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“And when the man in the woods comes after us both, am I safe, then?” She’s shaking and that’s not what I want.
Why am I letting myself get so attached, so involved?
“How much further until we get to the cabin?”
She squeezes her eyes shut, then opens them slowly and tears make a salty path down her cheeks. “A mile. Maybe two. There’s been a lot of rain lately.” Tears bubble up until her shoulders are hunched forward and she’s shaking.
Fuck, this isn’t how I wanted this to go. I was hoping we’d be able to ignore the reason I’m here and enjoy each other’s company, and maybe get closer than we’d been on the phone, but I realize now how unrealistic that is.
“He’s not with me,” I say, cradling her against my chest as I try to calm her tears. “Let’s get to this cabin, and I’ll tell you everything.”
She wipes her face and stares up at me. “And I’m just supposed to believe you? I told you I study crime, right? The first mistake people make is following their captor to a second location.”
“Technically,” I smile, “this is our first location.”
She shakes her head. “Our first location was the trail head. If I follow you to the cabin, that’s oursecond location, and thenI’ma dumbass.” Her eyes dart and move, searching for an out, desperate for a place to run, but I can’t let her go. Her thick curves bend into a plant on the right side of the path with dark purple berries that cluster together with tiny green leaves. She pulls a bundle off and slides the fruit between her full lips, then passes me a few. “They’re goji berries. They’re usually a summer plant. This one made it under the radar, I guess.” She hands me a few. “They make you feel calm.” I’ve spent enough time in the woods to know that she’s right. “You hired me to help you to the cabin, but I’m not going any further. So don’t ask.”
I nod and stare back at her as the bittersweet goji berry explodes against my taste buds. Maybe I was lying when I said I could let her go at the cabin. Hell, I know I was lying. She knows too much about the mountain, and I need her expertise. Then again, maybe I just need more time to prove that I’m not the man I’m acting like.
Chapter Three
Violet
I’ve seen the cabin by the river’s edge a thousand times, maybe more. It used to be my favorite place to retreat. The building itself is nothing fancy, but the surrounding babbling brook, cedar, and pine lend a sense of magic to the space that can’t be reproduced. At least it was all of that, until some psycho dragged me here against my will.
The worst part of all this—I knew better. I had a bad feeling about him at the base of the mountain. Heck, if I’m being honest, I had a bad feeling about him when he changed his appointment multiple times, but I didn’t listen.
Why didn’t I listen?
“This is nice,” Hawk says, striking a match against the logs and kindling already waiting in the fire. It’s custom for the previous tenant to leave a bundle of wood for the next. I doubt Hawk will be as kind. Aside from his looks, he’s a giant disappointment. A handsome face and a bunch of muscles… nothing else.
I shouldn’t have stepped inside, but apparently, I’m an idiot all around today. My mom is going to be so disappointed when she finds me in a shallow grave below this place.
“You’re at your cabin. You said I could go.” I turn toward the cabin door, but he steps in front of it, blocking the passageway with his oversized frame.
Of course, nothing is that easy. Though, it’s expected.
“About that…”
“About nothing. I’m leaving!” I protest, trying to shove him out of the way, but he doesn’t budge. “I did my part. You’re here. Now let me go!” I hold back from crumbling into a ball of wretched tears, but it’s not working. I feel them working up my throat.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
“The man in the woods,” he says, leaning against the door frame. “The one you saw earlier, he’s Alaskan.”
“Okay…” I clear my throat, trying to dismiss the knot sitting at the base. “So you Alaskans are all breaking the rules. Sounds cool. What does any of this have to do with me?”
“You know the mountain. I thought you just knew direction, but you know the foliage as well. I need help finding a plant.”
“Too bad!” I bark, lifting my arm to push him away again. I can’t help but notice he’s not restraining me. He’s not even shoving me back. He’s just letting me go off while he stands like a statue in front of the door, unphased.
“You’re okay, honey.” His voice is almost soothing. He’s sick. “You’re safe here. I can explain everything. I just need you to calm down first.”
“Calm down? Honey?” I push him harder, but he isn’t budging. “You’ve lied to me since the second we met. I bet you don’t even like hiking. Do you? All that talk was just a ploy to get me out here, so you could…” I roll my eyes and lean against the back wall of the cabin, exhausted with shoving.
“Good girl,” he says, his voice deep as he grips my arm. He’s dragging me somewhere, I think toward the fireplace, but I don’t care. My body goes on a rampage again, flailing and kicking, more violently than I had before.
The motion still doesn’t phase him, and sickly enough, even in his firmness, he’s careful, oddly gentle, holding me against his chest as he moves me. He’s hot, his throat beating wildly as he lowers me into place. “Fucking hell,” he sighs. “You’re a feisty one. If you’d calm down for thirty seconds, I could tell you what’s going on.”
