The Protectors Series Bundle (A superhero romance anthology) by Nana Malone Read Free Book Online Page B

Seth.
    Seth cursed and Cassie fired another shot for good measure, wishing the gun she had was filled with lead. Seth didn’t deserve to be caught up in her nightmare. And she didn't know what the Nisulin would do to him. Maybe nothing. Maybe slowly kill him.
    She sprinted to the prone mercenary. Patting him down, she searched for a radio. When she found one, she cursed. She had no way of knowing if he called for reinforcements or radioed in Seth's car. They would have to ditch his vehicle.
    After checking the Tracker’s pulse and nudging him to make sure he was out, Cassie sprinted to Seth and found him slumped by the car, hanging onto the door handle for support. “Seth, are you okay? Were you hit again?”
    His nod was slow and lethargic. “Yeah. Upper thigh. Never been shot before today and that’s saying something. I meet you and I’m hit twice.”
    She didn't have the heart to tell him that this probably wouldn't be the last time, now that he was saddled with her. She put his good arm over her shoulder and supported his weight as she walked him to the tree line. He wasn't as heavily muscled as the mercenaries, but he was tall. Concentrating on the car, she sucked in air. She repeated what had always been whispered to her back at the labs. A calm mind is a focused mind . It wasn’t brute strength that moved mountains, motivation did.  With her deep even breaths, she pushed the car, first inches, then feet.
    “What. The. Fuck.” Seth huffed beside her.
    She glanced up at him. “Please be quiet. I need to concentrate if I'm to get the car down the rest of the hill.”
    “What? How are we going to get away? I doubt I hit that dude. They'll come to and eventually kill us.”
    She angled her head toward the hill behind them. “We’ll use their car. Now, shut up.” She tried again, but couldn’t move the sedan any further. “Damn. I’ll have to do this the old fashioned way.” She eased Seth back against a tree. She pushed the car to the ledge before turning back to him. “What do you absolutely need out of the car? I'll get it, but we’ll have to carry it up the hill and you’re injured.” And so would she be once they got to the car. She had to get rid of her tracking chip.
    He stared down at her like she had three heads and Cassie lamented how much easier this would be if she could mind push him. “I need my cell phone, wallet, keys, and laptop.” He frowned. “There’s also a first aid kit in the emergency kit in the trunk.”
    Cassie left him to retrieve his things. Shoving everything into her backpack, she also grabbed a change of clothes for him and T-shirt for herself out of his duffle. The items were heavier than she hoped, but he would need non-bloody clothes if they wanted to avoid suspicion. She slowly went back to him. How the hell was she going to look after both of them? Worse, how the hell was she going to get rid of the tracking chip in her shoulder? The easiest way to disarm it was to shoot it. But that would require a steady hand, and she didn't think she could manage it. She looked over at her companion. In the dark shadows, with his drawn down brows and scowl on his face, he looked like a menace. But she was the menace. And Seth was the kind of guy to balk at shooting her. The way he refused the gun gave her the impression he wasn’t a fan of them . But first they had to move.
    Cassie eyed him when the gun trembled in his good hand. She slung the backpack over her shoulder, then relieved him of the gun and tucked it back into her waist band. “Are you ready to do this?”
    He stumbled a few feet. “Do I have a choice?”
    “Not if you want to live.”
    “Then by all means, lead the way.”

Chapter Four
    Seth awoke to a dull, throbbing ache in his shoulder and leg. As he cracked his lids, his body said, “Hey now, big guy, clearly you can’t take care of yourself, so we're taking over,” and refused his commands to move. But he had something to do. Something to remember.