He blinked and broke eye contact.
“That sounds like the voice of experience,” she said.
“Too much.” He rose and put some distance between them so he could think. “Why didn’t you take the road down from the cabins?”
“I tried, but there were too many guards in that direction. I wandered into the woods, towards the rising sun, and eventually found the trail.”
No wonder she was dead on her feet. She wouldn’t make it much further, assuming she could even stand back up at this point. And he couldn’t carry her for more than half an hour, tops. He glanced at his watch. The day was rapidly edging toward five o’clock, which meant just over two hours till sunset.
Scanning the mountainside, he spotted a dark depression at the base of the cliff about half a mile ahead. Cave, or trick of the shadows?
Turning back to her, he said, “I might have found a spot off the path where you can rest out of sight.”
“What about Megan? From what I overheard, the men plan to be at the compound for at least one more day—they were packing boxes and loading trucks when we arrived—but that doesn’t mean they’ll keepheraround that long.”
Todd grimaced. “There’s nothing we can do for her today. I’m sorry.” For a split second, he considered turning around and heading for the compound. Now that he had a good lead on Pete, he was anxious to corral the motherfucker. Saving Lindsey’s friend would be a bonus.
But he had no backup and no idea how many men he’d face. Armed men. He couldn’t leave Lindsey behind unprotected, and he couldn’t take her with him. The only responsible choice was get to the police as soon as possible and let them handle Megan. With any luck, Pete would be caught when the cops went after JJ and Harris, and then Todd could go home and try to face his mom.
Lindsey frowned and looked out at the trees, letting out a long sigh as she gave a resigned nod.
“We can get an early start tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” She tried to push to her feet, but sank back onto the boulder with a groan. “Just give me a minute.”
“I can carry you. Really.” Despite her height, she was thinner and lighter than any of the men he’d had to drag around in training. It might be awkward, but they’d make it. “I promise to be professional, but feel free to keep your knife handy.”
With a short laugh, her shoulders relaxed a fraction and she gave a resigned sigh. “All right.”
He donned his backpack while she struggled to her feet. Her entire body drooped like a willow, but she stayed upright.
“Ready?”
“Yep.”
Bending at the knees, he scooped her into his arms, managing to hold in a grunt. She was probably already self-conscious about being tall, and he didn’t want her to think she was too heavy.
Or, frankly, that he was too weak to get the job done after all of his assurances.
He adjusted her with as little jostling as possible, ignoring the warmth of her against his skin.She smells like sweat and dirt. Focus on that.
She kept her face averted, mitigating the intimacy. “Do you want me to hold on?”
“Uh, that would help.”
Her bare arm slid across the side of his neck, raining shivers down his spine. Jesus. What kind of lowlife was he?
Human. You’re human.
Which meant he could have thoughts without acting on them. He’d be dead if he didn’t notice the woman in his grasp. He’d only be an asshole if he took advantage.
A distraction was still in order, though. “How’d you escape?” he asked, focusing on the trail so he wouldn’t trip on a root or rock and send them both crashing to the ground.
“The front door of the cabin was locked and guarded, but I was able to squeeze through the bathroom window. I guess they figured I was too big, and that I’d be afraid to run if they took my shoes. I stole a pair of flip-flops from the bathroom, but you saw how well those worked.”
“Sneaking out took guts,” he said.
She shrugged. “Or an extreme dose of fear. My hips were almost too big, and for a minute I thought they’d find me there the next morning, a human Popsicle.”
