Pierce

Chapter Forty

"I know you're hurting, but we've gotta keep moving. It's not safe to stop here."

She nodded against his chest, just thankful for an opportunity to rest her broken body in his arms, clutching his shirt and squeezing her eyes shut to fight her way through the pain in her side.

Pierce had only taken a few steps when the sound of a car echoed from the distance. Crouching down with Natalie still in his arms, he watched Estrada and Damion pull up to the house with three to four other men.

"We've gotta move. Now." he said in a low commanding voice.

The clock had officially started ticking and it was only a matter of minutes before Estrada realized they were gone and were going to send his men for them. The bravery that had fueled her before was dwindling and as much as she hated to admit it, she was terrified.

Please don't let them catch us. I can't go back to that room.

"Look at me Nat. I'm going to get us out of here, okay? You trust me?"

"I trust you." she said in a weak voice, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

Holding her effortlessly in his arms, Pierce trudged through the dense vegetation, taking careful steps and maneuvering around branches to make it more difficult for them to be tracked by Estrada and his men. Looking up at him, she was in constant awe of his tactical mind and how he was able to take control and command almost any situation, knowing just what to do. If only she had that same ability and mental focus at Luxe, they could have avoided this situation all together.

"I'm sorry that we're here." she whimpered.

"Ah it's not so bad, just think of it as some kind of fucked up nature walk." he said, looking down and shooting her a playful smile, trying to coax one out of her in return. She gave him the satisfaction of a half smile and appreciated that he was still himself even after all that they had been through.

"I'm serious Pierce. If it wasn't for me..." he cut her off immediately and stalled his movement briefly.

"Don't you dare do that. If it wasn't for you, we'd still be chained in that godforsaken room." he corrected her in a voice that was meant to be obeyed, but gentled his voice with his next words.

"You are so damn brave Nat. Don't you dare blame yourself for any of this."

The sincerity in his voice was comforting and she knew he didn't blame her for what happened, even if she did. His strength and faith was contagious and she drew from it as she clung to his chest, trying to focus through the black spots that were encroaching in the corners of her eyes as her heart rate and breathing suddenly picked up.

Something feels wrong.

After a few more steps she felt the damp fabric of Pierce's shirt rubbing against her skin in what she thought was sweat, but as she looked down at the gray cotton that separated them, she realized his shirt wasn't sweat soaked, it was blood soaked - with her blood.

"Pierce..." she said in a shaky breathless voice as she looked down at the blood stain that was slowly creeping up the front of his shirt.

"Shit." he muttered under his breath, stopping and setting her down with her back against a tree.

The towel he had given her had become completely soaked and he discarded it on the ground next to them.

He examined her wound carefully, then grabbed her hand and held her fingers up to inspect them with a less than satisfied look on his face. During their long walk through the wilderness she had failed to notice how pale her hands had become, but sitting there looking at them with her own eyes, she almost didn't recognize them without their color.