Grimacing, I raised my head off my shoulder and focused all my energy on making it move.
Like someone had picked it up and thrown it, it slammed down to my side, bouncing off my hip.
“You okay?” Toren’s low voice rumbled in my ear.
I rolled onto my back, using my non-numb hand to pick the other one up and shake it. Tingling started in my fingers as the blood flow returned. “Yeah. My arm’s numb.”
“I know the feeling.” With care, he moved his arm out from underneath my head and neck and sat up, flexing his fingers.
Across the tent, Dustin lay facing us and blinking slowly, like he’d forgotten where he was. Then he remembered. I watched it cross his face. The wide-eyed confusion left his face, replaced by a grim, defeated frown.
Toby was gone from the doorway. Outside, the camp was full of noise. Boots crunched on gravel, something heavy dragged across the ground, and Vic—his voice too quiet to make out what he said—answered something Deke asked. My assumption was that they were packing up.
I looked at Toren, then at Dustin, aiming a question at the latter, since we had a moment without any of our three friends listening in. “How are you doing?”
“I’ve been better.” He ran his hands over his face. “Though I’m better now that I’ve eaten and had a good night’s sleep. Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome.” He’d looked like death warmed over last night. He still looked terrible, but not quite as much. I was glad the food and sleep had perked him up some. He would need the strength for our hike today.
“What are you doing here?” Dustin’s gaze moved from me to Toren. “And who are you?”
“Tina came to me,” I said. “She was concerned about you. I hired Toren to bring me out here to look for you.”
His eyes widened. “Why didn’t you just go to the police?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “You weren’t due back yet, and we all know how unreliable service can be out here. I didn’t think they’d take it seriously. Tina was quite worried, so I did something about it.” I flashed him a quick smile. “You didn’t think I’d let you miss your wedding, did you?”
“About that,” Toren interrupted. “Who the hell goes hunting—alone—the week before their wedding?”
Dustin had the good grace to appear chagrined. “In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the best idea.”
“You think?” I quipped.
“I’d have been fine, though, if it weren’t for them.” He tipped his head toward the tent wall. “I walked right into their camp.” His features pinched. “That younger one… if it weren’t for him, that guy you showed up with would have put a bullet in my head. The other guy, Vic, he doesn’t really care one way or the other. But the Deke guy? He’s fucking scary.”
I agreed. The man’s dead eyes were colder than the top of Mt. Everest.
“We should head outside.” Toren unzipped the sleeping bag. “I’d like to use the restroom before Walker calls.”
At the mention of using the facilities, my bladder woke up and waved. Toren wasn’t the only one who needed to go.
Jamming boots onto our feet and putting our jackets on, the three of us stepped outside. Toby noticed first and came over, having been right beside our tent, packing up Deke’s. Without a word, he tipped his head toward the trees, making me wonder if he’d been listening to us talk.
I hoped not. Or that he kept what he heard to himself. It’d be disastrous if Deke found out why we were really out here.
Toby led us into the woods, waiting nearby as the three of us took turns relieving our bladders. Toren and Dustin stepped around a tree, while I went a little deeper into the forest, not wanting my butt or my knees hanging out on either side of a pine’s trunk as I squatted.
Once I found a spot, I quickly did my business. Wishing for toilet paper and a shower, I rearranged my clothing, making sure the sat phone was secure and hidden still, then rejoined the others. Toby led us back to camp.
Walker called at two minutes past eight. Deke was in front of me, where I now sat by the fire, holding out my phone before the second ring.
“Speaker.” He handed it over.
I took it and tapped the button to answer. “Good morning.”
“Hey there.” Walker’s voice, calm as ever, came over the line with a crackle. “You all set? Weather looks good from where I’m sitting.”
“We’re ready.” I kept my eyes on Deke. “Looking forward to getting home.”
