Chapter 29
Chapter 30 Rising Tide
He reached
medicine.
up
and touched his forehead, finding it bandaged and a little sticky with herbal
Looking down, he saw the injured ankle had been treated too – the dressing had been done professionally.
He hesitated. “You did this? ”
She nodded.
“When did you learn p>
She didn’t answer.
Learn? Where would I have learned? I just treated myself after being sick for so long.
The people at the reform facility were afraid she’d die; after each bout of torture they would clean and dress her wounds. Over time she picked it up.
“Have you gone mute p>
His irritation at her silence made his tone unconsciously sharp.
She was afraid of him and blurted out an excuse, “I learned from reading p>
“Seems you learned to read in the reform facility p>
She kept quiet, letting him believe she’d been treated well in there.
He pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead and asked, “Did anyone come for us p>
“No. Because it was raining, I brought you in out of the rain p>
He glanced at his watch
more than three hours had passed. His people would have noticed
he’d gone missing by now.
His expression turned serious. “Help me out p>
“No! It’s pouring, it’s too slippery outside, you’ll roll off there’s a river below p>
When Jasper had been unconscious she’d already gone out and checked; there was no other way down. They’d only found this cave by luck.
He frowned. “A river? ”
1/4
“Yes, yes p>
“How long has it been raining p>
She thought hard. “Over two hours p>
His face changed. “Move! Right now p>
She froze. “But p>
“The water level will rise. If we don’t leave, this place will be flooded p>
Jasper struggled to stand; the pain made him groan.
She hurried over to steady him. “But it’s pouring. If we go out, your wounds p>
“If you don’t want to die here, then move p>
She had no choice. Supporting him, she helped him out of the cave.
The sky was dark and the rain showed no signs of easing; they could barely see the path.
She glanced down and her pupils shrank the river below had really risen.
It was spilling over the embankment, heading straight for the cave!
If they hadn’t left in time, once the water reached the cave it would have been too late.
“Go this way. Don’t stand there dazing p>
She snapped back to herself and hurried in the direction he pointed.
But the further they went, the farther they moved from the spot where he had fallen.
She worried, “If we go too far, will they not find us p>
“Make marks p>
Since waking, Jasper had been unnaturally calm, issuing orders in an orderly way that made him seem reliable.
Even Tatiana’s panicked heart steadied. She picked up a stone and scratched a cross into a tree trunk.
She didn’t notice how ghastly pale Jasper’s face had become, nor the way his fist clenched so tight.
2/4
“Keep moving. Faster p>
The rain was worse than he’d thought.
This storm had been mentioned on the forecast a few days earlier; no one paid it any mind now it had become a deadly natural disaster.
They supported each other the whole way, painfully climbing uphill.
Because the ground was slick, one twisted a left ankle, the other a right; both limped and fell several times.
The last time they fell, she was exhausted and tried repeatedly but couldn’t lift Jasper.
Breathing hard, trembling, her clothes sodden and heavy, she reached to pull him up again only to be shoved away.
“Go! Head up and left. The terrain’s higher there. Find a raised platform near the road, climb up, stop a car, call for help p>
His voice sounded especially weak in the downpour, on the verge of being drowned out by the rain.
Tatiana, as if she couldn’t hear, kept straining to drag him up.
Jasper snapped, pushing her again. “Are you deaf? Can’t you hear me? I told you to go! You idiot p>
She pressed her lips together, stubbornly trying once more to pull him. “Together. Let’s go p>
“Tatiana! I told you to get out of here! Do you hear me? Don’t make a fool of yourself here. I don’t need you to help – go p>
His voice rose, losing its usual composure; it became hoarse and vicious, lashing at her with the cruelest words.
Tatiana froze; her outstretched hand was slapped away and she felt helpless.
“Go p>
He leaned against a trunk, breathing unevenly, eyes half–closed, as if simply standing was draining him of strength.
Both of them leaving meant both could die here.
Goddamn it.
He actually would let Tatiana die here?
His clenched fist opened and closed, then, unable even to steady himself, he slowly slid down and collapsed to the ground. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ
When he looked up, the person in front of him was already gone.
His vision blurred; a cold smile touched his lips.
Of course. This woman … she’s cruel to the core.
What was he expecting?
The rain intensified.
Outside, things had already turned chaotic.
When the Jackson family couldn’t reach Jasper they immediately sent people to look for him, but they only found the Cullinan parked by the roadside – empty, with his phone still inside.
That stretch of mountain road had no cameras, so there was nothing to check.
Sara Lili
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.