Page 20 of Fighting for Lucy

Thankfully, the night vision goggles had been undamaged in the fall, and he’d put them on as soon as it got dark so he didn't have to stop for the night. The trail wasn’t overtly obvious, but he had a lot of training and could follow the marks Lucy had left behind. The same marks the men who had shot at them had also followed.

Seven people.

Why did that number continue to haunt him?

Only this time, six of them were the enemy, and one was …

Important.

That was the only word he would allow himself to consider right now, although it didn't feel nearly big enough to explain the myriad of tangled emotions he felt when it came to the smart, sexy blonde with the bright baby blues.

It was those feelings that had him following the trail again. Even if he was stumbling, he was at least on his feet, at least moving forward and making progress.

Although what he was going to do when he found Lucy he had no idea.

There was only one of him, and since they were close to Raul’s turf, he had to assume it was the weapons dealer who had sent his men out to retrieve any survivors from the crash. Raul was a smart man, and more than that, he’d been forced to give up two of his properties in the last month because of kidnapping Scarlett and the rescues. If Zander had to guess, there would be at least two dozen of Raul’s men guarding the property, possibly more.

Two dozen minimum against him.

With recon gathered intel, a proper plan, and no injuries, it was possible he could have mounted a solo rescue.

But …

Like this?

Injured, weak, and teetering on the edge of exhaustion, it wasn’t likely he could get Lucy out on his own.

More like impossible.

It wasn’t like he had backup, though. His team was gone, he was off on a mission of revenge, alerting Prey would ruin everything he had worked so hard for.

So he guessed it boiled down to one thing.

Was Lucy’s life more important than vengeance for his team?

Calling Prey was an option. Just because he’d broken Lucy’s phone so she couldn’t use it to call for help didn't mean he didn't have a satellite phone of his own tucked away in his pack. Back then, he hadn't wanted anyone to know they’d survived, he’d thought he had everything under control and didn't want interference that could mess up his plans.

But things had changed.

Because of Lucy’s injuries, they’d had to walk slower than he would have liked, which meant they hadn't hit his destination. There was no way he could have known Lucy would try to kill him, so he hadn't anticipated the two of them being split up.

Nor had he intended for Lucy to get captured.

Now that she was, he had to do whatever it took to get her out because the thought of her beautiful body marred with the marks of a self-obsessed maniac and her strong soul stained with the psychological trauma that would leave deeper scars made him feel ill. It had been bad enough learning what had happened to his sister, in fact, he’d promptly thrown up when he’d learned about it. But allowing it to happen to Lucy when she was supposed to be under his care was too much.

Another burden his already struggling psyche would struggle to bear.

Seven deaths on his conscience were enough.

No more.

He wasn’t losing Lucy as well.

So, he had no choice but to keep walking, forcing his body beyond what it could cope with. A single-minded focus the only thing keeping him vaguely upright.

As he continued searching for evidence of how Lucy and the others had gone, he kept images of her in his mind as motivation. The way her fingers had curled around his when they’d shaken hands upon meeting that first time several yearsback. The way her laugh could brighten a room with its sweet melody. The spark in her eyes as she sassed him.

The panic and guilt in her eyes as he went over the cliff.