Hunt and Pray (13 page)

He nodded, and Ezra stepped back a bit, giving Drew some relief from the pain. “Now… how about you and I walk this way for a bit? We’ll find us a little privacy and continue that discussion we were going to have the other night before we were so rudely interrupted.” He pushed Drew in front of him, prodding him in the back with the gun.

The filthy smile on his face left no doubt as to what was going to happen, and Drew was terrified. He felt his stomach start to roll and he stumbled a little.

The next thing he knew, there was a bright explosion of pain up his back as Ezra punched him in the side. “You keep going, boy. And no funny stuff.”

Drew nodded again and kept walking, recognizing they were headed back to the cliff-top path he and Chance had been walking yesterday. He desperately hoped Chance would find a way to escape his father and survive, and he ached for all the times they would never have to get to know each other.

When they reached a little clearing, Ezra grabbed his arm and pulled him back against him. He could feel the gun between them and smell Ezra’s rancid breath as it fanned over his cheek. “Nice view, huh, Drew? Almost like we were out here on a date.” He chuckled at his own humor. “I convinced the colonel to split up. Told him we could cover more ground faster that way. But I knew exactly where to find you, and he’s not nearly as good a tracker as I am.”

He ran his free hand down Drew’s chest and over his stomach before grabbing his cock painfully. “I’m not like the colonel, mind you. I can see where deviants like you have their uses, and a pretty mouth like yours? It needs to be used a lot.”

Drew’s heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. He wasn’t a small guy. It had never occurred to him before this horrifying ordeal that someone might actually rape him. It made him feel powerless and furious at the same time.

“Sorry, I’m not the kind of guy who sucks cock on the first date,” he spat out and was totally unsurprised to be spun around and backhanded, pain exploding across his cheekbone.

Ezra pointed the gun in his face. “I think it’s time you got to your knees, faggot.”

Drew looked around desperately, spying the edge of the cliff and wondering if he could jump before Ezra caught him. The other man seemed to read his intentions and laughed cruelly.

“Oh no, not yet. You try it and I’ll shoot your kneecaps out, and that’ll make it even harder for you to suck my dick. You can throw yourself off the cliff in shame when I’m done with you.” He grabbed Drew’s arm and jerked him to his knees, pointing the gun at him again.

“Get my pants open….
Now
!” Drew jumped when he yelled but reached for Ezra’s fly, trying to think of anything that would let him get away.

He got the pants unzipped, but when he looked up, Ezra was looking down the line of Drew’s back and practically drooling.

“You know, I do think I’ve changed my mind, sweetheart.” He backed up a little and walked around behind Drew. “That’s one sweet-looking ass you got there, and I think it needs a good pounding.”

Drew lurched forward, crying out in fear. A boot to the ribs landed him face-first in the dirt. He tried to get to his hands and knees but got a kick to the head for his troubles.

He was dizzy and having a hard time figuring out which way was up, but he knew if he gave up, Ezra would rape him, and he’d rather be dead first.

Ezra cackled as he grabbed Drew by the back of the jeans and tried to pull them down, and Drew cried out when he felt the cold metal of Ezra’s gun sliding down his back.

Scrambling desperately, he tried to kick out and push himself away, only to be pulled back by Ezra’s insane lust. He was hit with a glancing blow on the back of the head that left him reeling and unable to move for a moment, and that was all Ezra needed to pull Drew down, pop the fly on his pants, and start to slip them down.

He was begging Ezra to stop and crying out for Chance, but he didn’t care. He was trying to turn over one more time when there was a scream of rage from somewhere behind them and then he heard Chance’s voice.

“Get off him, you fucking bastard!”

Suddenly he was free as the weight that had been holding him down was catapulted off him. He turned his head and saw Chance and Ezra wrestling on the ground. Chance had Ezra pinned down and was screaming obscenities at him.

“Don’t you ever fucking touch him again!”
The sound of Chance’s fists striking Ezra’s body made Drew feel sick to his stomach, and he rolled over, curled in on himself, and tried to catch his breath.

Ezra tried to fight back, but Chance had unleashed all his anger and fear on Ezra’s face, and Drew noted absently that it must be hard for him to breath with his nose smashed like that.

Taking a few more breaths, Drew heaved himself to his feet and staggered over to Chance. Ezra was lying completely still now, but Chance was still hitting him over and over again. He was crying as his fists landed, and Drew knew it was time for him to stop.

“Chance, look at me.” Chance’s arms faltered, but he shook his head.

“Chance, please. You need to stop. Look at me.”

Chance stopped punching but was shaking so hard Drew thought he was going to fly apart. He reached out and gently took Chance’s chin in his hand.

“I’m okay, Chance. But I need you to come with me now. We have to go before the colonel comes.” When Chance’s eyes finally met his, he could see enough sorrow and guilt to drown ten people.

“You saved me from him, Chance, but now we need to go. Come on.” He reached out his hand, and when Chance took it, Drew could have wept for the bloody mess that was Chance’s fingers.

He pulled Chance to his feet and away from Ezra. If the man wasn’t dead, it would be a miracle. He bent and grabbed the knife Ezra had been using and then let Chance get an arm around his waist and helped him stand.

“Drew…
fuck
… I’m so sorry… God.”

Drew reached up and ran the back of his knuckles gently down Chance’s cheek, smiling at him as best he could through a split lip and bleeding tongue. “He didn’t get me. You stopped him before he could.”

Chance reached up and cupped Drew’s jaw. “Yeah?”

Drew nodded. “Yeah.”

They looked at each other for a moment and then Chance turned his head. “There’s his gun. I’m gonna grab it.”

“Okay.” Drew let go so Chance could move and then spun around as he heard a noise behind him.

Ezra was charging right at them, and there was no time to move. Drew held his hands up, trying to ward him off as Chance cried out. “
Drew!
”

Drew watched in horror as Ezra lunged right at him, and the knife Drew had forgotten he’d been holding sunk deep into Ezra’s gut.

Everything seemed to stop for a second, the whole world frozen for just a moment. Then Ezra jerked back, pulling the knife out of Drew’s hand.

He staggered back a few steps and looked down in confusion at the knife protruding from his stomach before lifting his eyes back up to meet Drew’s.

Drew reached for him instinctively, and Ezra flinched back, keeping out of his reach.

There were no sounds except for the ragged gasps of air trying to find their way in and out of Ezra’s ruined face, and then he started to stagger again. Drew could only watch in horror as Ezra stumbled to the edge of the cliff and then slowly fell backward into the abyss.

He screamed as Ezra fell and then slowly became aware of strong hands holding his biceps, holding him back from rushing to the edge to see.

“Drew… shhhh, it’s okay… come with me, Drew.” Chance pulled him back toward the woods, stopping to grab the gun along the way.

“Oh my God, Chance, I….” He couldn’t say it.

“It was his fault. He ran right into you.” Chance kissed Drew quickly on the side of the head. “He was going to kill us both without a second thought. Don’t feel bad for saving our lives.”

Drew shuddered at the blood on his hands and tried to wipe them off on his jeans, causing them to slip down a little more. He looked down, glad to see the button had only popped open, not broken off.

He did it back up with shaking hands, trying not to stumble over tree roots as Chance pulled him along. When they were almost back to their hideout, Chance stopped and grabbed Drew by the shoulders.

“I want you to stay right here. I’m gonna sneak back in and grab the water bottles and the pack. Don’t move, okay?”

Drew knew Chance was running on pure adrenaline at this point. “Don’t leave me here….” He was afraid to be alone.

“I’ll just be a minute. I promise. If you sit right here on the ground, you’ll be able to see me the whole time.” He was pleading with Drew, and Drew couldn’t say no.

He nodded and gave Chance a quick hug before dropping to sit on the ground. His gaze never left Chance as he crept carefully into their little camp, grabbed the backpack and kicked dirt over the fire.

Drew’s back and sides were aching, his head was still ringing, and he wondered how he was ever going to hike through the woods in this condition. He knew the answer, though. There wasn’t a choice. They simply had to keep moving.

When Chance made his way back to him, Drew levered himself up and stood there, getting his bearings and quickly checking Chance over.

Apart from his bleeding hands, it looked like he wasn’t doing too badly. Ezra hadn’t had a chance to get in too many punches in the face of Chance’s furious attack, and Drew was glad. At least one of them could move quickly if he needed to.

Chance dropped the pack in front of him and moved closer. “I’m just gonna check you over and see if anything’s broken, okay?” He was being careful with Drew, and while Drew appreciated it, he knew they didn’t have time for it.

He lifted his shirt and did his best not to flinch when Chance gently ran his hands over the darkening bruises on Drew’s ribs and back.

“Well, am I gonna live?” Drew knew it was a weak attempt at humor, but it got a fleeting smile out of Chance.

“I don’t think anything’s broken.” He reached down and grabbed the pack, then dug to the bottom for the first aid kit, and pulled out the bottle of painkillers. He shook out three for himself and three for Drew, handed them over and downed his dry. He passed Drew a water bottle and watched as he swallowed the pills.

“Okay. Do you think you can walk now? I’d like to say we could rest for a bit, but I really think we have to get moving.” He reached up and pushed Drew’s bangs away from his forehead, running a soothing hand through his hair.

Drew leaned into the touch, smiling at how something so simple could make him feel better. He looked up into Chance’s face and nodded. “Yeah, let’s go. I can do it.”

Chance nodded. “You are one amazing man, Drew Edwards. Anyone else would be ready to give up by now, but somehow you’re ready to keep going.”

Drew chuckled a little and leaned in to rest his forehead on Chance’s shoulder. “My family will tell you that I’m all kinds of stubborn. They should know. I get it from them.”

He turned and nuzzled against Chance’s neck, pressing a soft kiss to the pulse there. Chance wrapped his arms around him and held him close for a second, resting his cheek on the top of Drew’s head.

After a few more breaths, they pulled apart. Drew let Chance take the lead, still confident he was the one who would lead them out of this nightmare.

They were quiet, neither one talking by some unspoken agreement, both conserving their energy for moving as quickly as possible.

They’d been walking for a couple of hours when Drew thought he heard something, but he looked around and couldn’t see anything, so he kept going. He’d only taken a few more steps when what felt like a band of steel encircled his neck and jerked him to a halt.

He cried out instinctively and watched as Chance whirled, gun drawn. The color drained out of Chance’s face when he was confronted with the sight of Drew trapped in the colonel’s grip.

“Hello, son.”

Chapter Eleven

“I
T
WAS
a good try, Chance, I’ll give you that.” If Drew didn’t know better, he’d say the colonel was completely relaxed. The tension spilling from the body pressed against his and the knife at Drew’s throat said otherwise.

“But you failed, of course. There was no way you could get away from me and Ezra. We are two of the best soldiers this country has to offer!” He sounded so smug, and Drew knew it would be getting to Chance. He had a host of insecurities to deal with.

“You were. Not anymore. Ezra’s dead.” Chance’s voice was flat, almost emotionless.

“Is he, now? How did that come about, I wonder?” Drew could feel the knife digging into his skin.

“Your boy-fucking-wonder double crossed you. He sent you off alone so he could find Drew and fuck him.” The disgust in Chance’s voice left no doubt of his feelings. “I beat the shit out of him before throwing him off a cliff.” Drew let his eyes meet Chance’s, and he got the subtle message. This wasn’t the time for him to contradict Chance.

“Well, sounds like you did me a favor then, son. I don’t need any fucking deviants like that in my unit.” The fury pouring off the colonel was almost palpable.

“So glad you approve, Colonel.” Drew knew Chance was purposely not addressing the colonel as his father. He was letting him know his loyalties were no longer with the lunatic he’d lived with all his life.

“Now, son.” The colonel was speaking through gritted teeth. “Why don’t you put that gun down, and we can talk. You know you aren’t about to shoot me.”

Drew almost smiled as Chance cocked one eyebrow and smirked at his father. “And whatever would give you that idea? Shooting you is exactly what I had planned.”

The colonel snorted. “Chance, we both know you don’t have enough guts to shoot me. You’re your mother’s son. Spineless and stupid.”

Chance snarled. “Don’t you fucking talk about my mother. You were the fucking coward who murdered her.”

Drew could see the colonel’s mouth gape from the corner of his eye. Chance had definitely struck a nerve.

“What in the hell are you talking about, son? Your mother was weak and useless. She killed herself because looking after you was too hard when she was drunk all the time.” Drew watched as Chance flinched. He prayed desperately for Chance to not listen to his father.