“No, you’re not.”
Bree gave a small shake of her head.
His hold tightened, and Bree pushed her head farther under his chin, claiming as much contact as she could get. He set her down in front of their tent and unzipped the flap. She looked back toward the fire. Chris stood in front of Denise, as if trying to stop her from following Bree and Jase.
“Chris.” Bree waved her arm, telling him to let Denise by. Denise glared at Chris as she passed.
She hugged Bree tight. “Sorry, babe. I know you were hoping he wouldn’t remember.”
“Yeah. Shit happens.”
Denise looked Jase. “Take care of her.” She looked back at Bree. “Talk to him.”
Bree nodded. “I know.”
“See you in the morning.” She hugged Bree one more time before heading back to the fire.
“You wanna hit the sack?” Jase squatted in front of the tent.
She nodded and sat in the opening to remove her hiking boots. She scooted back onto the air mattress. Her bra came off without taking off her t-shirt. Laying down on the mattress, she shucked her jeans and set them to the side. She lay there, staring up at the peak of the tent, her hands resting on her stomach. Jase lay down next to her and took off his clothes except for his boxers. He turned off the electric lantern hanging from a D-ring, then pulled her close to his side. She tucked her face into his chest and inhaled deeply. A hint of woodsmoke lingered on his skin. “I dream about them. The guys I couldn’t get to. Even the guys I did get to.”
His fingers traced up and down her spine. “What do you dream?”
“They talk to me. Beg me to help them. When I see them, I freeze in place. Or I can’t stop the blood. They all die because I can’t get to them in time.”
“How often do you have those dreams?”
“Used to be every time I closed my eyes. Even when I took something to help me sleep.” She traced his collarbone with her fingers. “That was even worse ’cause I couldn’t wake myself up.”
“What about now?” The gentle baritone of his voice as soothing as his hands brushing along her skin.
“I’ve had a couple in the last few weeks. My doc said it’s normal, given what’s going on with the murders. My subconscious trying to process the new danger by relating to a danger it’s familiar with.” She rubbed her forehead against his collarbone. “I wish it’d find something different.”
“You gonna have trouble sleeping tonight?” His hand continued its motion. Calming her. Soothing her. She took a shuddering breath.
“I don’t know.”
“I’ve got you.”
“I know.”
The mug warmed her fingers as she stood on the edge of the bluff. The valley spread out below, blanketed in a wispy layer of mist in the early morning light. A breeze shifted through the branches of the trees, creating eddies of fog between the muted green branches, giving the illusion of ghosts walking amongst the trees. She drew a deep breath, trying to find peace in the stillness of morning. She smiled as she took a sip of her coffee, imagining what Jase would say when he woke and found she’d left him asleep again.
The crunch of boots behind her broke the silence. She looked to her right, surprised to see Jordan standing next to her. His hands in his pockets, he stared out over the valley. She looked down into her mug and took another sip, allowing the silence to stretch out.
“Did you recognize me?” he asked.
She glanced at him, but he was still looking forward. “Yes, but I didn’t remember from where until we were out on the beer hunt.”
“I’m sorry about last night.”
“It’s alright.”
She felt him shift and met his gaze. “It’s not. I shouldn’t have put you in that position.” He stared back out over the valley. “Of all the shit I experienced, over all the deployments, that day is the one I remember the most. Because of you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Because I’m a woman?”
He snorted. “No. Because without you, a lot more guys would have died. Including Sawyer.”
