bChapter /bb318 /b

Ethan caught her expression and leaned closerb, /bhis face almost touching hersb. /b“What’s that smile for?”

He rested his cheek against hers, closing his eyes. bThe /btension seemed to drain from him at the contactb, /bas if her consciousness alone provided reliefb. /b

The medication had sedatives mixed in, and Jade felt herself drifting back into unconsciousness. Her eyelids grew heavier with each passing second. Ethan sat by her bedside, still holding her hand.

It was nearly four in the morning when footsteps approached their door. The hallway was quietb, /band the soft sound of the doorknob turning barely disturbed the silence. The door opened smoothly.

Ethan stood just inside, facing the two figures at the threshold. fn2bd7 This update is avable on f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?/fn2bd7

“Sir,” greeted Maverick, his voice low and respectful. Beside his stood Sloane, both clearly having traveled far and fast to reach them.

The two stepped inside. Maverick reached into his jacket and produced a small package.

“What you requested, sir,” he said quietly.

Even in the dim light, Ethan’s exhaustion was visible. His normally impable appearance was disheveled, his face drawn with fatigue.

Maverick lowered his voice further. “You should get some rest, sir. Sloane and I will take watch outside.”

The two slipped out as quietly as they had entered. Maverick headed downstairs to guard the entrance, while Sloane remained in the

hallway outside their room.

Ethan moved to the bed and carefullyy down beside Jade, mindful not to disturb her.

Despite his bone–deep exhaustion, sleep eluded him. Every few minutes, he would jerk awake, checking on Jade’s breathing.

Outside their temporary sanctuary, the Shadow Organization had mobilized its forces. This was their perfect opportunity to remove their most troublesome adversary while she was vulnerable.

Assassins from around the world converged on Africa, determined toplete the mission. Soon, the continent would be crawling with

Shadow operativesb, /ball hunting for Jade.

1

Ethan wanted nothing more than to let Jade recover in peace, but as soon as she was lucid enough, she insisted they relocate. They couldn’t risk staying in one ce too long. In the previous town, Ethan had killed two Shadow operatives, and their colleagues were likely already following the trail.

As darkness fell the next evening, they set off once more on their dangerous journey.

The four made it to the next location without incident. Ethan carried Jade with extreme care, terrified of reopening her wounds.

When they reached a hospital in the new town, Maverick went in first to scout the location. After confirming it bwas /bsafe, Ethan carried Jade inside.

While the staff changed Jade’s bandages, Sloane suddenly tensed, her hand going to the Bluetooth earpiece she wore. After listening for a moment, her expression hardened.

“Shadow operatives are here,” she informed Ethan tersely.

Without hesitation, Ethan gathered the necessary medications and carried Jade out before the nurse could begin the IV drip. They escaped the hospital just in time, finding a small inn several blocks away.

Maverick checked the premises firstb, /bthen signaled the all–clear. Inside their room, Ethan carefullyid Jade on the bed and removed several IV bags and tubing from his coat–items he’d grabbed during their hasty hospital exit.

He unwrapped the bandage from his injured hand, exposing the stitched wounds on his fingers. Thenb, /bwith determination, he prepared to insert the IV needle into his own hand, practicing the technique.

“Sir, let me do it,” Sloane protested, stepping forward.

Ethan ignored her, focusing on the task.

He continued practicing on himself, while Sloane stood by with cotton swabs to stem the bleeding from his unsessful attempts.

Soon, both Ethan and Sloane’s hands were covered in needle marks. Even after sessfully inserting the needle several times, Ethan continued practicing, much to Sloane’s visible concern.

Jade’s veins were much finer than theirs, leaving little room for error. Ethan had anticipated this challenge and had taken a tourniquet from the hospital. He secured it around Jade’s arm, making her veins more visible, then carefully inserted the needle.

He seeded on the first attempt, breathing a sigh of relief as he secured the IV line and gentlyid her hand back down on the bed.

Chapter Comments

3

Write Comments

SHARE