Free Hunt and Pray by Cindy Sutherland Page A

grabbed another package he’d already opened and pulled out a cotton pad. He placed it over the cut and held it there for a second, breathing through the obvious pain. After a few seconds, he grabbed the roll of medical tape and pulled some off to hold the cotton in place.
    When he was satisfied it would hold, Chance gathered up all the materials and their packaging and stuffed it back in the kit, making sure not to leave any evidence behind. He grabbed a bottle of pills out of the kit and opened it up, taking two and swallowing them dry.
    He grinned when he saw Drew grimace. “They’re just some painkillers. No reason to suffer, right?”
    Drew shook his head and watched as Chance picked up his shirt and tried to straighten it out, but the sweat and blood made his effort futile.
    Drew sighed and backed up a bit. “Hold on.” He dropped Chance’s pack and unzipped the hoodie Chance had given him and let it fall to the ground. He stuck the knife in the waistband of his jeans so he could use both hands to take off the T-shirt Chance had given him and then tossed it at the other man.
    Chance looked at him in surprise, and Drew growled at him. “I’m keeping the damn hoodie.”
    Chance smiled and nodded before gingerly slipping the shirt over his head as Drew grabbed the hoodie and pulled it back on, shivering at the cold air trapped against his skin.
    Once they were both dressed, Drew tossed Chance’s bag to him and watched as he tossed the first aid kit back into it. He wasn’t carrying two of the fucking things.
    “So, what’s your big plan, then? How are we getting away from Colonel Whackjob?” Drew winced after he said it, his brain kicking in too late and reminding him the crazy man was still Chance’s father.
    Chance looked at him for a second before answering. “I don’t have a big plan beyond ‘don’t die’. I just want to get us as far from him as possible before morning. I’m pretty sure he won’t leave till then. It won’t occur to him that I didn’t follow orders until I don’t show up.”
    The thought of stumbling around in the darkness terrified Drew. “Christ, Chance, how are we supposed to go anywhere in the dark? I can’t see two feet in front of my face.”
    Chance sighed and looked Drew in the eye. “You’re gonna have to tru… uh… follow me.”
    Drew knew Chance had been about to say “trust” before changing his mind. He kept telling himself he didn’t trust Chance, and he might keep telling Chance that as well, but the truth was, he did trust him.
    There was nothing but honesty in those intense eyes, and Drew had no doubt if Chance could make it happen, they would both get out of this alive. He could see the other man was the type of person who thought things out carefully, and once he’d made a decision, there was no turning back for him.
    So yeah, Drew believed Chance had every intention of getting him to safety, and he appreciated it. But there were the other two men to consider—men who were dangerous, well trained, and who had all the motivation in the world to kill them both. The odds were against the two young men making it out of the forest alive.
    “I don’t know….” Drew knew he didn’t have any other options.
    Chance looked at him. “I’m a marine, Drew. I was trained for this kind of thing, slogging around in the dark, avoiding the enemy, and finding where I need to go.” A look of shame crossed his face, and it tugged at Drew’s heart.
    “I won’t say you have nothing to be afraid of, because we both know that’s not true. But I won’t let you get hurt if I can help it.” Chance’s eyes locked with his, and Drew could see he was telling the truth.
    He nodded, hitching his pack up a little higher on his back. “Which way do we go?”
    Chance walked past him and headed in the same direction Drew had been going, almost due east. “You were headed the right way. If we keep going in this direction, we’ll get to the road, and hopefully we can get