Tasha sat with Thomas’s pack and bundle in the hide that they’d quickly thrown together—not too far, but far enough, Thomas’s words—from the pod’s backdoor.
Thomas had been right in his guess that the hostiles hadn’t yet discovered the location—or possibly even the existence—of the escape tunnel. But at the same time, he’d been eager to move her quickly out of the immediate area—hence the hide—while he climbed to the top of a ridge for a quick “sneak and peek,” to find out which way was up. Or, north, as it were.
Thomas possessed what Tasha calledthe map in his head. He always—even back when they were kids—knew exactly where he was at all times. It was a useful skill to bring to his career as a SEAL. So it wasn’t a surprise that he’d learned precisely where the pod was in relation to the destroyed ski lodge.Andthat he knew wherethatwas in relation to the airfield and the nearby little town at the bottom of these mountain peaks. But their hike through the tunnel had been disorienting. And although the sinking sun certainly helped, the surrounding mountainsides and thick growth of forest turned west into west-ish, which wasn’t good enough for Thomas.
So Tasha sat and tried not to think about anything but their current Plan A while she waited for him to return.
Back in the tunnel, he’d laid out a series of his classic Plan Bs along with a crash course in how to survive in the wilderness. He’d covered everything from navigating from the North Star (find the Big Dipper in the sky first), to building a fire pit (only in the daylight; use dry, brittle wood, and keep it as small and smokeless as possible), to how to catch the attention of a circling helo (build the exact opposite of a tiny pit fire; in fact burn greenery from pine trees to make extra smoke to signal the search team).
And before Thomas had left, he’d given her one last instruction. “If I don’t come back—”
She’d interrupted. “Please don’t say that.”
He’d kissed her, an apology in his eyes, but kept going. “Head downhill from here. One thing we know is that the main entrance to the shelter is higher up the mountainside than where we are right now, and you’ll want to stay far away from that and the hostiles who are guarding it.”
She shook her headno, because she did not want to hear this, but he kept going.
“And I think—I’m not sure—but if we’re where I think we are, there’s a road somewhere back here, further down the hillside. You’ll probably have to climb the perimeter fence. It’s chain link. It shouldn’t be that hard to get a foothold.” At her WTF face, he laughed a little and explained. “Then follow it—the road, again, head down the mountain. That means when you hit the road from here, go left, and you’ll eventually reach the town.”
“I’d prefer for that sentence to bewe’lleventually reach the town,” Tasha had told him.
His hands were warm against the side of her face as he kissed her again, then briefly rested his forehead against hers. “That’s our Plan A.”
And so here she was, alone under another pile of brush, hoping with all of her heart that the intimacy they’d shared over the past few days, culminating in this morning’s astonishingly epic love-making, was the beginning of their story, not the end.
Tasha still couldn’t quite believe it had finally happened. She and Thomas. Together.
And she also couldn’t quite believe that, even though she’d been nearly dizzy with desire, she’d tried to talk him out of it. Thinking about that still made her smile.
And maybe she was weird. To love that her memory of their first time included what Thomas had rightly called adebate. Stopping to debate during sex wasn’t traditionally romantic, that much was true. But to Tasha it had set the stage for passion that had been beyond perfection.
Because shehadn’tmade love to him with a small voice sounding off in her head, wondering insistently if this was a terrible mistake. She hadn’t surrendered to Thomas’s kisses doubting in the slightest that he truly wanted her, wondering if he was just taking the path of least resistance—if the pressure he was feeling was truly from honest emotion and genuine, heartfelt desire. She hadn’t gasped his name as the world exploded around her while part of her remained apart and worried that he was uneasy or uncomfortable with this abrupt and massive change to their relationship.
And even now, in this odd period of aftermath, when they should’ve still been sleeping with their limbs entangled and bodies spooned together, waking only to whisper reassuring words of love, but were instead running and hiding for their lives, Tashawasn’twondering if she’d pushed Thomas too hard, too fast.
Because they’d discussed all that up front. Well, more like in the oops-we’re-naked-and-yup-you’re-inside-me-yikes-I-better-dismount-here’s-a-pillow middle. And setting the very permanent memory of the awkwardness ofthataside, Tasha had done all of her wondering out loud, right into Thomas’s handsome face. And Thomas being Thomas, he’d listened, patiently and respectfully, and then made it clear that they were, without a doubt, in total agreement.
At which point, she’d released her anxieties and inhibitions, and allowed herself to love him, completely, with her body, heart, and soul.
And God, the way he’d smiled as they’d moved together. And God, the heat and love she’d seen in his eyes...
And when she came—when he came, too—as the world fell apart around them, she’d felt such joy and pleasure. But then, the way he’d sighed, after, as he held her... It was a sigh of such complete contentment. A sigh that she felt, too, with every cell of her being. A sigh that said,I’m finally home.
They would make it down the mountain. Tasha closed her eyes and made herself believe in that, completely.They would make it. This was the beginning of a long, long story that had started years ago. There were chapters upon chapters yet to come.
She would do anything to write that book.
And she knew that Thomas was on the same page.
* * *
It took Thomas far longer than he’d hoped to confirm their location.
The tunnel had curved in its seemingly endless path, putting them far from the main entrance to the bomb shelter. They were, in fact, where he’d guessed they’d be—on the opposite side of the mountain from the airfield and the town.
That wasn’t great. It meant more time, more miles in the frozen woods, as they gave a wide berth to the shelter’s entrance where the hostiles were now encamped.
Whatwasgreat was that his internal map was right. Theyweren’ttoo far from a road.
