CHAPTER 269: CHAPTER 269: IF ANYTHING HAPPENS, RUN TO ME

Officer Crawford had previously shown Tanya Sinclair Old Ninth King’s wanted notice.

At that time, there were photos of other Class-A fugitives on the computer.

Tanya Sinclair had an excellent memory, especially for images, almost photographic. That bald head was indeed one of the Class-A fugitives!

This means that Brock and the "Second Brother" he mentions are also Class-A fugitives!

Falling into a ravine, barely surviving, would have been bad enough, but now they’re in deep woods, encountering three desperate criminals!

Their luck is just... unbelievable...

Tanya unconsciously gripped Declan Pierce’s arm.

Declan, looking down, glanced at her tightly clasped hand, gently patting the back of her hand to reassure her.

Tanya looked up, meeting Declan’s deeply black eyes, inexplicably calming her heart.

"This lady is a doctor. Let’s have this couple come back with us to lend a hand!" Brock spoke.

Tanya worried about Declan’s leg.

"My husband’s leg is injured, he can’t walk far on mountain roads..."

"Not far, just over the hill, it’s one mile." Brock interrupted impatiently.

Tanya knew very well that Declan was pushing himself to the limit getting here.

"I can walk a mile, but my husband can’t." Tanya’s tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation. "You can either trouble yourself to find a cart that can drag people, and I’ll pull my husband along without bothering you; or, bring your second brother over."

Declan’s gaze fell on Tanya’s face and couldn’t look away.

She stood half a step in front of him, so small, yet protecting him while negotiating with two tall men armed with shotguns and machetes...

His princess, now like a knight.

Declan’s sight slid to Tanya’s hand holding his.

Somewhere in his heart was struck hard, not pain, but another feeling that was more intense than pain... A feeling infinitely close to happiness.

Enough to make one willing to sacrifice everything for it.

Ultimately, Brock and the others compromised. The bald one left for a while and when he returned, he led a work cow. The cow dragged together a cart made of wooden planks, likely used for plowing and transporting vegetables.

Declan was placed on it. Throughout the journey, Tanya held his hand tightly, never letting go.

Soon, under Brock’s lead, the group arrived at a very secluded, old bungalow.

Tanya didn’t expect that besides the three brothers, there was also a woman.

She looked about thirty years old, with fox-like upturned eyes, and a heavy streetwise vibe.

The bald one called her Big Sister-in-law.

Looks like she’s Brock’s woman.

When she scrutinized Declan, Tanya, without changing her expression, blocked her view.

"Big Sister-in-law, could you arrange a place where we can lie down? My husband is injured and very uncomfortable," Tanya asked politely.

Behind, Declan listened to her repeatedly call him her husband, unable to suppress the smile on his pale lips.

Though now wasn’t a good time, he appreciated it.

Ultimately, Declan and Tanya were placed in a storage room filled with dry firewood—a bed was just a pile of hay.

Tanya carefully helped Declan lie down.

Brock impatiently urged her from behind the door, "Alright, your man isn’t made of glass. Hurry and check my brother!"

Tanya turned her back to him, rolling her eyes ever so slightly.

Declan saw it clear as day, finding it adorable, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

"I’ll be right back," Tanya whispered, preparing to leave, but Declan pulled her into his embrace.

He feigned to kiss her, his thin lips hovering by her ear, his voice hoarse, "If anything happens, just run to me."

Simultaneously, he pressed something into Tanya’s palm.

Tanya felt and discovered it was a small, folding knife.

She hid it in her sleeve.

Tanya rose and walked outside.

Brock followed behind, about to leave, when a man’s icy warning voice reached him from behind.

"If anything happens to my wife tonight, I promise you, your family, and everyone you care about will live in hell this lifetime, worse than death."

The man’s voice was devoid of emotion, yet inexplicably left Brock’s scalp tingling.

Having lived so many years on the edge, he wasn’t easily frightened. But instinct told Brock he should take this man’s words seriously...

Tanya was led into the main room and immediately saw a black and white portrait of an elderly woman hanging on the wall.

On the old wooden bed lay a young man, the second brother of the three.

He should be under thirty, much more refined compared to the bald one and Brock.

The man was dripping with sweat, burning with fever, his consciousness blurred. There was a bullet wound on his left shoulder, with the flesh beside it rotted, seared open by a knife.

After inspecting him, Tanya quickly made a diagnosis.

"Did he take a gunshot wound previously?" she asked.

The bald one’s face slightly changed. It was Brock who calmly explained, "While hunting, the third brother accidentally missed the target and shot the second brother’s shoulder. I helped him remove the bullet."

This excuse was flimsy.

It’s hard to buy that an ordinary hunter took a rifle to the hospital, opened wounds himself...

But both sides were smart enough to understand, so long as they didn’t expose the underlying truth, they could gloss over it.

Tanya said, "You didn’t remove the bullet thoroughly, nor did you disinfect properly, leading to infection and fever. I need to cut away the decaying flesh and remove the remaining bullet fragments. What medical supplies and surgical tools do you have here?"

The woman known as Big Sister-in-law twisted her waist and brought over a medical kit.

Tanya opened it, finding it complete with anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics.

"These medicines are enough to save your brother, but I have a request: my husband also needs medication!"

This time, before Brock could speak, his woman swiftly agreed, immediately taking a pack of medicine.

"Alright, I’ll deliver medicine to your husband. You just relax and focus on saving my brother!"