Evan Arden 04 Isolated Read Online Free Page B

concern.
    “ I’m pretty good at that.” I lick my lips and stare at him. “You’re going to tell them I’m dead, right?”
    “ That’s the plan,” he says. “I don’t think they’re going to spend much time looking for you.”
    “ They won’t,” I agree. I think about my Barrett sniper rifle, abandoned at the bottom of the cliff. “Rinaldo knows me too well.”
    Bastian looks as if he’s about to ask what I mean, but his attention is directed at his leg again. He tries to set it on the ground and lean into it, but he nearly falls. Balancing himself, he reaches for his waist, and I tense as he brings out a long bolt. He must have retrieved it from the dude with the crossbow.
    I relax as he holds it up against his leg, checking the length. It will make a pretty decent splint.
    “ I can do that,” I say as he starts looking for something to hold the bolt to his leg. He looks at me suspiciously, and I shrug. “I do have some training as a medic.”
    I set his leg with the bolt and the wire he’d tried to garrote me with a few hours ago. It works better than I expect, and I think it will at least give him a fighting chance. That’s all he seems to require.
    “ It’s going to have to be reset,” I tell him. “A few more hours, and it’ll have to be broken again to get it to heal right.”
    “ I’ll deal with that when I get to the bottom of the mountain.”
    “ Yeah, I was wondering how you were going to do that,” I say as I look down the steep slope. “I’m going up and over, away from where they might try to land a helicopter.”
    “ You know there’s no other way off this island,” he says. “It’s not like you can swim it.”
    “ I have an idea,” I respond. “Don’t worry about me.”
    “ I’m not,” he says. “I don’t give a shit about you, but I do have a vested interest in your survival now.”
    Again, I am tempted to tell him about our relationship. I’m curious as to how he will react. His eyes narrow at me, as if he’s trying to figure out what I’m thinking. He’s paranoid, but with good reason, I suppose. My brother and I have that in common, too.
    I will get off this island, and I will kill Franks for him. I think I’d do it even if we hadn’t made a deal.
    “ I’m going now,” I tell him.
    “ You’re not going to make it,” he states as he looks up the side of the mountain.
    “ Yeah, I will,” I say, making a promise to myself as well as him. “You’ll know it, too—as soon as you hear the news about Franks.”
    He nods, but there’s still mistrust in his eyes.
    I want to tell him. I want him to know. Just as I have myself convinced, I realize there is no way he’ll believe me.
    Instead, I reach out and shake my brother’s hand before I turn and walk away.
    I don’t look back until I reach the top of the mountain.

CHAPTER THREE
    Frigid Escape

    I reach the top of the slope and glance down at the dark shape of Sebastian Stark as he makes his way down the side of the mountain. I have no doubt that he’ll make it despite his injuries. He’s one tough bastard, and I admire him.
    I sigh as I look down the side of the snowy ridge and swing my legs over to start my own descent. I need to find a good hiding spot until anyone who might be looking for me is gone. As I make my way slowly down the rocks, I wonder how long it will take for them to decide I’m buried in the snow.
    There aren’t a lot of options for hiding, but as I hear the whir of helicopter blades, I duck behind a ridge and press my back against the rock. The movement jars my dislocated shoulder, and I have to grit my teeth against the pain. All things considered, I’m lucky to be alive. I know it, but I don’t feel it. Just an hour ago, I was ready to die. It would have been a relief. Giving up, even briefly, had felt good.
    I probably just need a decent night’s sleep.
    A vision moves beside me, and as much as I want to ignore the specter, he stays in my sights, looking over at me