Chapter 17
Natalie shook her head firmly. We trust Mastrarian soldiers–not them!
As the car rolled to a stop, Natalie leaned forward, her vore urgent but hushed. Tve seen this before. When we passed another temporary checkpoint, the bandits who kidnapped me paid off the soldiers. They just let them go.”
The vehicle came to a full stop. Two men in camouflage, armed and unsmiling, began approaching.
Myla, unfazed, lowered the window a crack and asked abruptly, “Did you call for help then?”
Natalie shook her head.
The window slid down fully. Myla reached into her pocket and retrieved something small, tossing it lightly in her hand. This is just like Mastrary’s
Her tone was casual, but the implication was clear–Natalie must have misunderstood.
In the aftermath of relentless shelling and gunfire, most cities infrastructure lay in ruins.
Order in many areas was enforced by local warlords, and checkpoints like these were commonplace. Paying a toll was simply part of survival
At that time, Natalie hadn’t asked for help, and Noculorian soldiers wouldn’t interfere unless it was necessary.
Myla rested her left elbow on the window frame and flicked the gold coin with practiced ease. It spun through the air in a gleaming arc, catching the sunlight.
One soldier noticed it and cursed under his breath, scrambling to catch it
The other soldier frowned, clearly irritated by Myla’s nonchalant attitude. But his irritation melted into something else entirely when his gaze caught the lion insignia engraved on the coin.
The men froze, their faces shifting to rigid seriousness. They stood to attention and saluted–not quite the polished gesture of professional soldiers, but an awkward, mismatched attempt at respect.
The soldier holding the coin then offered it back with both hands, his posture stiff and reverent.
Myla waved lazily, signaling them to keep it
Exchanging quick glances, the two soldiers nodded fervently. They stammered their tharks in Nocriadorian, their voices stumbling over each other in their eagerness to show gratitude.
Without wasting another second, they hurried to remove the barricade, working so fast it was as if their lives depended on it. Once the path was cleared, they stepped aside and stood runrod straight, gesturing with exaggerated politeness for the car to pass.
Just as Myla pressed the gas, Jonas gave the back of her seat a deliberate nudge with his boot.
The worn leather creaked under the pressure, trembling ominously. Myla’s lips tightened, her thoughts biting. This rust bucket’s barely holding together as it is. At this rate, he’ll kick the seat clean off. This car is mine. These seats aren’t cheap!
“Pull over,” Jonas commanded, his tone as sharp as the click of a gun’s chamber.
Myla didn’t argue. Ten yards past the barricade, the steered the car to the roadside and killed the engine
In the passenger seat, Natalie’s anxiety spiked. Her breath hitched, and her fingers dug into the edge of her seatbelt. Panic swirled in her mind, vivid and unrelenting. Is he going to leave me here? He doesn’t believe me, does he? He’s going to abandon me.
Her worst fears seemed to come true when Jonas reached for the door handle. The metallic click of the latch echoed like a death knell in her ears.
The fragile thread of her composure snapped. She lurched forward, the seatbelt tightening painfully across her chest as she grabbed for him. Her shaky voice cracked with suppressed desperation. “Don’t leave me here. Please
Jonas stilled, his gaze dropping to the trembling hand clutching his fingers. Her sudden movement, the way her delicate fingers tightened with such
urgency, caught him off guard and made him instinctively pull his hand away from the door handle.
Natalie’s fingers had been aiming for his arm, but the moment they brushed the bandage wrapped around it, her hand faltered and slid downl reflexively gripping his fingers instead.
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Chapter 17
Jonas thought to himself, ‘How considerate. But too clingy. I haven’t even said I’m going to toss her out, and she’s already losing her cool. Looks like I overestimated this line spy’s skills. Bet her brainpower’s all spent figuring out how to seduce me!
Jonas lifted his right hand and rapped his knuckles lightly against the back of her hand, signaling her to let go.
To his surprise. Natalie’s grip tightened. “I don’t trust them” she said, her voice trembling with conviction
What she didn’t say was why she didn’t trust them. “No way I can tell him I overheard those soldiers joking around. Nocriudorian soldiers and bandins speaking to each other in Mastrarian? That’s suspicious,”
Natalie knew full well that if Jonas found out she could understand Nocriudorian, it would land her in a precarious position. Durn my smart mouth back then. But regret’s useless now–1 just have to dig myself out of this mess
“But you trust me?” Jonas said suddenly, his voice low and unyielding.
Natalie’s mind buzzed like a broken radio, but she nodded emphatically.
Jonas let out a short, sharp laugh. “Well, I’m honored” His tone was unreadable, teetering somewhere between mockery and sincerity.
Natalie opened h her mouth to say something else, but before she could, Jonas yanked his hand free
The sharp motion startled her, and as she watched him push open the car door and swing one leg outside, panic clawed its way up her throat.
Fumbling to unbuckle her seatbelt, she leaned forward too fast. The moment the restraint snapped free, she shot forward like a firework, smacking her chest against one of his knees with a muffled groan of pain.
Jonas had one leg firmly planted on the ground outside, but the other wouldn’t budge. That was because Natalie, in her frantic scramble, had ended up sprawled across his lap.
Her legs were a mess of tangled angles, one foot still hooked awkwardly on the passenger seat, her body stuck between the gap, while her hands flailed around, searching for something to stabilize herself.
For a split second, the absurdity of the situation almost made Jonas laugh. But the amusement quickly evaporated. “Where the hell are those hands going?
He grabbed her slender arm, his grip firm but controlled, and hoisted her upward. At the same time, his other arm slid around her waist, scooping her up and depositing her onto the backseat like she weighed nothing
Natalie barely noticed her undignified position. Before she could even process what had just happened, she threw herself at him again, wrapping her arms tightly around his.
Jonas’s patience frayed Imntated, he opened his mouth to tell her off, but the words died in his throat when he glanced down. Her tear–filled eyes,
wide and brimming with a fragile, almost heart–wrenching vulnerability, locked onto his.
“Please,” she whispered, her voice cracking with desperation. “Please don’t leave me here. Let me stay with you. Didn’t you want to piss Jonas off!”
Every time Jonas heard his name slip from her lips, especially in such a desperate, sweet tone, it stirred something in him–like a quiet amusement that softened his foul mood.
His curiosity piqued Jonas found himself wondering whether Natalie truly didn’t recognize him as Jonas Lawson or if she was playing some kind of
“If she really doesn’t know, he mused, then I can’t wait to see her reaction when the truth comes out. That’s going to be fun.
With that thought, his decision was made. Despite the hassle, he didn’t feel like leaving her behind.
Jonas raised his hand and lightly patted her soft, smooch cheek. To him, it was barely a touch, but her cheeks–still carrying a hint of baby fat- flushed pink instantly.
When he withdrew his hand, he rubbed his fingers together absentmindedly, his gaze drifting to her wrist. The delicate skin still bore faint red marks from when he had gripped it tightly the night before.
A smirk played on his lips. So fragile? Just a little pressure, and she bruises?
With a wicked grin, Jonas teased, “As much as I’d hate to part ways with you, sweetheart, are you s
sure you want to follow me into the men’s room!”
t Jonas found himself
The mix of emotions in Natalie’s eyes–desperation giving way to shock, then mortification–was so rich and animated that) thoroughly entertained.
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Chapter 17
Reaching out again, he ruffled her hair like one might do to a playful puppy, his gaze carrying a mischievous glint. “It’s filthy in there. But if you’re into bathroom rendezvous, we can save that for the hotel.
Before she could process that, Jonas unceremoniously pushed her back into her seat, opened the car door, and stepped out.
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Natalie staring after him in stunned silence, her breath catching in her throat
It took her a moment to gather herself, her chest rising and falling as she tried to calm down. She didn’t know if staying with them was the right choice, but she couldn’t afford to gamble on anything else. At least… at least he hasn’t hurt me yet!
“Im off to grab some groceries. Myla’s voice broke through the quiet, Natalie hadn’t even noticed when she got out of the car. Myla reached through the window, plucked the car keys from the ignition, and snapped her fingers for emphasis
Catching Natalie’s attention, Myla gestured toward a supermarket nearby, its structure mostly collapsed from recent destruction.
Thanks to Jonas’s impulsive decision–making, their breakfast and lunch plans had gone up in smoke. Myla figured she and Jonas could without food for a while, but Natalie didn’t look like she’d hold up.
“If you wanna go to the ladies‘ room, wait for me to come back, Myla said before locking the car door and heading toward the ruined storr
She hoped to scavenge something useful. If the shelves were empty, she’d just have to raid the supplies from those soldiers they’d passed earlier.
The car fell into silence again. Natalie let out a heavy breath and sank into the seat, her body slumping against the backrest
She knew she was still under suspicion. Suying with them felt like bargaining with the devil, but she had no choice. Her only option was to tread carefully, every step measured, every word weighed.
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, an indistinct string of curses rang out from somewhere nearby.
Her instincts flared as she sensed something wasn’t right. She moved quickly, reaching to close the open window, only to realize the car had been turned off
She was about to scool toward the center seat when a filthy, calloused hand shot through the open window. The rough hand grabbed her collar with an iron grip, yanking her forward.
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