“Sorry for the unannounced visit, Snake. You know I’d never intrude if it wasn’t an emergency. But I had some plane trouble. A hard landing and Sylvie and I...we’ve had a brush with death or two today.”
The man’s expression darkened as he studied both Sylvie and Will. It seemed that he had issues with trust. Clearly he lived a reclusive life away from civilization. Away from the prying eyes of the law. She wouldn’t second-guess his reasons. This wasn’t her world.
“Come on, then.” He turned and disappeared into the trees.
Will lifted her back in his arms and followed. “Only a little longer, Sylvie. You hanging in there? Doing okay?”
“I’m good, thanks to you.”
“You’ll be thanking Snake before too long. He’s the one with the cabin and a warm fire. I bet he’ll have a big pot of game stewing, too. That’s what I’d do in this weather if I were him.”
Sylvie’s mouth watered at the mention of food. She could already imagine the warm fire and wanted nothing more than to sleep in a soft bed, covers piled high. Safe, sound and secure. She sighed at the thought. Was that asking too much?
But she had to remain vigilant. This wasn’t over yet. She couldn’t rest until it was. And Will deserved an answer to his question. “No. I didn’t find the plane. I thought I saw something, though. The glint of what could have been part of a plane. That’s when I was attacked.”
Lines pressed between his brows.
“There’s something else,” she whispered. “I’m grateful for your help and for Snake’s, but you know I need to get out of here. I need a decompression chamber. And I don’t want to put anyone else in danger.”
There, she’d said the words that had been crawling over her ever since Will had made an appearance today and put himself between her and the men trying to kill her.
“One thing at a time,” he said. “Snake has a radio. While I was in the air trying to figure out how to rescue you, I tried to radio for help a few times, but no one connected on the other end.” He glanced at her, his strong, scruffy jaw and warm brows much too close. “I’ll make the call for help first thing. Only Snake isn’t going to like it.”
“Why not?” But she thought she already knew.
“He lives off-grid. Doesn’t want anyone to know he’s here. Doesn’t want to draw attention to his castle in the glen. Once people know about his castle, he might be overrun with marauders.”
“Out here? Nah, I doubt it.” Sylvie couldn’t help but grin at his medieval references. He was definitely chivalrous, a real knight in shining armor, now that she thought about it. With his strong arms holding her, carrying her over and through the terrain—not an easy task in places—and keeping her pressed against his warm, muscular form, she couldn’t think straight.
She had to get her mind on something else. She was strong and independent, and didn’t like that being near him turned her soft and compliant. Made her needy. She couldn’t afford to be like her mother when it came to men, and get hurt in the worst of ways. With all that had happened today, she feared her suspicions that her mother had been murdered were confirmed, and she’d almost blurted it all out to Will. She wasn’t ready to tell him her darkest of secrets yet. Not until she was absolutely certain of it. She didn’t want to think about it now, didn’t want to face the truth of what that would mean. So she turned her thoughts back to Will and Snake.
“But you know where he lives.”
“That, I do. He needs someone he can trust to bring him supplies and keep his existence a secret.”
“Are you telling me the Alaska State Troopers or the Coast Guard or some other entity doesn’t know he’s here?”
“Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. The point is that he is off the grid and off the radar. Or at least, he was.”
“And now you’ve blown his trust.”
“He invited us to follow him, didn’t he?”
“Doesn’t mean he’ll let you use his radio.”
“That remains to be seen.”
Sylvie wasn’t sure she liked Will’s answer. Was he going to use the radio or not? And if not, how did they get out of here? The need to get them out of his sanctuary should be reason enough for Snake to let them call for help.
Sylvie could barely make out the man’s silhouette ahead of them since he made better time, crept stealthily through the forest much faster than Will, who carried Sylvie. Once again, she found the need to distract herself from Will’s sturdy body, and the great care and attention he took to making the ride as smooth as possible despite the slick, sodden boulders and fallen trunks and debris he had to step over and around.
Finally, Will stood at the open door of Snake’s log cabin and then carried Sylvie over the threshold.
“You can set her down over there.” Snake referred to her as if she were a box of supplies and gestured to a long sofa near the woodstove.
Will was right. The man had something going on the stove, and the aroma stirred her hunger. After Will gently settled her on the sofa—worn out but more plush than she would have expected—Snake appeared by Will’s side with a first-aid kit.
“Thanks.” Will took the kit. “She needs dry clothes, too. Got any extras? I’ll make sure to reimburse you.”
“No need for that.” Snake nodded and disappeared through a door off the main room.
“I agree,” she said. “There’s no need for you to reimburse Snake for any dry clothes he offers me. I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.”
At Will’s surprised glance, she added, “And I’m perfectly capable of being grateful.” She
