formation and still on his ass, but they weren’t trying to pass, which meant they were indeed being herded. He glanced at the map and topped the Hummer’s speed out. There was only one small non-maintenance road he might be able to get to first, but the two vehicles ahead had converged on the same road. They were now speeding in their direction into a head-on collision.
“Duke, on the floor,” he said, looking into the dog’s eyes. He seemed to understand the severity of the situation. He slipped off the seat and disappeared behind them.
Maeve clung to her seatbelt as they sped over what would’ve been a few gentle rises but instead turned into death-defying leaps into the air, only to land hard with a bounce.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” He dared a glance over. She looked green and had her eyes tightly shut.
“Hang in there,” he said, and she nodded. “Also, there’s a gun in the glove compartment and…” An alarm began beeping.
“What’s that?”
“Someone is trying to hack the truck.”
“They can do that?”
“AJ, block all external transmissions and shut down WiFi.” The beeping stopped, but his map, along with the location of the other vehicles, disappeared. “They can if the vehicle is connected to one of their servers.”
He could see the headlights of the oncoming trucks in the distance as they drove over the next rise, but they didn’t seem to be traveling as quickly. He shook his head because his sight got a little fuzzy for a moment and knew that the wetness he was feeling drip from his fingers was the cause and also not a good sign.
If he could get them to a spot that The Righteous wouldn’t attack, he could tend to his arm and let Maeve drive, but for now, he needed to keep it together. He caught sight of the single stake in the road that marked the turn. Unless you lived in this area, you would not know it was an access road. He counted down the seconds in his head to make the turn.
