Read The Rebel Bride for Free Online

It’s something that won’t become formalized until after the war ends.”
    “I would have never guessed.”
    Victoria chuckled quietly to herself. “How are your injuries?” Then added before he could answer, “When we stop, I’d like to check your bandages.”
    He shook his head. “You don’t need to worry after me.”
    “Did I say I was worried?”
    “I am perfectly fine, Victoria.”
    Victoria smiled. “Tough Gus, huh?”
    They stopped three hours later, when Victoria saw Quincy grimace, even though he never said a word. She knew he needed to rest but also knew he’d never admit it. “Quincy, could we please stop for a bit?” She yawned for effect. “I’m quite tired.”
    He nodded, but she caught a look of relief on his face. “Of course.”
    They found a secluded area, dismounted, and tied the horses down. Victoria saw that Quincy was having difficulty, so she went to assist him and caught him as he stumbled.
    “Sorry,” he muttered.
    She deduced he would be embarrassed at his weakness, so quickly said, “My fault. I should have zigged when you zagged.”
    “Huh?”
    “Come on, big man, let’s get you fixed up.” Helping him over to a tree, she set him against it and then settled her palm on his forehead. He felt warm to the touch and she was concerned he may be developing a fever. Zipping open her bag, she found her stash of Advil, pulled two pills out along with her bottled water.
    “What is that?” he asked suspiciously.
    “It’s a painkiller.” She watched him raise an eyebrow at her in distrust and let out a sigh of frustration. “I’ve brought you this far, Gus, I’m not going to poison you now.” He took the pills. The action seemed to drain him and he leaned against the tree trunk, eyes hooded, hiding the pain. Patting his hand in concern, Victoria said, “Just relax. Sleep if you need to.”
    He dropped his head back with a grunt. “I must protect you.”
    “Gus, you couldn’t save a kitten from a puppy right now. Just relax. I’ll be fine.”
    She watched him lose his battle with wakefulness and let out a quiet sigh. Her relief didn’t last long.
    “Victoria?”
    Frowning, she squeezed his arm. “You were supposed to be sleeping.”
    “I’m fine,” he rasped. “How do you think this happened to you?”
    Checking his temperature again, she answered distractedly, “I don’t know, but now I’m wondering if something similar happened to Hannah.”
    “Who is Hannah?”
    “My college roommate.” She slipped a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. “I should check your bandages.”
    He shook his head. “Tell me about Hannah first.”
    “She disappeared suddenly and no one has any idea where she is. In fact, she was in the same building I was in when she went missing, and now it’s all a big mess.” Victoria filled him in on the circumstances surrounding Hannah’s disappearance and the scrutiny she was receiving from the FBI. It took a few minutes to realize he wasn’t paying attention to her story.
    “Gus? Hey, stay with me.” She snapped her fingers in front of his face. “We need to check your bandages.” His eyes fluttered closed, so she tried to shake him awake. “Quincy? Come on, big man, wake up.”
    His body went limp and Victoria knew he could no longer hear her. Folding her sweatshirt, she repositioned the unconscious man so that he was lying flat on his back and then gently laid his head on the makeshift pillow.
    Victoria thought she should at least try and see if she could get the bullets out. She hoped his lack of consciousness was a blessing as she pulled her supplies from her bag and grabbed the small makeup case she carried. Inside was a flashlight along with tweezers, scissors, band-aids, a tube of Neosporin, and even a sewing kit.
    Unbuttoning his pants, Victoria tried her best not to notice his flat stomach and muscular thigh, turning her head slightly, but having to look to pay attention to what she was doing. She remembered she had a