Thanks to the GPS tracker, Beatty was able to pinpoint Andrew's exact location.

The group marched in a straight line toward his coordinates, steadily closing the distance.

They didn't dare use flashlights, terrified of alerting whoever else was hiding in the woods. They maintained high alert, doing everything possible to move without making a single sound.

But eventually, their silhouettes were spotted by Benjamin's Mercenaries.

"Who's there?!"

At the shout, Beatty whipped her head around. A quick scan revealed at least five heavily built men. This wasn't going to be an easy fight.

She made an immediate decision. "Run!"

Clutching the tracker, she sprinted forward. Andrew's men trailed right behind her, while the enemy gave chase. Given her combat training, Beatty's speed was easily on par with the hardened soldiers.

"Stop right there! Who the hell are you?!"

The two groups tore through the dark woods in a chaotic pursuit, shattering the eerie silence of the night.

Naturally, the commotion carried over to where Emily and Andrew were hiding.

Andrew pressed his hand over Emily's, lowering his voice. "Don't move yet. We don't know who it is."

Emily understood perfectly, so both of them stayed out of sight.

They crouched quietly behind a large, jagged rock, waiting with bated breath.

The approaching noise grew louder.

"Could they be looking for us?" Emily whispered.

Andrew shook his head. "Let's wait and see."

Unfortunately, the commotion didn't just catch their attention—it drew the rest of Benjamin's thugs straight toward them.

When a harsh beam of light swept directly across their hiding spot, only one word echoed in Emily's mind.

Run!

"Found them! They're over here!"

She grabbed Andrew's hand and hauled him up, sprinting in the opposite direction of the approaching footsteps.

How could two injured people, stumbling through pitch-black woods, possibly outrun a pack of Healthy, able-bodied men wielding. flashlights? Glancing down at the rapidly stretching shadows creeping up behind them, Emily gritted her teeth and pulled her hand free.

"Go! Leave me!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Andrew snatched her wrist back. "We run together!"

Emily clenched her jaw. A sharp, agonizing cramp seized her abdomen, and her

steps faltered. "I'm too slow. I'll only drag you down."

Andrew panted heavily, looking back at her. "Want to make a bet?"

"Bet on what?" she asked breathlessly.

"Bet that the people causing that commotion are my men," he replied.

Emily stared at his profile, then looked down at the menacing shadows of the men closing in on them. The chaotic sounds of the forest filled her ears, and her heart hammered wildly against her ribs.

She whispered, "Then let's bet."

The moment the words left her mouth, Andrew pulled her sharply, banking a hard corner and sprinting straight toward the source of the noise.

From a bird's-eye view, the two scrambling groups were on a direct collision course.

Still running, Beatty watched the GPS dot racing toward her position.

Her heart soared, and she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Mr. Lane! It's me!"

The woman's voice pierced through the trees. Emily didn't recognize it, but Andrew immediately reassured her. "That's my secretary. They're here."

A suffocating wave of tension lifted from Emily's chest. She looked up just in time to see a beam of light cutting through the darkness heading right for them.