Week 197 – Do you remember how to climb a tree

Jacob muttered a curse under his breath. They were surrounded and no doubt out gunned, and with an injured Elle there was no way they were going to be able to take down the three MC members.

Elle’s slender hand in his filled him with guilt. She was in this mess because of him. He’d put her in danger because he couldn’t say no to the case. He never should have agreed to go back under cover, it had cost him the love of the woman who owned his heart and now it may cost her his life.

No matter the odds he wasn’t giving up.

He couldn’t.

“Do you remember how to climb a tree?” he asked Elle.

She was breathing hard, her free arm braced against her ribs, but her green eyes were focused. “I can climb a tree. Whatever we have to do to get out of here alive I’ll do.”

It was nice to hear her say we instead of I, and he’d like to think it was because on some level she still thought of them as a team but it was probably wishful thinking. “You get up there and I’ll keep running, lead them away from you, once I do you get yourself out of here.”

“What did I just say?” She planted her free hand on her hip and glared at him. “We’re in this together. A team. I know you don’t like to play with others but suck it up.”

With that she ripped her hand from his, stalked to the nearest tree and began to climb up it.

Pride at her strength and determination flushed through him and he followed her up the tree. He wasn’t nursing broken ribs and a near drowning and was soon above her, holding out a hand to help her up. Elle reluctantly took it and just as the lights from their pursuers began to glow beneath them they were high enough that they could hopefully remain hidden by the leaves if anyone should look up.

“You see where they went?” asked bad guy number one.

“They were right here,” bad guy number two replied.

“They couldn’t have gone far,” bad guy number three added.

“If we don’t find them the boss is gonna be mad,” bad guy number two said.

“Once we bury the girl’s body we can get Viking back to the boss,” bad guy number one said.

“We should bring him the girl too, she’s pretty, he might be able to do something with her,” bad guy number three suggested.

Jacob tensed at his words, no way in hell were these men getting their hands on Elle. He’d caused her enough trouble, once he got her out of this it was probably for the best that he walk away, let her live her life, wasn’t like she was going to take him back anyway.

The men all agreed on that plan and the lights moved away, Jacob was about to tell Elle that they should wait a few more minutes before making their escape when bullets started flying.