The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 430

Hans caught her searching gaze and just reached up, brushing the brim of her hat with a little smile. “Getting you out of Cabinda... this wasn’t some last-minute idea,” he said quietly. “I’ve wanted to do it for a long time.”

Petty blinked, caught off guard.

Hans’s face went serious, a rare thing for him. He nodded toward Aaron, who edged closer, on alert. Then Hans set a pair of night-vision goggles on Petty, sliding them down gently until they fit. He looked at her with that usual warmth in his eyes but there was something else there too, something deeper. “Honestly, I should have gotten you out of here three years ago.”

If he had, she wouldn’t have spent so much time tangled up with Franco. She could have left Cabinda behind, maybe found her passion, built the life she always talked about. But at least she’d finally figured it out now, and it wasn’t too late to start over.

They’d known each other since they were basically babies. Petty couldn’t remember ever seeing Hans this serious, and she’d never imagined he was making these big decisions for her, without her even knowing.

“You never told me any of this,” she said, her voice soft.

Hans shot her a look. “Like you never kept things from me...? You want to talk about lying? Remember that time you changed your flight info?” He paused, jaw tight, thinking back. “If J hadn’t shown up when he did, Owen would have...” His eyes flicked to her, frustration simmering under his concern. “There’s a lot you don’t know, Petty.”

Petty looked back at him, frowning. “What else are you hiding?”

He just grinned, a little lopsided. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?” He squeezed her shoulder, ready to guide her down the mountain path.

Then he stopped, feeling something solid under all those layers—too familiar from his months of outdoor filming. A bulletproof vest. He narrowed his eyes. “Franco put that vest on you?”

It wasn’t just the vest. Even the jacket she wore was oversized, obvious at a glance who it belonged to. Hans couldn’t miss how she was bundled, protected head to toe.

Petty’s mind flashed to Franco quietly, efficiently buckling the vest over her. She hadn’t said a word then, just let him work, his face flat and unreadable.

She mumbled a quick, “Yeah.” Not a conversation she wanted to have right now.

She nudged Hans’s arm, wanting to move. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Hans took a slow look at her, reading more than she realized, then matched her stride. He didn’t let go of her arm, just in case. “Watch your step. Wouldn’t want you making it out of Cabinda, only to get wiped out by a rock slide on the way down.”

Petty snorted quietly. “If that happens, I’m blaming you for slacking off.”

Behind them, they could hear the chaotic noise of Franco’s crew clashing with Abbot’s men. No one paid attention to the little group sneaking down one edge of the mountain. Aaron and the bodyguards kept close, guns ready, eyes sharp.

The trail was messy. Wet, loose stones everywhere, slick from the rain. Any wrong step and you’d tumble straight into the ravine. Hans stopped cracking jokes, watching every move, sometimes using his own boot to steady the track for Petty. She handled it like a pro though, barely misstepping, making him smile a little in surprise.

As they hurried down, Petty’s determination grew with every step away from Cabinda. She wasn’t looking back.

***

Mud and rain soaked the flattened grass. Laura practically dragged herself forward, legs heavy as bricks, but she pushed on, making for the far side of the woods. Her light pants were dark with rain, smeared red down her thigh to her knee. She must’ve scraped herself on a sharp rock back there, but she didn’t feel it. The pain just hadn’t registered—she only noticed the blood because she could see it.

It didn’t matter. Even if her leg was ruined, it wouldn’t change anything.

Her hair was a mess, caught on every branch, plastered to her pale face by the rain. There was nothing left but the look in her eyes, sharp as knives, fixed on the shadows ahead as she marched through the night.

Only one thing mattered now.

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