She still gets my blood pumping, still fills my mind with thoughts of fucking her every time I see her bend over or swivel her hips, but that level of trust we’d developed so quickly and so tightly feels altered. Weaker. Almost broken.
She’s got regrets. And so do I.
Even if none of us will say so out loud.
But, for the time being, I’m stuck with her.
“You’ll want to conserve your energy. This isn’t a fucking race,” Blaze says as we start up the trail. “If I’m reading this map right, we’ve got a fifteen mile hike ahead of us, through switchbacks and some hard terrain. It might take us four hours, if we’re lucky. Then we’ll be in a valley where most of these cabins are. We should have about three hours to search the valley before we have to head back. And trust me, we do not want to fuck around up there. I know nature is cool shit, but it will get cold enough to freeze your ass off up there at night and we do not want to die of hypothermia.”
“Blaze, you’re the only one among us who is excited to do this shit. No one else thinks a hike in freezing weather is fun.”
“I’ll have to take you out sometime once we’re back in Lone Mesa. We’ll go up to Big Bear. Get some nice training in at elevation. Then, when we’re done, we can head to some of the cool lodges they’ve got up there. Toss back a few drinks in front of a fireplace. Man, Crash, I tell you, nothing satisfies as much as a nice whiskey in front of a warm fire. They’ve even got a good cigar shop in town; the owner will sell you the good Cuban shit, too.”
“Sounds great, Blaze, but let’s get this nightmare over with first, OK?”
“Man, learn how to appreciate the fucking beauty of it. Fresh air, green all around, nothing but you and your thoughts.”
“All I’m thinking about is how we need to get a move on before my best friend gets murdered by a psycho. Do you think we can pick up the pace?” Violet says.
“Yes, ma’am,” Blaze answers.
We start up the trail, our breath fogging in the icy mountain air. Blaze sets a quick and relentless pace, and it’s everything that Violet and I can do to keep up. Neither of us are out of shape by any means, but the wilderness is Blaze’s domain, and it shows.
Hours pass by, with only a spare minute break every so often, just long enough for us to catch our breath in the thin mountain air. It’s misery. Lung-burning, lightheaded misery.
By the time we get to the entrance to the valley, my legs and arms feel like they’re full of lead. And Violet looks like she feels the same way. Her cheeks are flushed bright pink, and her chest is heaving with exhaustion.
The only one who doesn’t look affected is Blaze; son of a bitch looks like he could go all day.
“I hate you, you dick,” I mutter as we come to a stop on a switchback that gives us an excellent view of the valley below. “Do you ever get tired?”
“Only after a night with your mother,” he answers. Then, holding up the map, he scans it and then the valley below. “The cabins are clustered in two primary locations. There’s only two streams in this valley and people tend to build next to water. So, that’ll make things easier for us. We should split up. Some of us will search the east side of the valley, and the others will search the west. We’ll meet back here at the trailhead.”
“Split up?” Violet says. “Fine by me. I’ll take west, you two take east.”
She sounds way too eager to get away from me. And it’s an attitude like that that’s liable to make her hasty and get her into trouble.
I shake my head. “No way.”
“Why not?”
“It would be quicker, Crash. We have a lot of ground to cover, and we were slow getting up that trail. There’s only two hours at most before we have to turn around.”
“I’m not letting you go off on your own, Violet. What would happen if you ran into Switchblade while you were alone in the fucking woods?”
To answer, she slides her backpack off her shoulder, opens the outside pocket, and pulls out a pistol. “I think I can handle myself.”
“Where the fuck did you get that?”
“From my bar. I keep one around for protection. Usually I to use the baseball bat, because I find guns disgusting and the thought of killing someone repulsive. But, for this, I’ll make an exception.”
Blaze and I trade a look. I fully believe if I left her on her own and she ran into Switchblade, Violet Cassidy would end today as a murderer.
“No. We’ll split into two groups. You and me in one, and Blaze in the other.”
“Crash, do you think I’m not capable of protecting myself?”
I shake my head. “That’s not it. I’ve seen you handle yourself in a fight. But I sure as shit won’t let you get in that kind of situation if I can help it. This is the way we’re doing it and I won’t hear any argument, got it?”
She rolls her eyes and then starts down the trail. Grinding my teeth, I follow. What the hell has gotten in to her that she can’t see how I’m trying to protect her? All the things I’m doing just to make sure she comes out of this mess with her best friend
