Gone Away

Gone Away by Elizabeth Noble

Book: Gone Away by Elizabeth Noble Read Free Book Online
Authors: Elizabeth Noble
Tags: gay romance
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gully. “Up. Now, Riece,” he ordered and shoved Riece into motion.
    Riece lost his footing after only a few feet and slipped downward. Trying to grab at the trees succeeded in doing nothing but scraping up his palms. He came to an abrupt stop against Mason. Gripping one of the trees Riece had tried to hang on to with one hand, Mason steadied them both. He put his other hand between Riece’s shoulder blades and pushed hard. “ Go .”
    Again Riece tried. This time he made it a few feet farther with Mason urging him on from behind and acting as a brace. He tripped and tried scrambling forward on hands and knees for a few feet before going face-first into the dirt.
    Mason grabbed his arm and hauled him up almost at once. “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. Keep going.”
    “Mason, I can’t—”
    Without warning Mason spun Riece around and shook him. He pointed one finger at Riece and snarled, “You listen to me. ‘I can’t’ is no longer in your vocabulary. You can and you will because I love you and there is no fucking way I’m leaving you here or losing you. I will keep you safe and get you out, but you will not goddamn give up on me.” He gulped in a few deep breaths and ran one hand through his hair. “Riece, we can do this. Now move your ass.”
    Riece wanted to make a quip about how sexy it was when Mason took control and got all macho like that, but he was too busy trying to keep his footing. He was sure they’d be found and shot in the back before reaching the top. The way down had looked precarious, though short. The way up seemed as if it was ten times the distance and a much steeper incline.
    Finally Riece reached the top. Mason reached around him and grabbed a sapling with one hand and Riece’s arm with the other. He hauled both of them over the gully’s edge and onto more level ground. Riece flopped on his back, gasping, trying to get control of his shaking body and ragged breathing.
    Mason grabbed Riece under his armpits and pulled him backward a few feet, then put one hand on Riece’s chest and pressed down gently. “Stay there, stay down.” He crouched beside Riece while he gazed at the gully below.
    “Do you see them?” Riece asked.
    Holding one finger to his lips, Mason shook his head. After a minute he stood up and took a few silent steps in the direction they’d last seen the men and woman. Riece turned his head and watched as Mason hunkered close to the ground and leaned over the edge, looking one way, then the other. He stood and moved a few yards farther away. His movements were soundless, and he hunched over as he walked. The landscape here consisted of swaths of tall grass interspersed with small open spots and thick patches of trees. The terrain rolled up and down, the ground peppered with big rocks that made it rugged but not impassible. To Riece it seemed as if they’d been going in circles, but Mason definitely appeared to have a direction and destination in mind.
    Riece rolled far enough to the side to keep Mason in his line of sight. Twice Mason met his gaze and held a finger to his lips, then motioned for Riece to stay where he was. Riece nodded and smiled when Mason moved one hand up and down his torso, wordlessly telling Riece to breathe. He gave himself a silent pep talk. Mason had come right out and told Riece he loved him. There was no way Riece was going to die and miss this chance to fix his relationship with Mason.
    Mason waved at Riece to follow him. Riece got up and hurried toward Mason as quietly as possible until Mason waved at the ground. Riece nodded and knelt down at the edge of one of the groups of trees. They continued on that way in short bursts. Their movements kept them within a few yards of each other until Mason was close to where they’d tied the rope to a tree and gone down the side of the gully. He pulled the quick-release knot he’d used to tie the rope off and very slowly and quietly used a hand-over-hand motion to inch the rope back up

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