72 Hours Read online

  His hands make light work of what remains of my clothes, and with a bit of shuffling we manage to get him naked, just enough. We only need just enough. Our mouths clash in a frenzy and we suddenly go from soft and gentle to desperate and needy. My nails graze his biceps, tearing into his skin, making him hiss. His fingers knead my ass as he grinds me against his erection. I’m wet. I’m not ashamed. I mewl against him, needing him, wanting him. Right now.

  His mouth tears away from mine and drops down, capturing a nipple between his lips. I arch with a gasp, hooking my good leg around his hip and using my heel against his back to drive him closer. His erection glides up and down my sex and we both let out a feral groan. He nips my hardened nipple and moves to the other one, licking and sucking until I’m writhing against him.

  His hand moves between us. He takes his erection. Then he’s inside me. Months without him, all the tears I’ve cried, it all washes away as he drives upward, filling me in one, swift movement. It feels incredible. So fucking amazing. I cry out his name as he stretches me, causing a slight burn to mix with the pleasure. The right kind of mix. The perfect blend. I clutch his shoulders, ignoring the pain in my body, focusing instead on the incredible pleasure going on between my legs.

  “Noah,” I whimper against his neck. “Oh God.”

  “I forgot how good you felt,” he growls, thrusting into me, his powerful body holding me up with little to no effort.

  “I’m going to—”

  I throw my head back and it bumps against the cave wall behind me. I cry out his name as an orgasm rips through me, hard and fast. My entire body shakes with pleasure as his thrusts become quicker, until he’s driving in and out of me. Holding me up couldn’t be easy. A few thrusts later, he explodes, gasping my name and dropping his forehead against mine. A fine layer of sweat covers his skin, and we’re both panting.

  “Well,” I say, voice breathy. “If that’s my last time, it was totally worth it.”

  He chuckles and gently releases me.

  “Are you okay?” I ask when my feet hit the ground.

  “Better than okay.”

  “I mean your leg.” I smile wryly.

  He runs a hand through his hair, and I can’t help but notice his biceps and how they flex as he moves. God he’s perfect.

  “It’s fuckin’ killing me.”

  My smile dies. “Then we shouldn’t have—”

  He cuts me off with a kiss, rough and quick. “I’d do that to you given the chance even if I was missing a damned leg. I’ve missed you so fucking much, Lara. Being away from you killed me.”

  My heart hammers. “I’m sorry. I’ve missed you, too.”

  He grins.

  “I don’t know how long we’ve got, but I think we can safely say we’ve got the rest of the night. Let’s get some sleep. We both need it.”

  “First let me look at your leg. I want to make sure it’s okay.”

  He gives me a look.

  “What?” I protest. “I don’t want it to actually drop off.”

  He finds a spot and lies down. I get to work on checking his leg. It’s still fairly clean and oozing a little. It could be worse, but he was right earlier. It desperately needs medical attention. He’s not going to last the next few days. I go over to the waterfall and dip a shred of what’s left of his shirt into the water before moving back and gently cleaning off his wound. Then I find a small rock and raise his leg a little, hoping it’ll take some of the pressure off and he’ll manage some sleep.

  “I don’t have anything to take the pain away, but I hope you’re tired enough that you manage to get some rest even through it’s probably killing you.”

  He smiles weakly. “I think I’m tired enough.”

  I take some of the dry clothes and roll them up, tucking them under his head. Then I lie down beside him. He pulls me into his arms and I throw mine over his stomach, nestling into his chest.

  In a matter of seconds, we’re both asleep.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Noah is in agony.

  There is no denying it. He winces when he moves, he woke up numerous times groaning in pain, and he’s got a constant sweat shimmering on his skin. He’s suffering with a pain I can’t fix. I hate knowing I can’t help him, that no matter what I do I can’t take it away. We’ve been in this cave an entire day, and while we haven’t been found, we’re going to have to leave soon to get food. We’re both hungry. Noah is in no state to do that right now, and that leaves only one option.

  I have to do it alone.

  The idea of going out there by myself terrifies me, but I don’t let it show. I’m trying to be strong. He needs me to be strong. He’s been my rock, a tower of strength, but he needs a little more time to rest and I need more plums so we can eat while we have a chance. So I’ve made the choice to go when he falls asleep next. He won’t let me go otherwise. He’s outright refusing.

  “How’s the pain?” I ask, kneeling next to him.

  “It’s a little better,” he says through clenched teeth. “But not much.”

  “You need to rest, Noah. If you don’t, we’ll never get out of here.”

  He looks up at me, and the pain in his eyes hurts me to see. It fucking hurts.

  “I know,” he rasps.

  “I’m going to rinse one of these cloths and put some water on it. The cold might help relieve the pain.”

  He says nothing, just closes his eyes. I walk over to the waterfall and run part of his shirt underneath it, then carry it back and press it over his wound. He sighs, with relief or pain, I don’t know. I’ve been doing this on my own wound and it’s been helping. I have no idea if it’s useful or not, but the cold seems to take away the pain for a few seconds. We both likely needed stitches, so our wounds are healing wrong, but there is little we can do about it.

  Noah’s breathing deepens after a few minutes and I sit back, just watching him. He made me promise I wouldn’t go out of this cave without him, but I need more food. The water will help and we both need to eat. If we’re going to get our strength up we need to eat, pure and simple. He’s not going to be happy with me, but I’ll be in and out so fast, he’ll probably never know.

  I wait another ten minutes, until I’m sure he’s asleep, then dress in only my bra and panties, because those are the only clothes left in one piece, and head toward the waterfall. I reach it, take a deep breath, and start shoving through. Just as when I came in, my lungs scream and my body begs for air as I push my way out. I reach the edge and topple downward, not realizing I was so close. It isn’t a high ledge, but it’s enough that I hit the water with a fair amount of force and a loud splash.

  I surface, gasping for air, eyes darting around to make sure Noah didn’t hear me—and mostly to make sure I’m alone. I wait a few minutes, and nothing happens. My heart pounds as I swim to the side of the dam and climb out. I look left, then right, and decide on going back the way we came. I know the plums must be that way.

  I find one of the created paths leading to the water after I’ve swum for about fifteen minutes. I climb out and move down it until I find the plums. Panting, I hunch over and catch my breath. It was hard work swimming that fast, but I need to be quick. My leg throbs and my head is a little light from lack of food. I study the trees.

  I peer up at the shortest of the four trees, which seems to have the most fruit.

  I reach for one and pluck it from its branch.

  “Hello, Lara.”

  That voice sends chills right up my spine. I turn slowly, plum in hand, to see Bryce stepping out from behind a cluster of trees. My heart launches into my throat and I can’t breathe. For a few seconds I just stand there, unable to move.

  “H-h-h-how did you find me?” I gasp.

  A stupid question, but it gives me a chance to think.

  “The plums you found were strategically placed. There’s only so much food out here, and I knew you’d have to find some soon, and I took a guess that you’d be near the stream. I saw your attempt at throwing m
e off guard, by the way. It was pathetic. I knew you’d go in the water, it’s rule number one of survival when you don’t want to be tracked. I figured you’d end up around this area and I was right. And your boyfriend said I couldn’t hunt.” He throws his head back and laughs. I stare at the weapon in his hands. It’s a knife, a big, big knife. I swallow. “How is Noah, by the way?”

  “Go to hell.”

  “Is that really the best you’ve got? I thought better of you, Lara.”

  “Go to hell, Bryce.”

  “All that time, I was right there and you never knew. I even set up Marco to buy you some drinks and drug you. Naive idiot did whatever I asked for the right price.”

  Marco? Is Marco the guy Noah saw me with? God. Where does it end?

  “And you just ate that up so easily. A little attention and you were putty in his hands.”

  “You’re a monster,” I whisper, trembling.

  He laughs. “I never claimed I wasn’t, but you, my dear, are gullible.”

  I spot a large rock, grab it, and throw it at him.

  It’s the only thing I can think to do and it takes him by surprise, catching him in the head.

  He takes a few wobbly steps backward but I don’t wait to see if he manages to stay on his feet or not. I turn and run. I run hard, I run fast, I run fueled by fear.

  Wild laughter follows me.

  “You can run, but you can’t hide.”

  I can hear his boots pounding after me.

  Tears run down my face as I pick up the pace. I can’t go back to the cave; I have to try to hide. If he can’t track me, he can’t find me. I push past leaves and trees as they grow thicker. I stumble over rocks, but I don’t stop. Sweat runs down my forehead and adrenaline spikes, causing me to pick up the pace even further.

  I turn and look behind me—a huge mistake. I slam into a tree, sending my whole body launching backward. I land on the ground with a thump and a strangled cry. I flip my body over as quickly as I can and start frantically crawling toward the thickest parts of the forest, off the track. I’ll risk whatever’s in there if I can hide.

  It’s not enough.

  He comes out of nowhere, as if he wasn’t even trying. He reaches down, hooking a hand around my ankle.

  I scream.

  As loud as I can.

  Then I kick backward, hitting something, I don’t know what. I keep doing that, kicking over and over as I try to free my ankle.

  “I could kill you so easily, but I made a promise. I said I’d injure you, little by little. If you’ll just stay still, I can make it quick.”

  “Fuck you!” I spit, flipping myself over and driving my foot into his face.

  He topples backward and I leap up, spinning to run again. He throws the knife, like some sort of goddamned pro. It hurtles toward me and hits my arm, its blade slicing through my skin as simply as if it were gliding through butter. Stars cloud my vision as pain rips through my body. Blood comes gushing out, running down and dripping over my fingers.

  Run, Lara.

  Run.

  I force my legs to move; somehow I force them to go even though everything inside me wants to curl up and die. I grip my arm, blood flowing over my fingers, and charge down the track. Laughter follows me, along with footsteps. He won’t get me again. He won’t. I have to hide. I run faster, so fast my lungs burn and my breathing practically stops.

  Sweat burns my eyes, but I don’t stop. I don’t let go of my arm. I think of Noah. I think of freedom. I have to get through this. I have to. I don’t know at what point I lose him, I just know that his footsteps seem to quiet behind me. I run and run until my body refuses to take anymore. I stop for a split second and glance around. The forest is thick, deep, dense on both sides of me. Exactly what I need. I won’t get far in there, it’s so cluttered, but I’m willing to try.

  I can’t run any longer.

  I step off the track and shove in between two massive trees. Vines swing, crisscrossing over them, and I have to use the last of my strength to push them up. Bushes and logs are so thick, so cluttered that I can barely move two steps without having to haul something out of the way—Noah was right, we never would have been able to navigate through here. Still, I keep going until I’m about two yards in.

  I spy a thick bush and, exhausted, press myself into it as deep as I can. Branches scratch my arms and tangle in my hair, but I squat down, drop my head, and try to steady my breathing. A few minutes later, I hear his footsteps fill my quiet space. I got farther ahead of him than I thought. I close my eyes, clench them actually, and wait. He’s walking slowly, almost silently.

  I hold my breath.

  There isn’t much left to hold, but I’m not going to let it out.

  “Lara?” he calls, his voice almost melodic in its sound. “Come out come out wherever you are. We’re not done playing.”

  I don’t move.

  “Noah was right about the cameras, this is so much more fun.”

  Don’t. Move.

  “You know, if you want to play, I’m great at hide-and-seek.”

  Bile rises in my throat.

  “Oh Lara.”

  I pray the bushes surrounding me are enough, that he won’t be able to see me inside them. I stay crouched like that, listening to him tormenting me for what seems like hours. Slowly but surely, his footsteps move off in a different direction and fade away. I still don’t move. I stay crouched, breathing so softly I wonder if it’s even enough, for so long my body screams at me to move. My muscles cramp, my back aches, and my legs throb.

  But my arm.

  The agony is almost unbearable. I’m bleeding so much.

  I finally decide to move and slowly shuffle out of the bush. I wait to see if he’ll just leap out, but he doesn’t. I don’t know how far he’s gone, or where he’ll be waiting, but I know the game just went from bad to worse. He’s hunting now, for real, and I don’t know how the hell we’re going to beat him.

  I stand there, in the middle of those bushes, for another ten or so minutes, just staring, waiting, not trusting that I’m alone. It becomes clear after a while that I am, and I shuffle out with great difficulty. When I’m back on the path, I lean over and gag, my stomach empty but still wanting to purge itself. It hurts. It all just hurts. Noah was right, I shouldn’t have come out here, but I did and now I’m paying for it.

  I don’t even know where I am.

  I don’t know which way I ran.

  I don’t know how to get back to Noah, I don’t even know if he’s okay.

  I just know I’m alone.

  So utterly alone. And I’m terrified.

  TWENTY-TWO

  The pain is too much.

  I walk in the direction I think the cave lies in, but the fact of the matter is I could be completely wrong. It all looks so similar. It could be the wrong move, I know that, going back to the place I was hiding because he may be there, lying in wait, but I don’t want to get lost in this forest, because I’d lose Noah, and we’re stronger as a team. At least the bleeding from the gash in my arm has stopped. It’s not as deep as I first thought, but I’ve no doubt doctors would have a serious discussion about stitches if I were at a hospital.

  I start moving, slowly, cautiously, trying to make as little noise as possible in case Psycho is waiting, ready to jump out. So far, I haven’t heard or seen anything but my entire body is on alert; every single step sends a panic through my heart.

  I’m a fool.

  I should have listened to Noah. He must be awake now, and I know he’ll be losing his mind. He’ll come looking for me, and we could be separated, which is the worst thing that could happen out here. But I realize I can’t keep destroying myself for trying to do what’s right. There is no right in this situation, everything you do is a choice, and more often than not it’s the wrong one.

  I can’t let my thoughts weaken me. I did the same thing with Nan and I lost Noah. I can’t lose him again.

  I don’t know how long I’ve been walking, but t
he sun has shifted, indicating it’s the afternoon. If I don’t find Noah before sundown, I’ll have to spend a night out here alone. Nothing terrifies me more than that. I glance up through the trees at the suspiciously dark clouds hovering, threatening. Even better, I get stuck in a storm with no way out and no protection.

  Panic squeezes my heart.

  I keep moving.

  I reach a fence after another hour and my heart plummets. I’ve come to a boundary, one of his electrified fences. I don’t think there was a boundary near the cave. My entire body starts to tremble as I turn and glance back into the trees I just ventured out of. I can go back in, but I don’t even know where the stream is. I’ll find it, sure, but how long will that take?

  A pained sob leaves my throat and I lower myself to the ground against a tree trunk, trying to steady my breathing. It’s no use. I cry so hard everything shakes. My leg hurts, my arm hurts, everything fucking hurts.

  I’m tired of pain.

  Mostly, I’m tired of fear.

  I stay huddled against that tree trunk until I hear a distant bellow. It takes me a few minutes to decipher if it’s my imagination or if it’s real. It comes again, so distant it’s hard to make out. It’s a male voice, but is it Noah or is it Bryce? I’m not about to yell back and risk answering the wrong one. I tilt my head to the side and focus. I still can’t make it out, so I stand and slowly make my way toward it.

  As I move back through the trees, it becomes clearer. It’s Noah.

  “Noah!” I scream.

  “Lara?” he calls, voice deep and frantic.

  “I’m here, I’m here!”

  I start running down the track toward his voice, happiness and relief flooding my body. I run with little thought, I just need to see him. I need him. I don’t think. I’m running, arm clutched against my chest, body focused on one thing—finding him.