CHAPTER 272: CHAPTER 272: DON’T LOOK, TANYA

When Declan reached out to her again, Tanya instinctively stepped back half a step.

Just half a step, she realized what she was doing and suddenly stopped.

She could clearly see something shattered in Declan’s eyes, his raised hand stalled in mid-air.

’I’m curious, if Ms. Sinclair knew what you used to be like, what would she think of you?’ Zeke Pierce’s voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

If Tanya knew how he ended up where he was today... the fear in her eyes would probably increase tenfold, hundredfold.

Declan’s long pale fingers curled, slowly clenched, and dropped to his side.

He looked at Tanya in front of him, tugged at his pale lips, his voice cool and calm as water: "Afraid of me?"

"..."

Tanya’s throat tightened slightly, wanting to explain something, but the fear of that moment just now was real.

He was injured like this, yet could take down such a burly desperado, and in such an almost torturous way...

But now wasn’t the time to fret about this.

Tanya quickly left the kitchen, ran into the room to check, fortunately, apart from the badly injured man lying in bed still unconscious, Brock and his woman were both gone.

They took their guns too.

Declan was just standing at the kitchen doorway, one leg supporting him was somewhat weary as he leaned against the mud wall, watching Tanya search inside and out.

"When did Brock and his woman leave? What did they go to do?" Tanya asked Declan seriously, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

Declan answered truthfully: "At dawn, they said they were going out. Left this bald guy to take us out before they returned."

Tanya: "..."

Declan nonchalantly said, "I didn’t want him to wake you, so I made the first move."

His tone was so calm and indifferent, as if he hadn’t just dealt with a living person, but was doing something as mundane as can be.

Tanya finally realized something wasn’t right with Declan.

In his eyes, waking her up was far more of a priority than nearly torturing a life to death.

And afterwards, he could still make her a bowl of noodles without distractions...

Tanya’s emotions were complex for a moment.

But now there wasn’t time to deal with Declan’s psychological issues, Brock could return any moment, and he had a gun.

And Brock’s marksmanship was precise, Tanya had seen it before.

No matter how good Declan is in a fight, he is still mortal and could die from a bullet.

Escape is the best option for now.

But Declan’s leg...

Declan was also very aware of his own situation.

"You won’t be able to escape carrying this burden. Janne and the others should already be nearby. You go find a place to hide first; if Brock and the others return first, you take the opportunity to run. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine." He even smiled reassuringly at her, "Tanya, you’ve seen my methods. I won’t die."

Actually, dying wouldn’t be so bad.

He’s died many times before... The only thing he can’t let go of has always been her, only her.

It’s a worthwhile account.

"Stop with the nonsense!" Tanya frowned, a bit annoyed, "Declan, I said we’d get through this together, I won’t leave you alone!"

Tanya dragged the half-dead bald man out of the kitchen, then walked towards Declan, unceremoniously patted him down, and finally from his pants pocket on one side, she felt out the folding knife.

There’s still blood on the knife.

Tanya wiped it clean, took the knife into the room, woke the unconscious patient, and pressed the knife against his neck, forcing him out into the courtyard.

Then, Tanya found a rope and tied the man to the bald guy.

The man was still bewildered, coughing weakly: "Who are you? I’m innocent... I didn’t rob or kill anyone, they, they forced me..."

Tanya sneered, "Stop pretending, I’ve seen your wanted notice, among the three, your bounty is the highest, six hundred thousand."

When the man saw his lie exposed, his face instantly changed, his gaze turning fierce.

"Bitch, you..."

Just as he opened his mouth, Declan unexpectedly struck him firmly across the mouth with a stick, a burning pain inflamed his mouth, and blood seeped uncontrollably.

"Watch your mouth!" Declan coldly warned, his eyes seething with murderous intentions.

Tanya did nothing to stop him, waiting for Declan to finish, then tied a cloth around the man’s eyes and mouth.

Subsequently, Tanya went to the kitchen, dug out matches, a fire ignited the woodshed first.

The dry grass inside was the easiest to catch flame, almost instantly, tongues of fire leapt up, flames and smoke raging.

She had no sympathy for fugitives, but setting fire to burn two living people to death was something Tanya, as a doctor, couldn’t do.

Janne and Officer Crawford should be able to find their way here through the firelight, and someone like Brock, a desperate criminal, would likely avoid it for fear of exposing his location. But it’s uncertain if he wouldn’t abandon these two brothers of his.

To be safe, Tanya still opted to leave here first.

Tanya whispered, "I noticed the terrain on my way here, there’s a short slope ahead, with thick grass, enough to hide people. Declan, we must survive!"

"Oh my, what a tragic pair of lovers! So touching." A woman’s sharp, piercing taunt suddenly rang out from the side rear.

Tanya felt all her body hair stand on end.

She hadn’t anticipated that Vivian, whom the bald guy called ’sister-in-law,’ would return at this moment!

Vivian swayed her hips as she approached, holding a black handgun, directly aimed at the two of them.

The woman’s mouth and eyes were bruised, and there was a conspicuous slap mark on her face, clearly she had been slapped not long ago, and ran back in a fit of anger.

Declan shielded Tanya behind him, eyeing the approaching woman step by step, his dark eyes flowing with a chilling killing intent.

Vivian had a smile on her lips, but looking at the two of them holding each other tenderly, her heart was filled with intense jealousy and hatred.

"Hah, you rejected me when I tried to seduce you last night and humiliated me! Since you two are so in love, then you can go die together!"

Tanya silently passed the knife into Declan’s hand.

She shouted frantically, "Sister-in-law, don’t shoot. As long as you don’t kill us, we’ll do whatever you say!"

Vivian sneered, her eyes rested on Declan’s astonishingly handsome face, with a hint of regret: "If only your man had this sense last night..."

Saying so, she released the safety.

At this moment, Tanya suddenly stared behind Vivian, and cried out in terror, "Brock!"

Vivian thought she was telling the truth, got distracted and turned her head, in that instant, the knife in Declan’s hand flew out, piercing directly through her throat.

A knife to the throat!

The woman didn’t even have time to make a sound before she fell flat, dying with her eyes wide open.

Tanya watched this unfold with her own eyes; although she was mentally prepared, she was still shocked to rigidity, her limbs went cold.

The next moment, a darkness fell over her sight.

Declan’s cold palm covered her eyes, blocking out all the light.

Declan softly pulled her into his arms, his eyes still filled with the remnants of slaughter, yet his voice gentle to the point of coaxing, "Don’t look, Tanya..."

Not far away, Janne’s figure appeared, bringing with him the members of The Pierce Family, they arrived by following the firelight and dense smoke, a step ahead of law enforcement!

The moment they arrived, they saw this scene.

Declan cast a chilling glance, and Janne immediately understood, using his eyes to signal The Pierce Family’s Shadow Guard to quickly remove the woman’s body.

But however lightly, Tanya still heard footsteps, the mountain wind swept past, and the air still carried remnants of the smell of blood... relentlessly reminding her of everything that just happened...

Tanya gently stepped back, retreating from Declan’s embrace, meeting his deep enigmatic gaze, his eyes dark, the chilling and ruthless brutality long faded away.

Only her reflection remained.

"Afraid of me?" he raspily questioned her, his expression holding a hint of cautious unease.

Like a prisoner awaiting her judgment.

Tanya didn’t know why, but her heart ached slightly.

Despite being an average person experiencing such a scene for the first time, to say she wasn’t afraid would be a lie.

But she could discern good from evil, if not for saving her, why would Declan be bloodstained?

No...

If not for her, he wouldn’t have gone through such suffering at all!

She was just, as an average person, afraid of the bloodshed and killing, but she wasn’t afraid of Declan, not one bit.

Yet Tanya hadn’t even had the chance to tell him before Declan suddenly noticed the gun’s muzzle aiming from the corner behind her!

"Careful!"

’Bang—’

The gunshot and Declan’s voice resounded almost simultaneously...