Chapter 6

Adrian slung a bag from his shoulder to the bak seat and got in. He put the car in drive and we took off. For a minute I sat in the backseat unsure of what to say. I thought he wasn’t going to say goodbye and now here he was coming with me.

I leaned forward into the front seat. “What do you mean you’re coming with me? There’s no way you’ll get passed the border.” I said.

“I’m going with you as far as I can.” He stated plainly. I stared at him. He watched the road. I couldn’t help but feel a flutter inside.

I threw a leg over into the front passenger seat and climbed up. I buckled into the front seat and looked back to him.

“We’re going on a mission together.” I stated.

“We are.” He said back.

“We’re partners.” It came out before I could think. He didn’t reply to it. I shouldn’t have expected him to.

That comment made the the next two hours a silent drive. I didn’t ask where we were or how much longer it would be. We just drove.

The silence allotted me plenty of time to think. There was no chance of escaping now, not with Adrian accompanying me. Maybe he realized that as I was leaving, and that’s why he stopped the car.

He didn’t trust me enough to go with just a tracker in my arm. That made the most sense. I wanted to ask him to confirm, but if I was honest with myself I didn’t want to hear the answer.

I wanted to talk more strategy, go over new possible scenario’s I might find myself in. But Adrian seemed locked in whatever he was thinking about. He didn’t glance over to me once.

My mind drifted to Noah. What was he doing right now? Was Martha unbelievably mad at me for abandoning her with a child? Was she worried for me like I was for her? Would she ever forgive me if I die on this mission?

The reality hit me that if something happened to me, they would never know. My son would think I left him. That I didn’t want him. I almost started to tear up but reeled in my emotions before Adrian could notice.

I decided to shut my eyes and drift off. I hadn’t slept well, and this might be my last chance to get some rest for a while. I leaned my head back and crossed my arms, facing away from Adrian.

I heard Adrian turn the radio on, every so lightly. Background noise always helped me fall asleep. Did he remember?

I jolted awake without realizing I had truly fallen asleep. I became immediately alert.

“Just a pot hole, sorry. Go back to sleep.” He said.

I looked outside the window. Night was falling. We had been on the road all day.

“I’m not tired anymore.” I said. “Do you want to rest? I can drive for a bit?” I offered.

He huffed. Message received. He didn’t trust me to drive. Then he looked over at me, like an idea popped into his head.

He pulled off the highway and drove a little but until we arrived at an empty field.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“No where. Not yet anyway. Come on.” He said. He hopped out and I followed. He walked a little ways into the field and turned back to me.

“One last training session.” He stated. “Take me down.”

I blinked. He was serious. I took a fighting stance. Putting me on the offense was not where I wanted to be, but he knew that.

I started to circle him, looking for a weak spot. He didn’t have many. After a few minutes of assessing him I decided to try something.

I ran straight at him. His face changed with a mix of surprise and confusion. I positioned myself to jump at him and his arms came up to defend myself.

At the last second, I slide between his legs and popped up behind him.

I leaped onto his back and couldn’t help but let out a laugh as I wrapped my legs around him.

He threw me off with ease. My smile faded quickly when I saw his expression.

“Do you think this a joke?” He said. He was not happy or amused. “You’re about to walk into an unknown environment with no back up or assistance and you think this is the time to mess around?”

He was very upset. I should have known better. I didn’t know what to say. He was right, I should be taking this last opportunity to prepare seriously.

I decided words wouldn’t help me here. I stood back up, and took a stance again. This time my focus was aligned.

He took his stance and we went at each other. He blocked my moves, and I, his. I landed a few good moves on him. He said nothing.

I knew him well enough to know that wasn’t a bad thing. If he had something to correct, he would say it.

We sparred for another hour or so. Adrian didn’t seem like he was getting tired, quite the opposite. He seemed like he was getting geared up, as if this was his own mission he was about to embark on.

The lights of a car in the distance came into a view and for a split second, Adrian’s attention was averted. I used that distraction to swipe a leg out from under him, and tackle him to the ground.

He tried to block me but I pin him to the ground. He didn’t continue to fight me. He looked…proud.

I felt a smile pull at my lips. We sat like that for a moment, locked in to each others eyes. His hands rested on my hips.

I felt the tingle of something we didn’t have time for. Nor was I sure he was interested in that.

The urge to lean down and kiss him was strong, but I held back. Instead I pulled myself off of him.

I stood and took a deep breath, I didn’t hear him get up when I felt him gently grab my arm and face me to him.

“Isla.” The way the moonlight hit his eyes with his hair falling in his face made him look so much younger. Like my old Adrian.

“This mission…” He trailed off. He wasn’t sure how to continue. That was rare for Adrian, who was usually so articulate.

“I want to trust you. Show me I can trust you.” He said. It came out like he was forcing it. Like he was fighting with himself.

I took his hand in mine. “Adrian, you can trust me. I’ll get Tessa back.” He didn’t respond. We just stood like that.

The thoughts of escaping to get back to Noah went through my mind. I desperately wanted to break out of this enslavement and get back to my son, but looking at Adrian and telling him he could trust me anchored me here.

I couldn’t betray him. Standing here with him, I felt the pull of our bond more strongly than ever. It was getting harder to fight. I had his hand in mine but it wasn’t enough.

I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and wrapping my arms around his torso. I felt his arms wrap around me too.

He rested his chin on top of my head and I could feel him breathing. I felt tears well up in my eyes. We stood like that for minutes.

The life I had pictured last night with Noah and Adrian ached inside me. It was cruel twist of fate to find your mate, have their child and not be able to be a family together.

I pushed those feelings away so often that when they came back, they hit like a tsunami. I felt Adrian’s arms loosen. I stepped back and turned without looking at him to walk back to the car.

I didn’t want him to see I had been crying. Hopefully he didn’t feel my tear stains on his shirt.

He followed a couple steps behind and we quietly got in. He got back on the highway and I decided to change the mood by asking about the spies in the area.

Adrian informed me that would be near the location they reported sightings of human’s being brought in, but that’s not where we would be going.

There was a main road leading into their compound that would be heavily surveilled. We would have to venture through the thickest tree cover to avoid detection. We drove several more hours until the sun started coming up.

The scenery had changed quite a bit. Lush mountains surrounded us, the highway turned into a single lane in each direction as far as I could see.