"Wolfe, it's Mace." The voice on the other end is steady, familiar. "Storm check. You good out there?"
"Fine. Got a civilian."
A pause. "Say again?"
"Civilian. Hiker. Got lost in the storm yesterday, I brought her in."
Sadie is watching me with open curiosity. I turn my back to her, lowering my voice slightly.
"Injuries?" Mace asks.
"Twisted ankle. Minor hypothermia, resolved. She's stable."
"Need evac?"
I glance over my shoulder at her. She's still watching me, head tilted, brown eyes bright with interest.
"Negative. Storm's too heavy. We'll wait it out."
"Copy that. Check in at 0800 tomorrow. Let me know if anything changes."
"Understood. Hendrix out."
I set the radio down and turn to find her practically vibrating with questions.
"Was that your secret mountain man headquarters? Do you have a whole network of people out here? Is this like a compound situation? Oh my God, is this a cult? Are you going to sacrifice me to a snow god?"
"Guardian Peak Security." I settle back into my chair. "I work for them. That was my team leader."
"Guardian Peak." She rolls the name around in her mouth. "Sounds very official and paramilitary."
"It's a private security firm. We do protection details, tactical training, threat assessment."
"And you just casually radioed in that you have a civilian like you're reporting inventory?" She grins. "Do you have to fill out paperwork? Form 27B, subsection C, one rescued hiker, moderately annoying, speaks too much?"
My mouth twitches. I turn it into a cough.
"Standard protocol. When something unusual happens, we report it."
"I'm unusual now?"
"You're unexpected."
She seems to consider this. "Fair enough. I wasn't expecting to almost die in a blizzard and get rescued by a sexy mountain man either, so I guess we're both dealing with the unexpected."
Sexy.The word hits me square in the chest.
I don't respond. Can't. My throat has closed up around whatever I might have said.
"Oh, come on." She's grinning wider now, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "You have to know you're attractive. The whole brooding lumberjack thing works for you. Very rugged. Very 'I could chop wood and also chop my enemies.'"
"You should rest." I stand abruptly. "Your ankle needs elevation."
"My ankle is elevated. I'm just making observations. Journalistic integrity."
"You're an influencer, not a journalist."
"Ouch." She clutches her chest in mock offense. "That was almost a burn. Wolfe Hendrix has a personality after all."
