He knew as well as she did that there weren’t many cars that came around this way at this time of year, and they would have to get seriously lucky to run into one. But he had to believe they would. The thought of being trapped out here, in the cold, with her bleeding head wound… No, he couldn’t even consider it. He had to get them out of there as quickly as possible.
He could feel the chill start to settle in his bones and slow down his movements, but he tried to ignore it. He had dealt with worse.
He looked up and down the road, trying to make out any oncoming headlights that might indicate someone coming to help them, but there was nothing. What if the people who had driven them off the road came back to finish the job? He wouldfight with everything he had if he needed to, but he wasn’t sure how much of a chance he stood against them, especially if they were armed.
Silence filled the air around him, and fear started to tug at the corners of his mind. He couldn’t let anything happen to Hannah. He had lost too much already, and he wasn’t going to lose her. He would do anything in his power to protect her.
Glancing back down the bank to check on her, he could see her eyes starting to droop as the shock and adrenaline wore off. He was about to run down to keep her awake when the sound of an engine drew his attention.
He spun around to see a car coming up the road toward them. He stepped out on to the pavement, lifting his hands above his head to flag it down. There was no way the driver would be able to ignore him, standing right in the middle of the road.
The car screeched to a halt in front of him, sliding slightly on the icy road. When an older man stepped out, Xavier lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the headlights and recognized Mr. Barkley, one of the local farmers he occasionally saw at a bar in Blue Ridge when he went to grab a drink. Mr. Barkley s walked to the front of the car, and stopped a few feet in front of Xavier and frowned when he realized who was standing in the road.
“Thank God,” Xavier breathed. “We need your help. I’ll be right back.”
“Xavier?” the farmer asked his retreating form. “What are you…?”
But Xavier rushed down the bank, pulled Hannah into his arms and carried her up to the car. She might have been able to walk, but he didn’t want her wasting any more of her energy.
“We need a lift,” he told Mr. Barkley quickly. “Do you have any blankets in there? She’s frozen.”
The man nodded, and he pulled a couple of scratchy woolen blankets from the trunk of the car while Xavier helped Hannah into the back seat. Xavier shook the second blanket out before sliding in behind her, then pulled her close and wrapped it around them both.
Hannah’s grip on him was firm, as though she didn’t want to let go, and he shifted more into the seat to pull her tighter against him.
“What happened?” Mr. Barkley asked, clearly confused as he climbed into the driver seat once more.
Xavier guided Hannah’s head to rest on his shoulder, not caring about her damp hair. He just wanted her close, where he could keep an eye on her. “We had an accident,” he lied swiftly. He had no reason to think the farmer was in on anything, but there wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to risk it.
“You want me to take you to the police station?” Mr. Barkley asked, putting the car in Drive.
Xavier shook his head. “Up to Warrior Peak Sanctuary, please,” he told him, and the old man started driving up the mountain.
Xavier carefully stroked Hannah’s hair and checked her wound again. It didn’t look too bad from where he was sitting, but it was still bleeding some. He wanted to get her back and looked at by a medical professional. If anything had happened to her, if she had really gotten hurt while she had been with him…
He would never forgive himself.
More to the point, he would never forgive the people who had done this to her.
He was going to make them pay in any way he could.
Chapter Twelve
“Here, have another blanket,” River told Hannah, draping yet another heavy blanket around her shoulders as she shivered in front of the fire.
“I’m o-kay,” Hannah tried to protest, but her teeth were chattering so much she could hardly get the words out. She clutched the cup of hot cocoa River had made for her and exchanged a glance with Xavier.
They had made it back to the lodge… That was something. The way Xavier was looking at her, though, she could tell it was far from over. Anger was written all over his face, his shoulders hunched up, his fists clenched on his lap. His hair was damp from the warm shower he’d just taken, and he was waiting for Aaron and Bailey to come down to reception so he could fill them in on everything that had happened.
Hannah was still trying to wrap her head around it herself. All of it was such a blur of terror and pain—she wasn’t entirely sure how they had made it out, but she knew she had Xavier to thank for it. His calm tone as he had talked her through what he was going to do had been the only thing keeping her grounded. If it hadn’t been for him, she was sure she would have drowned in the water that was filling the SUV.
She shivered at the thought. She still didn’t know why someone had driven them off the road, but whoever it was had clearly meant them some serious harm. She kept replaying the moment Xavier’s vehicle spun off the road, the way time seemedto slow down as it hung in the air, before the sickening thud of it landing in the river below.
Who would have done that to them? And why?
As soon as Xavier and Hannah had stumbled through the lodge doors, everyone in the place sprang into action to take care of them. Lawson had rushed off to find River so she could check them over, and Aaron had gone to get Bailey. She worked for the local police department in Blue Ridge and could take an informal statement to give to Sheriff Willis in the morning.
“Can I have a look at your head now?” River asked gently as she crouched down in front of Hannah.
