She craned her head, trying to get a better view of whoever this was.
“Why the hell would I do something stupid like that?” Her whisper was markedly louder than his. “Last thing I need is the rest of those assholes figuring out where I am.”
He let out a puff of air. Maybe a laugh, maybe just a show of surprise. There could also be relief in the way he shook his head. “I don’t like what they’re doing up there.”
“So stop ’em.”
“They catch me trying to sabotage this mission, I’m a dead man.”
“Think you’renota dead man anyway?” He slowly released his hold and stepped back, head cocked, and even in the strange glow from the flashlight she’d dropped, she could read the resignation in the young man’s expression. “You think anyone’s survived this thing since it started over a decade ago?Anyone?”
One survivor. One.
“Shit.” He gave her more space, rubbed a hand over short blond hair, and had the good grace to look uncomfortable.
“How many are dead up there?” she asked, figuring it couldn’t hurt to get him talking.
“You mean yours? Or ours?”
She blinked. “Some of yours died?”
“Three are missing here. Know anything about that?”
She made her face as blank as possible. “Huh.”
“No?” He appeared to consider her and let it go. “Aside from those three, we got a few who didn’t come back.”
“What do you mean?”
The surfer boy leaned in. “Lost five in the field.”
“Five?” Oh, that was good news. Were Leo and Elias making their lives hell? Had they taken down some bad guys? Had they gotten away? She tried her best to keep the glee inside.
“Flew eight out the other day. Only one came back.”
Her heartbeat picked up. “One?” Elias was doing it. He was getting away, and in the process, screwing these assholes.
“Two stayed behind. Deegan, our team leader, and the tracker. Scary fucker.” He leaned down to look out the open door, jumpy as a jackrabbit. “I have no desire to die here. And I’m not into what they’re doing up at the lodge.”
“What?” Her body tightened, her old bones ready to pounce if she had to. “What are they doing?”
“Shot three people.”
Three!“Who? Who’d they shoot?”
“I don’t know.”
“Daisy? The owner? Tall woman, long face?”
“I don’t…” He closed his mouth and eyed her for a few seconds. “I don’t think so.”
“Are they dead? The ones they shot?”
“One dead.” He wouldn’t look at her, and in that moment, she wanted to kill him. “The rest are being held like cattle. Tensions are real high. People are dirty, pissed off, ready to blow.” He shook his head. “Something’s gotta give.”
She considered him. Tall, blond, all-American. Maybe even the kind of guy who’d come here on vacation, head out into the woods to shoot something. Not for the meat or the fur, but just to kill. “You hunt?”
He gave her awhat the hell are you talking about, ladylook. “No.”
