Chapter 24
Confused, Natalie blinked up at him, her large eyes darting nervously. ‘What now? Is he still mad? Is he planning to make things difficult for me?‘
Before she could figure it out, the sharp noises of gunfire shattered the tense silence. The sound was so close it felt like it exploded right beside her ears.
Her shoulders jerked involuntarily, and without thinking, she darted behind Jonas for cover. But before she could fully hide, his arm came down and hooked her around the shoulders, pulling her into place.
“So now you’re scared?” Jonas’s mocking tone cut through the residual shock. His arm dropped as he turned and strolled toward the car, his movements casual, almost lazy.
Still shaken, Natalie peeked out from behind him, only to realize the shots came from Myla.
She was coolly firing at the military–grade bulletproof SUV. The vehicle’s once–sleek surface was now riddled with dents and the occasional bullet hole, some even puncturing all the way through.
Natalie’s confusion deepened. ‘What on earth is going on?‘
It didn’t take long for her to figure it out. Judging by Myla’s precise angles, the shots were calculated. They gave the car the appearance of having been attacked, but clearly avoided any critical areas that would affect its performance.
With a loud slam, the car door was shut with enough force to make Natalie jump.
Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest when Myla, with effortless ease, slung the machine gun over her shoulder and jumped off the second floor. Natalie decided not to waste another second standing around.
She hurried over to the car, flinging the door open and sliding into the passenger seat. Her fingers fumbled to fasten her seatbelt as quickly as possible. Only when she felt the solid pressure of the seatback against her spine did a faint sense of safety return.
Myla tossed the heavy machine gun into the trunk before climbing into the driver’s seat with a nonchalant expression.
From the corner of her eye, Natalie stole a glance at Jonas through the rearview mirror. Despite the irritation etched across his face, he said nothing to her.
‘At least he didn’t tell me to get out,‘ she thought, her nerves finally relaxing–if only a little.
The atmosphere during the drive was suffocatingly tense, an almost tangible weight pressing down on them.
Natalie did her best to shrink into herself, making her presence as unnoticeable as possible. Even her breathing became quieter, almost imperceptible.
Jonas lounged in the backseat, his posture deceptively relaxed, but his fingers drummed an erratic rhythm against his knee.
“Left half alive,” Myla muttered, her words deliberately vague as she flicked a glance at the rearview mirror.
Jonas remained still, his eyes shut. Myla took his silence as a green light to continue in front of Natalie. “Boss, the target’s barely hanging on. If we’re sticking to the plan, we’ll have to take a detour now.”
Her gaze darted back to Natalie, gauging her reaction. When their eyes met, Myla added, almost as an afterthought, “The detour, plus handling this, means we’ll reach the Northern District a few days later than planned.” She couldn’t say exactly how many days.
Natalie nodded quietly, her fingers tightening around her seatbelt as if it were a lifeline.
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Chapter 24
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Worry flickered in her eyes–not because of the delay, but because she feared what “handling this” might entail. She couldn’t shake the gnawing thought that they’d leave her behind if she became too much of a liability.
That fear had her glancing cautiously at the rearview mirror. Her gaze landed on Jonas just as he unexpectedly opened his
eyes.
The sunlight filtering through the window caught in his striking sapphire–blue irises. But instead of warmth, his gaze carried a steely, almost mechanical chill that sent a shiver down her spine.
He arched his brow, and his tone was lazy but razor–sharp. “Sweetheart, if you keep tagging along with me, you might not make it out alive.”
Before he could finish the thought, Natalie whipped her head around to look at him. The timid act she’d been putting on vanished in an instant. Her wide, doe–like eyes locked onto his, brimming with alarm, making her look like a cornered hamster trembling before a predator.
Jonas’s expression didn’t change, but his chin jerked forward slightly, a subtle command to look ahead.
Natalie followed his cue, her gaze shifting reluctantly forward–and froze. Standing near a makeshift roadblock were two soldiers in camouflage.
“Stay here. I’ll call your granddad to come get you-” Jonas began, his tone impassive.
But Natalie didn’t let him finish. Her head snapped up, a rush of panic drowning out any logic. The images of Nocriudorian soldiers colluding with the kidnappers flashed vividly in her mind, sending a chill down her spine.
“No!” The word shot out of her mouth as she shook her head.
Jonas’s brow lifted, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his face before it melted into something more amused. He tilted his head, openly intrigued now, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of curiosity and mischief. “So attached to me already?”
When she didn’t waver, didn’t soften her stance, the smirk playing on his lips grew sharper. He leaned back slightly,
your throwing out another casual taunt. “I thought you Americans had undying faith in
soldiers.”
