He felt fire rip through his shoulder—a bullet grazing or tearing into him, he couldn’t tell. He almost went down but forced himself to stay upright.
“I’m fine,” he lied. “Keep moving!”
They burst out on the riverbank. The current rushed fast and dark, but a path of slick stones cut across it. Aiden hopped onto the first one without hesitation. Ranger followed, nimble and sure.
Nathan helped Lauren to the edge. As she stepped onto the first rock, his wounded arm gave out slightly, and the pain almost dropped him. He bit down on a shout.
They stumbled across the makeshift bridge, slipping and catching each other until finally, they collapsed on the far side, breathing hard. They crawled behind a fallen tree. Lauren ripped a strip from her dress and pressed it against his bleeding shoulder with shaking hands.
“You should’ve left me,” she choked out. “I should’ve stayed hidden.”
Nathan met her eyes. Even through the pain, he managed a faint smile.
“I didn’t spend two years dying inside,” he said, “just to leave you alone now.”
On the other side of the river, Victor appeared with two armed men. He lifted the megaphone again.