Hunter

Chapter Fifty Five

Kenzie ~

Fueled by nothing but her love for Hunter and her deep desire to see him again, Kenzie stumbled through the forest, blinking through her blurred vision and trying to stay steady on her feet. Her body fought against her with every step, but she followed the light as it started to fade in front of her.

Twigs snapped behind her and she picked up her pace, knowing that the forest was crawling with her fathers men.

Once darkness had almost consumed the landscape around her, Kenzie found herself stumbling into a clearing and losing her footing. She scraped her palms and lost her breath, but before she could regain her composure a four wheeled vehicle roared up from over the hill.

A familiar sadistic voice echoed from the vehicle and it made Kenzie's blood run cold and her hope disintegrate.

"You're a tough girl to find." Miles chuckled as two armed Elite Tactical men appeared from behind him with their weapons trained on her.

This can't be how this ends. I know Hunter is here. I can feel it.

"What do you want from me?" She screamed at him with so much desperation and anger in her voice that it sent the birds flying from the surrounding trees.

Laughing at her question and sudden outburst, Miles shook his head, but Kenzie kept space between them, countering his movements.

"What do I want from you? Isn't it obvious MacKenzie? I want you to come home. This is where you belong. Don't you see how skilled you are?"

Kenzie used Miles' monologue as an opportunity to put more distance between them and started to slowly back up closer to the tree line.

If I could get close enough to the trees, I could make a run for it. Hunter is out in those woods somewhere I know it. 

"You found that escape hatch a hell of a lot faster than I had anticipated and the fact that you were able to evade my men for this long? Sweetie you were made for this...It's in your blood. You belong home with me where your skills can be used, not wasted."

The fact that Miles still viewed his house as her home was a disgusting thought and Kenzie couldn't hide the deep scowl on her face.

Several shots could be heard in the distance in rapid succession, pulling Kenzies attention over her shoulder to follow the noise.

"Right on schedule." Miles said with a satisfied grin.

Miles' arrogance and perception of control in the chaos that was unfolding set Kenzie's blood on fire. The shots continued for several minutes and she reached up and covered her ears, trying to hide from the noise, knowing those shots were meant for Hunter and his men. The thought of bullets tearing through Hunter's body was too much for her to handle and felt like she could vomit at the continued gunfire in the distance.

"Enough of the dramatics Kenzie. You have a choice to make here."

"A choice?" She snapped, shaking and barely able to stand, but determined to stay upright.

"You come home...or you die. You see that skill set of yours is mine, I built it. I designed you. But if I can reap the benefits of my hard work...no one will."

"What about the drives? Isn't that what all this is about?"

"The drives die with you and Halls team. I'll hunt them down one by one until no one remembers that you or those drives ever existed." Miles seethed.

With her hatred running deep and her body pumping with adrenaline, Kenzie took another step back, fumbling with the shoes that were too big. Wearing Rhett's clothes had been a handicap up until that very moment...the moment when she needed the pistol in his holster.