The Unwavering Heart That Broke (Nathalie and Lance) novel Chapter 610

Nathalie smoothly pulled her hand from his grasp, her tone flat. "You need to rest right now. Time is short. Conserve your energy, because I'm going to need you out there."

"Alright."

Hearing her practical response, Lance finally let his guard down.

He closed his eyes, desperately trying to catch whatever sleep he could while the IV worked its way into his system.

The drip would take a while. They could only pray that Sylvie Winter's hounds didn't catch their scent before it finished.

The town remained completely tranquil.

Nathalie went out and bought some local food, forcing herself to eat a few bites as she sat on a bench beneath the massive tree, watching the jungle get swallowed by the encroaching night.

The compact handgun pressed cold and heavy against the small of her back.

Nicol walked over, a deeply conflicted look on his face. "Nathalie, are you really going to do this?"

She turned to him, her gaze piercing. "I am asking you to do this one thing for me. Are you telling me you can't?"

Nicol looked even more tortured. "I can, but—"

"Then there are no buts."

Nathalie lowered her eyes, a faint, resolute smile touching her lips.

She stood up, exhaling a long, shaky breath. "Make sure they lose my trail. After that, you need to get out of here too."

With a final glance toward the lit windows of the clinic, her eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion. A few seconds later, she turned on her heel and walked straight into the pitch-black maw of The Serpentwood Jungle.

Nicol instinctively took a step to follow her, but her final order echoed in his head, forcing his boots to a halt.

He could sense Lance's hidden bodyguards instantly shifting in the shadows, preparing to flank her.

Nicol squeezed his eyes shut. He pulled out his phone and dialed the lead operative.

"Stand down. You don't need to trail her. I'm taking this solo."

The doctor gave him a baffled look. "She's your wife, not mine! How the hell should I know?"

Lance's expression twisted into something monstrous. He lunged forward, grabbing the doctor by the collar, his voice a lethal snarl. "She was right here before I closed my eyes. She is not here now. Where did she go?"

Terrified by the sheer, murderous intent pouring off the man, the doctor went pale. "About... about half an hour ago! She said she was hungry and went out to get food!"

Lance shoved him aside and bolted out the door into the night.

A sickening dread clawed its way up his throat.

The town was pitch black. There was no sign of Nathalie anywhere. He ripped out his phone and called his lead operative, demanding her location.

The operative sounded deeply confused. "Boss, didn't you just give the order? We pulled back so Nicol could follow Mrs. Adams into the jungle alone to draw the enemy out!"

Hearing those words, the blood froze in Lance's veins.

He crushed the phone in his grip, his eyes snapping toward the impenetrable darkness of the jungle, a storm of absolute panic and unhinged fury detonating in his eyes.