They scramble. Stumbling through deep snow, slipping and sliding in their haste to escape. They don't look back. They head toward the road where they must have parked a vehicle hidden in the trees.
I watch them go until they vanish from sight. I wait until the distant roar of an engine starts up and fades down the mountain.
Only then does the tension in my shoulders loosen.
I look at Avery’s cabin. Fragile against the backdrop of the wilderness. The railing I fixed holds, but the rest... a death trap. And now, a target.
They think she’s an easy mark. A girl living alone in a wreck. They think they can roll over her.
My hands curl into fists.
Not happening.
I pull my radio from my coat pocket.
"Logan," I say into the receiver.
Static hisses, then my cousin’s voice comes through, clear. Commanding. "Go for Prez."
"Two scouts just came through the lower ridge. Outsiders. Mapping a route through the Nolan property."
Silence on the line. The airwaves hum with the threat of violence. "Did you handle it?"
"They’re gone. One broken wrist. One broken tablet."
"Good." Logan’s tone turns grim. "They’re getting bold."
"They think the girl is vulnerable." Saying it out loud tightens my chest.
"Is she?"
I look up at my cabin on the ridge. Smoke starts to curl from the chimney. She must be awake. Adding logs to the fire.
"No," I say. "She’s not vulnerable. She’s mine."
"Copy that," Logan replies, a hint of amusement entering his voice. "Does she know that?"
"She’s learning."
"Keep your eyes open, Oliver. If they’re scouting, they’re planning a move. We’ll double the patrols on the main road. You hold the ridge."
"Always."
"And Oliver?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't scare the girl off. Mom’s been dying for grandbabies, and you’re the only one of us acting like a human being lately."
I grunt and click the radio off.
I stand there, breathing in the ice, letting it cool the fire in my blood. I need calm when I go back to her. I can't let her see this side of me yet. The violence. The darkness.
I inspect her porch again.
Fixing the railing isn’t enough. I want her in my bed, but I won’t let her property be a target while she’s under my protection.
I turn and begin the climb back up the hill. The walk burns the rest of the adrenaline out of my legs. By the time I reach the clearing of my cabin, my breath evens out.
