Chapter 76
“We perverted parer of trash” ( Taneck putting reres somer of perogel pens à 13e se prompest Movet spuiting merenity
The end, shaking Treat beforedling in one of me
weibers up soud were empre
there. Let’s cheskit vat?
Beber be even hrichest, someone started rumming straight tow and ine. The beam of a flashlight sliced through the d
(sdesperatels, but the sand was
maze at shadows and dent enti
The voters grew louder. They were close. Tinna lose, Laladdayy have time to think. I died, on king to the
1 kept an eye on the figure in the distance, slowly backing away so they wouldn’t spot me
After a les nerve wracking seconds, I slipped asis of the thicket and onto the other side of the ovurisht
knocked him out? She can’t have gone far Wake everyone up and start.
tig!” someone idusted li seem
Mustier voice chimed in with a laugh. “Chill, Brock. Even if she getsout of the courtyand, what’s she gonna do? Che manga?
Hauck snapped
and me. The condor was wide open. No cover, nowhere to hide. My eyes locked on the high wall ahead. No way on bui
mislestone Loull find and started hauling myself
added right belas
bed the top, a flashlight brain swept pas “W
jain swept pas. “Where the hell did she potta voice goudé
I pressed nyseir flat against the vine, barely darning nekurate this the man passed, I exhalest slowly, wipes the
uver the mall.
The secinul my fert hat the ground. I took off ruming. The sound of waves crashing grew bounder with every step.
After about twenty minutes. I faoke through
Ilgured it was
The idea filled me
The in can. 50, I was right, this really is an island
ine. Lomildat beljebùn gom. They were half right, Lossildan by Ban they forgot one laste detail. 1 had Jones plaas.
I stared at the screen, completely thavnen. Hoe could there be meservice? Why would those guys even
relse. I sparkly pulled out the phone and slated 911 hat as soon as That the Inaton, my heart sok. No signal
ang phones if they dobart nok
I also remembered, when I was in the secret rooi. Huda
crest’s phone to call Ben That had worked for.
I thought it over and pieced it together. There had to be a signal booster in the all county and. The coverage mund
been landed to that
10 PM
Chapter 7t
Now that I had fled so far, I was out of range
The realization hit like a punch to the gut. My brief flicker of hope was snuffed out.
The light be cut through me like a knife. I had left my coat behind in my rush to escape, and now all I had was a thin undershirt. My teeth were chattering so hard I thought they might crack.
I found a big rock, crouched behind it, and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to block the wind. It didn’t do much. The sea breeze kept coming, cold and unrelenting.
The sky kept getting darker, and I couldn’t stop my thoughts from spiraling. Were there wild animals on this island?
What about Forrest’s men! They would give up on the courtyard eventually and start expanding their search.
Everywhere felt dangerous, but I had no other choice. I had to stick it out here for the night. At some point, whether from exhaustion or the cold, I
drted of
In my dreams, I was back in another time, another life. I was still young, standing there on the day I met Quinn.
He has saved me that day, I could still see it clearly–the way I stepped forward, trembling but determined, to call out his name.
Quinn looked so shocked. I couldn’t help but smile and say, “Mr. Madden, don’t forget my name, Natalia Hinton. In ten years, I’ll marry you. You might not believe me now, but I’ll make you fall in love with me. I already love you.”
Then, everything shifted, like a dream changing scenes. Suddenly, we were grown up.
I woke up in his villa and wandered downstairs. There was Quinn, holding Benedict and feeding him with so much care.
“Why don’t you sleep a little longer, honey?” he asked, turning to me with the softest smile. I had never seen him look so gentle.
I froze, staring. “Quinn is it really you?” I asked, unsure if I was dreaming
Then, something brushed against my face, snapping me back to reality. I opened my eyes. Morning light streamed down, and the wind carried grains of sand that tickled my skin..
I was still on the beach. It had all been just a dream, a beautiful, fleeting dream.
Sitting up, I felt like I had been hit by a truck. My head throbbed, my throat was dry as a bone, and my forehead burned when I touched it.
The cold night air had gotten to me, I had a fever now. I felt weak, like my body didn’t even belong to me.
Out of desperation, I checked the phone again. Still no signal.
Hopelessness settled deep in my chest. Maybe it was the fever messing with me, but all I could think about was Quinn. His face, his voice, the way The looked at me in that dream
