Page 43 of Stuck with My Bossy Protector

I take a deep breath. “When was this?”

“Nine days ago. After the police told me I was free to go, I drove north. I paid cash to stay in cheap motels. Eric and I had this trip planned for a couple of months.”

“Did Carter know that?”

She looks thoughtful. “I don’t know. It was on my calendar.”

Neither of us says anything. I make my own conclusion. Then I see the moment she realizes what must have happened. Her eyes widened. “He got into my Google calendar! I was supposed to have returned home a couple of days earlier, but I missed my flight. He thought it was me because I was supposed to be home!”

I nod. “It’s plausible.”

“If he has my calendar, he knew I was coming here. He was so jealous of Eric.” She covers her face with her hands. “This is a nightmare.”

“I’m sorry.” I hug her closer, doing my best to comfort her.

She jerks and pulls away. “He’s here! Where is he? He could be watching us right now! We have to get out of here.”

“We’ll leave first thing in the morning,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

“To the plane?”

“I think we might be better off going toward town. We’re about twenty miles from civilization. If we start early, we can make it by nightfall. It’ll be hard, but we’ll rest up and leave at dawn. I’m afraid if we go back to the plane, it still might not run. Then we’ll be making another trek here and getting nowhere. Going toward town gives us a better chance to find someone to help.”

She looks at me, her eyes searching. “But what if he comes back tonight?”

“I don’t like it either,” I admit. “But traveling at night is suicide. We are better off sticking it out here and leaving at first light.”

Mia nods slowly, though I can see the doubt in her eyes. I need to keep her talking—keep her mind occupied. “Tell me more about your work,” I say, hoping to distract her.

She shakes her head, a faint smile touching her lips. “No, you first. Who are you, really? What do you do?”

I hesitate, not wanting to go down this road. “I fly,” I say simply. “That’s it.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “I can read humans as well as animals, Noah. You’re running from something.”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “I got into some trouble a few months ago. Now, I just want to keep my head down and work. I don’t bother anyone, and they don’t bother me.”

She leans forward, her gaze intense. “What kind of trouble?”

I shake my head. “Drop it, Mia. It’s not important.”

“But it is,” she insists. “We’re stuck here together, and if there’s something I need to know—”

“There isn’t,” I snap, more harshly than intended. I see the hurt flash in her eyes and immediately regret it. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s just...it’s complicated.”

She nods, biting her lip. “Alright. I’ll drop it.”

We sit silently for a few minutes, and I can’t shake the feeling of being watched or of danger lurking just outside the door. I need to do something, anything, to feel more in control.

I put another log on the fire, telling myself to enjoy the warmth because tomorrow morning, we’re going to be freezing our asses off.

“I’ll heat up some more of that stew,” Mia says and gets to her feet. “We need to eat and keep our strength up. Tomorrow is going to be difficult.”

“I think you’re right,” I reply. “I’m going to bring in more wood.”

“No! You can’t go outside.”

“I’d like to take a look around, Mia. If there is someone out there, it’s better we know. I don’t want to get caught off guard.”

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