I leapt up and my fingers met with the top lip of the muddy wall and I grunted with the effort of hauling myself up onto the ridge. Most of the soldiers sent out here weren't strong enough to climb out of the deep trenches, making the ridges safer for me. But I’d also be more exposed up there. Though the clouds were still working in my favour so at least I wouldn’t cast much of a shadow.
I rolled onto the bank above the trench and looked around quickly as I figured out the best place to hide.
A large piece of corrugated metal jutted up from another trench a little way from me, creating a deep shadow beneath its curving shape. I darted into the cool embrace of the darkness and waited in silence for the soldiers to move away.
The guy and girl hadn't gone far and my gaze slid to their retreating forms as they headed toward the distant trees. They seemed to be having trouble jumping across the trenches. But whatever the fuck they were doing, they were so exposed up here that it was only a matter of time before someone down below spotted them and took them out. Idiots.
The group of soldiers snuck along the trench to my right, and a group of opposition were heading towards them from the other end. It was about to get messy. Which was usually a good thing for me.
A smile tugged at my lips and I ran a hand along my jaw, scraping the dark stubble which coated it.
My gaze snagged on the two idiots who were on top of the bank once more just as the girl stopped and looked around. Her long, dark hair billowed around her in the wind and I found myself unable to look away.
There was blood smeared across her cheek and I wondered if she was injured or if she’d just been caught up in the fighting.
She turned to face me, her dark eyes zeroing in on my hiding place and my breath caught in my throat. She must have seen me. There was no way she hadn’t.
I shrank back into the shadows as my muscles tightened and I moved my hand to the revolver at my hip, but her gaze moved on.
I couldn't take my eyes from her. The sun broke through the clouds and the wind sent her long hair spinning around her shoulders. She was beautiful, but it was more than that. There was something about the look in her eyes which called to me. Something which made my soul ache like it recognised her.
The guy started waving frantically and shouting something, though his voice was stolen
by the wind.
Gunfire rang out in the trench behind me and the girl turned away to hurry after the guy.
But as I glanced into the trenches once more, I spotted even more soldiers coming our way. They would easily spot two idiots running about on the top of the bank and for some reason the idea of that made my blood pound in a fierce denial.
But it wasn’t like there was anything I could do about it. They sent these people out here to die. That was the kind of twisted shit they did. And there was one fierce rule which I lived by whenever I came out here. No one could ever see me and live.
So I wasn’t going to do anything about the fate I could see coming for the girl.
No matter how much I might be tempted to.
"Laurie!" Taylor called out, waving a hand above his head again as we neared her position. She turned to us and raised a hand too, relief flooding her face as she saw that we were alright.
We hurried towards her and I almost wanted to cry with relief.
"Up there!" a voice shouted in the trench to our left and my heart plummeted as I realised we’d been seen.
Gunfire erupted below us and I cried out for Taylor to run as the wind whipped around us ferociously, sending my hair flying out behind me and drying the mixture of blood and tears to my face.
My eyes locked with Taylor's and he grabbed for my hand. Our fingers brushed against each other but my fist closed on empty air as something big hit me from the side and threw me off of my feet.
I screamed as strong arms locked around me and we hit the ground, rolling over the lip of another trench several feet to my left. My arms were pinned to my sides as my attacker held me and we tumbled down the steep bank so quickly that my vision blurred. We skidded across the mud and the cold wetness of it coated my clothes and sank into my hair.
We slammed to a stop as my back hit the bottom of the trench, knocking the air from my lungs.
The man who’d attacked me landed on top of me, pinning me beneath him with his hips and bracing his arms on either side of my head. I blinked the mud out of my eyes and my breath caught in my throat as I looked up at him.
He was gazing down at me, looking straight into my eyes and rendering me speechless as he failed to do anything to hurt me and just stared. His eyes were sinfully dark, filled with all manner of secrets and promises. His black hair was cut short on the sides but longer on top and it fell down over his forehead towards me. He had stubble covering his jaw which was set in a firm line and as my gaze trailed over it, my attention hooked on his mouth for a long moment.
My mind went blank, I couldn't remember where I was or what I was supposed to be doing. All I could think about was his face inches from mine, his muscular body crushing me into the dirt and the way my heart was thrumming keenly in my chest.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice rough as his gaze moved over my features, drinking me in.
"Erm..." I'd forgotten how words worked. Great.