Ryan clenched his jaw hard and made a mad dash toward the spot where the rope ladder was being lowered. The furious shouts of the natives grew louder, so close it felt like they were breathing down his neck.
Time was slipping away, fast.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted.
Bill stood at the open doorway, clutching a heavy weapon, unloading rounds at the natives chasing Ryan. Everyone inside the helicopter was firing wildly. The deafening blasts and frantic energy filled the air with tension.
“Come on! Move, move!” Bill shouted urgently as he kept shooting at the oncoming natives.
A hundred meters.
Fifty meters.
Ten meters.
Ryan and Panther scrambled up the rocks, reaching for the edge of the dangling rope ladder just as the gust of wind from behind carried the sound of gunfire.
“Grab the rope!” Echo yelled at Ryan, firing off rounds nonstop.
The snarling face of a native lunged toward her, his wild breath chilling her to the bone. But Echo didn’t back down-she fired wildly, unloading her gun at them.
Ryan sensed something was wrong. He leapt forward, clutching the slowly swaying rope, while glancing back over his shoulder.
One of the natives, now riddled with bullets and bleeding profusely from Echo’s shots, was still charging at them. His eyes were wide, and though he was on the verge of death, his momentum carried him forward like an unstoppable force. His sharp claws were aimed directly at Echo’s back.
Ryan’s expression darkened instantly. With lightning speed, he snatched Echo, pulling her to his chest as he twisted them out of the way. At the same time, Panther, who had grabbed the ladder, caught the weapon Ryan tossed to free up his hands and unleashed a barrage of gunfire at the advancing natives.
“Go! Get us out of here!” Panther shouted.
Echo watched helplessly as the native’s claws came within inches of her back-there was no way to avoid it. Just when she thought it was over, Ryan yanked her to his chest. The native’s razor-sharp claws sank deep into Ryan’s shoulder instead.
Ryan’s body tensed in pain, but the helicopter jerked upward, gaining speed. Echo clung tightly to Ryan’s neck without thinking. Gritting her teeth, she kicked her leg hard at the native as they lifted off the ground.
The helicopter rose higher and higher.
Echo couldn’t see Ryan’s expression or how badly his shoulder was injured. All she could do was hold onto him as tightly as possible, feeling his rigid body straining to keep them both on the rope ladder. She buried her head against the crook of his neck, finding strange comfort in the strength of his arm holding her steady.
From above, Bill watched as all three of them were lifted off the ground, leaving the natives, now gathered on the mountaintop, with no way to reach them. Their weapons no longer posed a threat either. With a cold snort, Bill gave a nod to the crew inside the helicopter, signaling them to speed up and reel in the ladder.
The hatch at the bottom of the helicopter opened, and the moment Ryan, Echo, and Panther were pulled inside, a blinding white flash exploded toward the mountaintop.
In an instant, the earth-shattering, deafening blast echoed through the entire mountain range. A red glow swallowed the peak, leaving nothing behind-total annihilation.
Lying in the cabin, Echo watched as Bill and the others rushed toward them. She felt Ryan’s weight pressing on top of her and finally let out a long sigh of relief. They were safe-truly safe this time. Holding Ryan tightly, she let her head rest against his shoulder and drifted off into unconsciousness.
Time blurred-day turned to night, space shifted, and hours flew by.
When Echo woke up again, three days had passed.
She stared at the cold, black metal ceiling above her and took in the sharp, rigid lines of the room’s layout.
Slowly, she raised a hand to rub her temples-pain. The first thing she felt was pain, deep and all-consuming, like every inch of her body had been through hell. It hurt so much, she couldn’t stay asleep even if she wanted to.
“Miss, you’re awake?” A man’s voice-calm, emotionless-spoke in flawless American English.
Echo frowned slightly and turned toward the sound. Standing by the bed was a man with a neat, clean-cut appearance. He leaned forward slightly, bowing politely as he looked at her.
Echo arched an eyebrow and said, “Water.”
“Yes, Miss.” Without another word, the man turned and brought her a glass of water. But instead of helping her sit up, he simply held it out, making no effort to assist her in any way.
Echo cursed silently under her breath, gritting her teeth as she propped herself up and took the glass from him.
After gulping down two mouthfuls, she said slowly, enunciating every word, “I didn’t ask you to help me, but could you at least think about handing me a straw or something easier to use next time?”
The man gave a slight nod, his expression unchanging. “Apologies. We aren’t equipped for that, and no one has ever requested such accommodations before. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.”
Echo raised an eyebrow at that. No one’s ever asked for it?
With a deep breath, she suppressed the pain running through her body.
“Where am I?” she asked, not particularly worried about waking up in a strange place-adaptability was second nature to her. If it weren’t for this strange man’s presence, she might not have even bothered to ask.
“Dark family,” the man responded plainly.
Echo inhaled sharply.
The Dark Family.
No wonder these people were so rigid. If she was in the hands of the Dark family, it explained the cold efficiency and complete lack of basic comfort she’d just experienced.
Rubbing her temples again, she couldn’t help but sigh. So, I ended up with the Dark family, huh? Knowing their headquarters was based in the U. S., it became clear that she’d traveled much farther than she had anticipated. Her gaze wandered across the room’s decor-solid, structured, without unnecessary flair.
Definitely Ryan’s style, she thought.
“Miss, here are your medications.” The man’s voice broke the silence as he handed her several pills.
Echo frowned slightly but didn’t say anything right away.
The man, as respectful as ever, explained, “These were prescribed by Mr. Bill. He said they’re anti-inflammatory and painkillers to help with your recovery.”
When Echo heard that the meds were prescribed by Bill, she didn’t ask any more questions. She quickly swallowed them and glanced around the large room, noticing no one else was there.
“Where’s Ryan… uh… Mr. Ryan?” she asked.
The man’s expression remained serious as he responded, “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?” Echo raised an eyebrow, glaring at the man.
Back in the past, if Ryan wasn’t by her side, Bill or someone from Cobra, Tiger, or Panther’s group would be. But now, she was at Ryan’s base, and not one of them showed up?
Still, she figured there was no point in pressing further. Ryan was, after all, the head of the Dark family. It would’ve been strange if he was hovering around her the whole time. This was the Dark family, after all-every person here was a top-tier figure, and in comparison, she felt like a nobody.
Just as she was about to wave him off, the man took a step back and bowed slightly, his face still stern. “I really don’t know. Asking about Boss’s whereabouts is a serious offense.”
His cautious, slightly nervous response made Echo blink.
Damn, Ryan’s got some strict rules. She had only asked casually.
Shrugging, she was about to drop the subject when something felt off. Her expression sharpened, and without a second thought, she jumped out of bed and grabbed the man by his collar.
“Tiger, Cobra, Panther, Hawk-any of them! Just tell me where one of them is,” she demanded.
Her mind had still been foggy when she first woke up, but now, everything clicked. She had seen Ryan injured during that fight. While his tough-as-nails body probably meant it wasn’t too serious, the fact that no one was around didn’t sit right with her.