Keeping by Sarah Masters

Author:Sarah Masters [Masters, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Erotic Romance Fiction
Publisher: Totally Bound Publishing
Published: 2013-02-01T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

With blankets tossed over his shoulder, Langham sprinted out of the forest and into a field, heading toward the oval of illumination provided by the spotlight from the chopper circling above. Its heat-seeking equipment had found Cheryl perilously close to the stream, and he was fucked if he’d get there too late. Oliver kept pace with him, and as they ran Langham watched the helicopter descend. The air from the rotors blew back his hair, made his cheeks ripple and his eyes dry out. The grass flattened, spreading out like a crop circle. A black-clad figure dangled from the aircraft on a rope ladder, getting lower by the second. It reached the ground then ran to the stream bank. Langham and Oliver arrived there seconds later, getting the nod from the man in black that yes, she was alive, and yes, they needed to get her the fuck out of there.

Oliver draped the foil blanket he’d brought with him over her and knelt to tuck it under her so she was encased. Langham added the blankets then tapped Oliver on the shoulder and motioned for him to get up and out of the way. Pointless speaking—the helicopter was too loud. They stepped back, allowing room for two more men from the chopper bearing a stretcher. Cheryl was gently lifted onto it, and the men carried her away. The chopper had fully lowered to the ground, and Langham stood beside Oliver to watch them settle Cheryl on board. Then the great bird lifted and tilted a little to one side before shooting off.

Langham looked at Oliver, the whap-whap-whap of the helicopter distant now.

“We got her,” Langham said, putting one hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “We got her.”

Oliver blinked.

There was nothing more to say, so they walked back to the forest, heads bent, hands in pockets, Langham wondering how the hell that woman had survived. She was unconscious, from the cold, drugs and exhaustion, he imagined, but so long as her body didn’t go into shock and break down on her, she’d likely come through this okay. But what of her mind? What about the mental scars? He dreaded to think what she’d have to face when she woke up, and again when she drifted back to sleep, the nightmares coming, treating her without mercy, relentless in their quest to fracture her further.

Branches grabbed at his trousers but he didn’t give a shit. He yanked his legs away and kept going, reaching across to take Oliver’s hand for a moment, giving it a squeeze before other officers came into view ahead, flashlights bobbing erratically as they ran. He released Oliver’s hand, wanting nothing more than that hand back in his, those fingers through his, and straightened his spine. Time enough for discussing this later. For comforting. There was still so much to do.

They turned once the officers had come closer, back the other way to lead the men to where Cheryl had been found. As they all stood on the bank a meter or so from the spot, Langham explained her position, how he’d found her.

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