Gripp

11

GRIPP

Gripp woke before April. He'd slept on and off through the night. Even the sudden snap of a twig woke him. He and the female were well hidden, and he tried to relax. Soon after the moon was at its highest, he was able to get some decent rest.

He had been thinking about the kids stuck at the mine and figured April was thinking about them too.

He felt terrible leaving them there. His sole mission was to get the woman out, but now that the adrenaline had drained and he was thinking logically, he couldn't leave them.

He looked toward April, taking in her sleeping expression. He had to admit she wasn't anything like he thought she would be.

Gripp enjoyed her sense of humor and that she was willing to get her hands dirty. He assumed she would throw a fit if she broke a nail. He was really surprised that she demanded to be part of everything.

He had honestly expected her to whine and complain, leaving him to fend for himself, but she didn't. She fought right alongside him and even stapled a man's forehead. She clearly knew how to defend herself and wasn't afraid to do so.

It was completely unexpected.

She was stubborn as a bull and refused to listen to him. It drove him crazy because he wished she would just take his words at face value. He knew what he was talking about.

She was a government brat child but headstrong, stubborn, and refused to heed his instruction.

He rubbed his eyes and climbed to his feet. He peeked outside the window, noting the sun was barely over the horizon. The perfect time for them to get moving. They would be moving before the soldiers even woke.

A sudden crunch below pulled his gaze down. They weren't alone. He watched as three guards were yelling on the beach, cursing at each other.

He rushed over to the cot and gave her a gentle shake.

She groaned, "Not yet."

"April." He shook her again. "Time to get up."

She opened her eyes slightly, gazing at him. She frowned. "No, I'm too tired."

Gripp dropped his tone. "April, we don't have time for this."

Her eyes opened, taking in the change of his tone. She sat up, looking around the space. "What's wrong?" Her voice rose, making him quickly pull a finger up to his mouth, hushing her.

He motioned to the window and then down below. "We have company."

She sprung up, walking with him to the window. They gazed out, catching sight of the three guys walking along the sand, looking for footprints.

"Are they going to find us?" she asked, her eyes wide with fear.

He shook his head. "No." He made sure of that last night. He had thought about that shortly after April fell asleep.

Gripp didn't want them to be able to find them, so last night, he retraced their footsteps and wiped them out of the sand. He made sure that if they did follow them outside the mine, they wouldn't find them.

"Are you sure?" she chewed on her cheek. "You're telling me that there isn't a slim chance they will find us?"

"Yes, I’m sure," he said. He was sure of himself. The watch tower was hidden, and he didn't expect them to be looking long. There were many possible routes they could have taken, and he figured they weren't going to wait around long at any of them.

"Besides," he said, "we are up high. We can take them if they have to climb this tree."

They watched as the guards searched, their expressions both pissed and worried. Clearly, what April had was worth a lot to them. He was glad she was insistent on getting her stuff from the compound’s office.

The guards walked away, and April finally breathed next to him. "We can go now, right? We can get moving."

He scanned the ground, sensing there was more to come. The guards wouldn’t give up that easily.

"Gripp." She pushed on his shoulder. "Can we go now?"

"No." He shook his head. "Not yet. Give it a few more minutes."

She looked at him perplexed but didn't press him on the issue. They waited. He made them wait for a solid ten minutes until he saw a fourth guard walk out beneath the shadow of a tree.

“They had left someone behind just to see if we would come out of hiding.”

April's eyebrows went up, and she looked at him. He gave her a smile in return.

They watched the fourth person walk across the beach and scan the area. He stood there for a few moments before he walked off in the same direction as his comrades.

He had had them wait a little longer just to ensure they were all gone before he pulled the hatch open.

He shimmied down the tree first, checking the ground before he whistled her down. She landed lightly on her feet and adjusted her bag. She adjusted her hair and checked the area.

"We're clear to leave now?" she said, laughing slightly. "It almost seemed too easy."

He headed back toward the beach, then took a right. April stopped a distance away, confused. "That's not the direction we were headed yesterday."

She pointed her thumb to the left. "I thought you said there was a boat hidden on another island, and you said that we needed to get off this one. Why are you heading in that direction?"

That was what he had said last night. That was before he really got to thinking and started worrying about the kids. He had no idea if he was actually coming back to the island after he returned her to her father.

For all he knew, he was going back to his jail cell, and the kids were still going to be working until they dropped. He didn't want that. Those kids deserved to be rescued just like April.

They all had families and wanted to go home. They were afraid, and he knew they would haunt his dreams if he left them here.

He turned to her and gave her a grin. "We're rescuing some miners. Those kids were stolen from their homes and forced into service. I can't just leave them there."

He was just lengthening his time outside of jail. They said to bring the girl home. They never said he couldn't take his sweet time doing it. He was going to get those kids out, and then he would take her home.