“Give me five days.”
“Four.”
Ash shrugged, forcing a serene smile. He’d take the time he needed. “Put me down over there.” He pointed toward the bean-shaped lake’s western curve, right where it fed into the river that eventually led to Schink’s Station.
Minutes later, he alit on the rocky shore, hefted his pack, and let his eyes roam the tree line, surprised when Deegan appeared beside him a moment later, carrying his own rucksack. Doing his best to keep his cool at the man’s unexpected presence, Ash cocked a brow.
Deegan smiled, setting off two dimples as out of place on the man’s square face as commas at the end of a sentence. “Let’s do this.” He held out one big, beefy arm. “Lead the way,tracker.”
He saidtrackerlike it was an insult, instead of saying it like a man who, as of the moment the helicopter took off, was entirely dependent on Ash for survival.
Doing his best to ignore Deegan, Ash waited until long after the aircraft’s overwhelming hum had disappeared, until its stink and hulking presence were nothing but an oily smudge in an otherwise pristine environment. And only then—once silence descended upon this beautiful, perfect wilderness—did he set off after the mystery woman and her mystery companion.
Unfortunately, Deegan followed.
***
From maybe twelve miles off, Elias watched the helicopter rise into the midday sky and fly west. He swiped at the cold sweat on his forehead and caught Leo’s eye. “Need to stop?”
“No.” Mouth tight, chin firm, she took the lead. After a few minutes, she glanced his way. “Do you need to stop?”
He half smirked. “Maybe.”
She shook her head. “Men. Too macho to admit when they’re tired.” Her eyes dipped to his side. “Injury bothering you?”
“Little.”
“Let me check it.”
His breath left him in a whoosh, as if that one experience back there had trained him to think ofchecking his woundas a euphemism for something much more pleasant.
“I’ll just check it.” Her hands were up in a defensive pose. “None of that other…” She flapped them for a few seconds before they dropped tiredly to her sides.
“Don’t wanna kiss it this time?” He meant to smile and make it a joke, but his face wouldn’t obey. “Make it better?”
“I’ve created a monster, I see.” He caught just the start of her eye roll as she turned away. “Didn’t I tell you not to mention that again?”
“Told me not to mention the, uh…other thing. You kissing me is still on the table.” He didn’t remind her that he hadn’t agreed not to mention the other event either.
He caught just a hint of her whispered “jerk” as she grabbed the pack of wipes and stomped off, toward an area thick with underbrush, her feet slipping and sliding with every step. “I’ll be back.”
Elias clicked his teeth at Bo, who’d been watching Leo with a bemused gaze that was probably a mirror image of his. “Go on,” he said, low enough so only the dog could hear. “Go with her.”
With a littlewoofand her happy front-end pony lift, she ran after Leo. Satisfied that they’d keep each other safe—or as safe as they could be out here—he stalked off in the other direction to take care of his own business.
By the time he returned, Leo had set the two rolled-up sleeping bags on one of the Mylar blankets, like logs to sit on, and squatted, rummaging in his pack. He watched as she pulled out the dried fish, made a production of opening and sniffing it, fanning her hand in front of her face—all for Bo’s benefit, it appeared, since she hadn’t caught sight of him yet. With one of her big knives, she sliced up a chunk and stacked it in a neat pile on the ground. When Bo didn’t immediately move, she said, “It’s lunchtime. Dig in.”
With another pony head shake, Bo pounced.
Leo turned away, grimacing. “Don’t know how you eat that stuff.” Halfway to sitting on one of the bags, she caught sight of him. “What? Stuff’s gross.”
“Acquired taste.”
“You make it yourself? Catch the salmon, dry it, everything?”
At his nod, she expelled a disbelieving sound, then dove into the pack again. “Protein bar. Protein bar. Freeze-dried meal.” She looked around. “Got a camp stove?”
He shook his head and cast a quick look around them. “Need more distance for that.” Preferably a hundred miles or so.
