They’d lost money on the betting, but it was more than that. Coop had shown them up, proven himself better with the oneskill they valued above all others. In their world of might-makes-right, he’d just declared himself apex predator.
And they hated him for it.
But there was something else in their expressions too—a dark anticipation when they looked at me. Like they knew something about thismain eventthat we didn’t. Like that ten-minute head start might not be the advantage it seemed.
Tonight wasn’t about just gathering intel anymore. Tonight had become about something else entirely, and we were walking into it blind.
Chapter 16
Mia
It was evening before we made it back to our cabin. Coop had a lot of congratulations and backslapping to get through. He’d made a name for himself, and everybody wanted to talk with him.
Including me, but I had to wait.
As soon as we got back to the cabin, Coop led me into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind us. He immediately turned on the shower, cranking it to full blast. Steam began filling our small, only private space.
My fingers fumbled with my clothes as he stripped down to nothing before stepping under the spray. I followed, the hot water a shock to my skin after the day’s tension.
He pulled me close against him, for privacy and because we both needed it. Water cascaded over both of us, plastering my hair to my skull as he spoke. “I’m not sure if beating Oliver was the right play.”
“You had to make a choice in the moment.” I kept my voice equally low, lips near his ear. “What made you decide to win?”
“The way he was watching me. Testing me.” He put some shampoo in his hands and began working it through my hair. “Men like Oliver…they respect strength but resent it too. If I’d let him win, he’d have seen it. Known I was playing him.”
“So you showed him you wouldn’t cater to him.”
“Right. Hoped that got me more points than throwing the contest.” He tilted my head back, rinsing the suds away. “But now I’m wondering what thishead startmeans. What the hell is this main event?”
“A race? Some kind of scavenger hunt? Combat trial?”
“Whatever it is, it won’t be good.” His jaw tightened as he reached for the soap. “Listen…”
I knew that tone, knew where this was heading before he even started.
“If the main event takes all the men somewhere else—another location, away from the compound—you need to run.”
“No. Coop?—”
“Kitten.” His hands gripped my shoulders, urgent but gentle. “If you get an escape window while we’re all participating in whatever sick game Oliver has planned, you take it. You run, and you don’t look back.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll take care of myself. I promise.” Water ran down his face, making it hard to read his expression, but I heard the determination in his voice. “You get to Garnet Bend. Find Resting Warrior Ranch. Pawsitive Connections. Hell, any given person on the street can tell you where either of them is.” He brushed his wet hair out of his eyes.
“Sheriff Lachlan, Beckett, any of them—just tell them I sent you. They’ll protect you with their lives.”
I wanted to argue, to refuse, but the tactical part of my brain understood his logic. If all the men were occupied elsewhere, it might be my only chance.
“Promise me,” he said, tilting my face up to his. “If you get the opportunity, you run. You have to trust that it will be easier for me to get myself out if you’re not here.”
The water streamed between us, and I saw the fear in his eyes—not for himself, but for me.
“I promise,” I whispered, though the words felt like glass in my throat. “But only if there’s a real chance. I won’t leave you unless I’m sure I can make it.”
“That’s all I ask.” He pulled me closer, and for a moment, we just stood there, letting the hot water wash over us. “We’ve gotten more intel than the feds expected. Between what we already sent and what we can offer in terms of descriptions of the buyers, they’ll be thrilled.”
We just needed to live long enough to get it to them.
