"It's just a mild sedative. I put it in your drink at breakfast in case I needed to bundle you onto this horse."
He lifted her up gently; and she was completely unable to resist. It felt like her arms and legs were made of heavy wood.
In fact, she was so sleepy and relaxed now, that the heightened anxiety she had been feeling washed away, and she really couldn't recall what it was that she'd been so worried about in the first place.
It clearly didn't matter much if she couldn't remember it, so she relaxed and closed her eyes. She desperately needed a little sleep right now and she surrendered to its urgent call.
Bo stepped in and gathered the girl in his arms before she could hit the ground. He lifted her onto his horse and held her in front of him. The other horse was tied behind them.
He kicked the stallion into a canter, heading back down the road, the same way they had come here.
Back at the training room, as oh-nine-hundred ticked past, Delphi started to get a very bad feeling.
Feifei was never late. She was a perfectionist with ridiculously high standards for herself, and Delphi just knew she wouldn't be late for such an important event. One which they'd all been working towards for so long.
"Has anyone seen Bo and Feifei?" she asked the group of soldiers.
No one had.
"I can imagine what might have delayed them," said Han wickedly, and Delphi glared daggers at him.
As the minutes ticked past, and it became more and more obvious that something was going on, Alton strode over to join her. He took her aside where they couldn't be overheard.
"Bo was the only one of my men I wasn't certain if he would join the rebellion," he told her. "He has things going on at home that would have made the decision incredibly hard for him."
"What the hell Alton! You should have warned me!" she whispered fiercely. "If I'd known that about him, I would never have let her leave the silo with him right before Enlistment! And I would have warned her not to get too close to him," she said angrily. "In fact, I would never have partnered her with him in the first place. She's my 2IC for God's sake, Alton! She's critical to the mission! Not to mention she's my best friend…"
"Calm down Delphi. I know you two are close. And I know she wouldn't leave here of her own accord. If it turns out that he's taken her against her will, I promise you, I'll help you get her back."
"That goes without saying! And of course she's been taken against her will. I know Feifei like my own sister. She would never leave of her own accord… God knows what he's done to her to take her captive. She's a serious fighter, so he must have incapacitated her somehow. He's taken her by surprise. He's used her trusting nature to take advantage of her, the bastard..."
"Keep your cool in front of the troops," he reminded her. "We'll get her back, don't worry," he squeezed her hand reassuringly.
She flounced away from him.
"Don't patronise me, Alton! He has until half-past to be back in this room, or I'm heading after him," she threatened. "And I won't be held responsible for what happens when I catch up to him!"
Bo had the horses running at a full gallop, when the heavens opened up and hit them with a heavy downpour. The raindrops were so fat and heavy they stung as they hit his face, partially blinding him as they filled his eyes with water.
He wrapped Feifei in his Driza-bone, pulling the hood up and covering her entirely, as he sheltered her from the wet.
Although it was uncomfortable riding, it should make their tracks harder to follow, so he was quietly happy with the situation, despite the drenching.
He pushed the two horses hard, swapping them once and giving them a quick drink and graze, until the very last of the light had dipped below the horizon.
He steered the mounts off the road, towards the farmhouse ahead of them that he had chosen for them to spend the night in.
Bo lifted Feifei from the horse, his arms and legs stiff and sore with the long, hard day of riding.
"Come on sleepyhead," he said, as he cradled her in his arms, carrying her into the bedroom where he already had a fire crackling in the fireplace and the bed made up for her.
He laid her down on the bed and stripped off her wet outer layers. He had packed some clothes for her, so he changed her now, into a comfortable sleeping outfit, his eyes drinking in her beautiful body as he did so.
When he was done, he tied her wrists and ankles together, as loosely as he dared, but tight enough to severely restrict her ability to run or ride.
He stroked her cheek tenderly, his eyes crinkled with amusement at how well she had slept in his arms as they rode.
"Feifei," he called softly. "Time to wake up baby. You need to eat something. Come on sleepyhead."
Feifei struggled to open her eyes as the man's voice and stroking finally shook her awake.
She peered through cracked eyelids and saw a fire and a strange bed in an unfamiliar bedroom. She was totally confused and disoriented. Where was she?
She turned her head and saw Bo's face inches away from hers, gazing lovingly into her eyes.
"There you are babygirl. I thought you'd never wake up."
He leaned in and kissed her on the lips.
She responded naturally, kissing him back, as she struggled to emerge from her befuddled state.
Bo took full advantage of her confusion, enjoying the lingering romantic kiss from her soft lips.
As she tried to move her arms and legs, she realised she was immobilised, and she looked down and saw with bewilderment, that she had been tied up.
She looked back at Bo in confusion, and then the memory of their alleyway conversation and seeing the two horses ready to leave, came flooding back.
She struggled urgently to sit up.
"Bo!" she looked around the bedroom, things falling rapidly into place. "What have you done? Where are we? Bo!"