Maddie’s POV: I watched as another man got dragged into the military lorries. Julie was next, Julie was next to be transported to who knows where. If this didn’t work, I’d never be able to see her, never be able to hear her voice, talk to her or see her beautiful smile ever again, and I’ll never get to tell her how much she means to me.
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms as I pressed further into the shadows. The bitter night air bit into my skin, but the fear was a hotter burn in my chest. The plan had to work. It had to.
Julie stumbled, her wrists bound in chains, and the soldiers dragged her closer to the waiting lorries. My heart twisted as I saw her face, gaunt but defiant. It was a far cry from my Julie, the one I knew and loved would never be caught dead looking like this. But she still held her head high, even as they shoved her forward.
Where was Paul? He should’ve been here by now. My fingers twitched toward the weapon tucked under my jacket. If he didn’t show up in the next thirty seconds, I’d have to go in alone.
Then, like a prayer answered, I saw them. Paul and his team emerged from the dark, quiet and deadly. They moved like shadows, taking out the guards at the perimeter. The plan. Stick to the plan.
I raised the gun in my hand, my fingers trembling, and aimed for the floodlight. The shot cracked through the cold air, and the yard plunged into partial darkness. Chaos erupted. Soldiers shouted, prisoners ducked, and I took the moment to dash forward.
Julie was close now, so close I could see the tension in her jaw, the flicker of fear she tried to bury. I fired again, this time at the chains binding the man next to her. The metal shattered, and he wasted no time running.
Julie’s turn. My breath hitched as I steadied my aim. One shot. One chance. I sent a silent plea into the freezing air and pulled the trigger.
The chains holding her wrists snapped apart, and she staggered forward. For a moment, she looked dazed, as if she couldn’t believe she was free. Then she ran—straight toward me.
I caught her as she barrelled into me, her thin arms wrapping around my shoulders like a vise. “You came,” she whispered, her voice breaking.
“Of course I came,” I said, choking back a sob. I tightened my grip on her, pressing my face into her hair. “I’m getting you out of here. I promise.”
Julie pulled back slightly, just enough to look at me. Her blue eyes shimmered with tears, the fear and relief swirling together in their depths. Her lips parted as if to say something, but the words caught in her throat.
“Kiss me, Har—”
Before she could finish, I closed the distance between us, pulling her close and pressing my lips to hers. The world around us dissolved, the gunfire, the shouting, the bitter cold. For in that single moment, nothing else mattered.
It was just me and Julie, her warmth anchoring me in a storm of chaos. Her lips were soft but urgent against mine, like she was pouring every unsaid word, every stolen moment, into this one act.
I cupped her face, my thumbs brushing away the tears that streaked her skin. She leaned into me, her fingers tangling in my jacket, holding on like I was the only thing keeping her tethered to the world.
When we finally pulled apart, our foreheads rested together, her breath mingling with mine in the freezing air. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she said, “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Never,” I promised. “I’ll always come for you.”
Her lips quirked into the faintest smile, and for a heartbeat, everything felt right. Then the shouts behind us snapped me back to reality.
“Come on,” I said, lacing my fingers through hers. “We’ve still got a fight to win.”
And so we ran, side by side, through the chaos, the warmth of her hand in mine giving me the strength to face whatever came next.