Page 144 of I Know Your Secret
"They must've had a jammer. It's not uncommon."
"Not uncommon?! Get him back, Chase!"
"Greer, listen to me," he angles toward me, "Koen is trained for this kind of situation. Brian’s on the ground, he's not alone."
"Chase." I sob, my breath and voice wavering.
"I know. I do. But I've seen that man get his ass out of tighter binds than this."
"I'm going after him. Give me whatever he had so you can get me through it."
"That's not a good idea. Koen will be fucking livid if I let you into the field."
"You don't let me do anything. I'm going in with or without you, so you choose what side of this you're on."
"Fine. Let's get you strapped up."
I park down the road from the warehouse, echoing Koen's every boot print through the woods as Chase tries to calm me in my ear.
"His tracker is still pinging to that location; either he's still there, or they found and removed it."
I nod, forgetting he can't see me. "Okay."
"Doing okay, G?" he asks.
"I'm fine,” I reply, breathlessly climbing over a fallen tree covered in moss.
"You're going to have to be tough. Tougher than is required in the library."
I scoff. "I survivedhim.”
Chase's sigh vibrates my eardrum. "Yeah, but deep down, he would've never killed you."
"How do you know?" I grunt out, nearly tripping over an upturned root covered by earth in my path.
"Be careful. Slow down. Remember what I said?"
"Fast gets you killed,” I mutter.
"And I know because I know him. Now's not the time to discuss his feelings for you, though."
My heart lurches in my chest at the idea that Koen has feelings for me, even though logically I know he does.
You wouldn't think it would matter whether they’re vocalized, but it does.
Confirmation would be nice, even if it's selfish of me to demand it.
I stop in my tracks when the trees thin out into a clearing and the old mill they lured Koen to comes into view.
"Steady," Chase reminds me, as if he can sense my urge to bolt forward and find Koen.
My legs are burning to run to him. To find him and wrap around him.
"Have we heard from Brian?" I ask, scanning the edges of the forest.
"Not since the transmission went down. Koen is our priority, though, remember?"
"I know." Pulling my gun, I ensure the safety is off and hold it as Koen taught me.
