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When she turned her head, she found the thing that had curled protectively around her wasn’t a thing at all but a person.
Christian.
Somehow, he had figured out that she was in Switzerland and come after her. Snippets of memory returned. She remembered fighting off Ross and fleeing into the forest. Remembered running until her legs ached and her stomach cramped. Then she’d fallen, been knocked out, then woken to find Christian kneeling over her.
It was over now.
She was safe.
Brow furrowing, she looked around and realized they weren’t in a hospital, or even in a house at all. It looked like they were in a small cave. She could see the rock curving up and around them and the light streaming through the opening a few yards away from their feet.
Why were they in a cave?
“You back with me, darlin’?” Christian asked as he propped himself up on his elbow and leaned over her. One of his hands swept across her cheek, lingering for a moment before it dipped to touch the pulse point in her neck.
“I think so,” she whispered, suddenly filled with a need to have his touch all over her. She needed something to wipe away the feel of Ross and his disgusting hands on her body. Lila wanted to get as far away from Switzerland as she could get and never come back. “Why are we in a cave?”
Something darkened his gaze, and she sensed his worry even though when he spoke his voice was smooth and even. “Couldn’t get you back up the side of the cliff on my own.”
Why were they on their own?
Where was his team?
Had something happened to them?
She didn’t have to ask to know that Christian wouldn’t have come after her on his own. There was no way Alpha Team didn’t have one another’s backs. If he was here then his team was in Switzerland too, so why weren’t they here?
“Is everything okay? Are your team all right?”
A smile wiped away a little of his concern. “You know that’s one of the things I love about you. How you care about others more than you care about yourself.”
“Not an answer.”
His smile grew for a moment before he sobered. “You weren’t in the house, it looked like someone had run so I came after them hoping it was you. Just when I found you, I heard an explosion.”
Lila gasped. “Are your team …?”
“I don’t know,” he answered tightly. “I’m hoping they weren’t in the house when it blew, but for now, we have to proceed under the assumption that we’re on our own.”
“What does that mean exactly?” This was all new to her. She had no idea about traipsing through the forest, how far they were from the house, if Ross and Zara were in custody, or if they were still a threat to them.
“It means we’re going to have to take the long route back to the mansion.” As he spoke, Christian uncurled his body from around hers, and she saw that he’d tucked them under a crinkly silver blanket. Lila assumed the blanket was some sort of thermal one, meant to stave off hypothermia, but it hadn’t been the material that warmed her last night it had been the man who was now settling down by her feet.
As though thinking of her feet restarted that memory, Lila remembered the horrible pain last night in her ankle that had ripped her from unconsciousness.
Was it broken?
If it was, how was she going to walk out of there?
Even as she wondered, Lila knew she would do it. The only alternative was that Christian carry her, and she wouldn’t make him do that. Besides, if Ross and Zara were still out there somewhere, he would need to keep his focus on protecting them, not having to carry her useless self around.
“You were too cold last night for me to ice your ankle. That’s not going to be good, but I had to prioritize. If you can’t walk, I can always leave you here and come back for you.”
“No.” The word burst out with more force than she had intended. No way was she sitting here alone while Christian went for help even if he could move faster without her. After all, she couldn’t have run all that far from the house last night, she wasn’t a runner. They couldn’t be more than a couple of miles away. Even hurt she could make that in a few hours.
“I can leave you with a weapon,” Christian said like he was seriously considering the idea.
Terrified by the thought of being left alone again, Lila frantically scrambled out from underneath the blanket and grabbed hold of Christian’s hands. “I don’t want to be alone. Please don’t leave me.”
