“Thank you.”Suddenly, Quincy’s soft, sincere voice echoed in Lydia’s ears as he looked at her with those deep, dark eyes. Lydia could sense his seriousness in that moment.”No need to be so formal. You’ve helped me too. Let’s focus on recovering and then get out of here. Maybe we can ask the man if he has a phone?”Lydia felt they had spent enough time in the mountains, and she knew the factory workers likely wouldn’t give up looking for them.”Alright, I’ll talk to him.”Quincy had already asked the man about borrowing a phone, but the man had declined, saying, “I’ve been out here in the mountains hunting for years. What would I need a phone for?” His small home was simple but well-equipped. Quincy found it hard to believe that the man didn’t have a phone, but there were no signs of any communication devices around.Quincy suggested, “In that case, could you take us to the nearest market? We can pay to use a phone to call for help. We’ll make sure to reward you generously once we’re safe.”The man didn’t have a phone, but he could clearly recognize the value of Quincy’s clothes.”Alright, but I have one condition,” the man said before Quincy had a chance to think it over.Quincy didn’t agree immediately. “What’s your condition?” he asked.The man looked them over and said, “I saved you, but only one of you gets to leave.”Quincy and Lydia exchanged a tense glance. This was an impossible choice, and the sudden change in the man’s demeanor was alarming. Quincy realized the condition wasn’t up for negotiation. Lydia was the one he intended to keep. Quincy instinctively pulled Lydia closer. “We’re not agreeing to your condition.”He was sure their disappearance would be noticed by Nash, and help would come. But if the man tried anything with Lydia, Quincy was prepared to fight to the end. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNøvel.ηᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.The man shrugged and said, “If you don’t want to agree, then there’s nothing more to discuss.”He turned and walked away, leaving Quincy and Lydia alone in the room. Soon after, they heard the sound of the door being locked.Lydia whispered, “Maybe we should have just agreed for now.””And who knows what he’s really planning? If you got hurt, what then? At least with me here, we have a better chance.”Lydia chuckled softly, “In your current state? Let’s be honest, Quincy. Right now, I’m the one who’ll have to do all the heavy lifting.”She had put in a lot of effort to get Quincy this far, and even though he was more alert now, she knew he wasn’t in any condition to protect them both. Both of them were injured so how much help could they really be? “You talk about having each other’s back, but Quincy, do you want me to be honest?”Lydia couldn’t hold back a smile, her lips curving up at the corners. Quincy had already read her expression and knew exactly what she was thinking.”Do I not know you by now? The ‘honest’ truth is that I’m just a liability right now, right? As long as I don’t get knocked out with one punch, we’re doing okay, aren’t we?”