Still smiling, she glanced up at Jake. His eyes gleamed with laughter, and Olivia knew she would remember this crazy moment for the rest of her life. She was still thinking how good it felt to laugh again when a bullet whizzed past her head, exploding into tree next to her.
Splinters of bark went flying. One struck her cheek, but she didn’t even have time to react before Jake yelled, “Get down!”
He grabbed her shoulder, pushing her to the ground like before, only this time she was face down with Jake lying protectively on her back. He returned fire, and Olivia put her hands over her ears to help muffle the deafening sound.
Leaves crunched beneath her elbows. They soon gave way to the sodden earth below as she scooted her arms down even more, making herself a smaller target.
Her nostrils filled with the pungent scent of decaying foliage and dirt. She could almost taste the musty smell as it mixed with the hot and humid air. Olivia pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, her body jerking violently with each discharge of Jake’s weapon.
Tears began to form, but this time Olivia refused to let them fall. She wanted to be strong and brave like Jake. Like her brother. God, she wished she could talk to Mikey now. He’d know what to do.
He’d been a good soldier. Jake had told her that so many times. He said Mikey was the best in their unit, and she believed him.
Help me, Mikey. I need you to tell me what to do so I can get through all of this. Please, Mikey. I just want this to be freaking over with already!
Out of nowhere, Olivia was hit with a memory from when she was a little girl. She was six, and Pops had taken her and her brother to an amusement park. Mikey had talked her into going on a ride that looked like an octopus.
When the ride started, its long arms went up and down while the entire thing moved in a clockwise circle. Then, each individual cart began to spin.
When she and Mikey’s cart spun on that first turn, Olivia remembered crying and screaming that she wanted it to be over. She’d been so scared, certain she was going to fly right out of the dang thing any second.
Mikey had pulled her close, his voice calm when he spoke into her ear. He told her to open her eyes and look for one thing inside the cart. He said to stay focused on nothing but that one thing, and the ride would be over before she knew it.
Trusting her big brother, she did what he said. Olivia remembered opening her eyes and staring at a small, rusted place where the paint had long ago chipped away. With hiccupping breaths, she kept her eyes glued to that one spot, and by the next go-round, she’d stopped crying altogether.
Before long, the ride was over—just as Mikey had said it would be. If it worked for that situation, then, maybe...It’s worth a shot.
Desperate, Olivia’s eyes opened, and she quickly scanned the ground for that one thing. At first, all she saw was more dead leaves and dirt. She was about to give up, feeling stupid for even trying, when she noticed an insect moving across the ground not far from her.
It was some sort of brown, beetle-looking thing. It didn’t look dangerous. She saw no pinchers, just a round, bulbous body with scrawny legs. With her ears still covered, she became fixated on the tiny bug as it slowly crept across the dead leaves.
Jake shot at his target again, and though her muscles still tensed, Olivia didn’t jerk like before. Instead, she found herself more focused on how something so small could be completely unaffected by the gunfire’s loud report.
When leaves and dirt erupted near their feet, all thoughts of bugs and carnival rides were lost. Jake fired once more before pulling on her hand and yelling, “Let’s go!”
Olivia held on for dear life as they weaved in and out between the trees and bushes. Her face and arms were probably getting cut up, and her bare feet were covered in blood and God only knew what else, but she didn’t complain. A few scrapes she could handle. A bullet in her back, not so much.
They continued to dodge the men chasing after them, Jake occasionally turning back to discharge his own weapon. After a few minutes of running in silence, Olivia thought maybe they were out of the woods, so-to-speak. However, the shooting began again, and this time, the bullets came at them from two different directions.
Jake wasted no time pulling her behind the nearest tree. She ignored the rough bark scraping against her back as he pressed his body protectively against the front of hers. Always protecting me.
Looking scary-serious, he dropped an empty magazine, reloading his pistol with one that was full. Sliding a bullet into the chamber, Jake whispered, “We’re being corralled. I think there are just two, but there could be more. We need to change direction.” He shook his head and scowled. “My ear piece is gone. It must have fallen out somewhere along the way, which means I have no way to contact my team.”
He looked at her expectantly, checking to see if she understood what he wasn't saying. Unfortunately, she did.
“Plan B?” Olivia whispered back.
Jake nodded, his regret obvious. He took precious seconds to rest the palm of his free hand against her face. It was crazy how just one, small touch from this man could calm her racing heart.
“It’s going to add a lot more time to our trip, but I swear on my life I will keep you safe.”
Reaching up, she squeezed his thick wrist, hoping her touch and the look she was giving conveyed the trust she had in him. Jake’s lips
