Page 52 of Stuck with My Bossy Protector

“Why don’t we take one of the snowmobiles,” I suggest, hopefully.

He grimaces and shakes his head. “They’ll just get on the other ones and track us down. This has to be done quietly. At night. The dark will be our friend.”

“The wolves and bears are not our friends,” I murmur.

I think he’s crazy, but he’s right. It’s either death by wilderness or death by these men. Noah offers a small, sad smile. I stare at him, caught between anger and admiration. Anger for the trouble he’s brought upon us, admiration for his bravery in the face of it all. I can’t really blame it all on him. I brought my own baggage.

“Maybe, but at least we’re not giving up. I’m going down fighting.”

The resolve in his voice stirs something within me, a spark of hope that fights against the despair threatening to consume me. That spark has me nodding, steeling myself for what lies ahead. “Alright,” I murmur. “We’ll run like hell.”

“Hopefully, it takes Vincent some time to get here,” he says.

I groan, realizing our plan isn’t exactly perfect. “What a mess.”

“I really am sorry,” Noah says again. “If I thought I was in danger, I would never have let you on my plane. I wouldn’t have put anyone in that position. I asked them if I should lay low and was told things were handled.”

“If that guy was right, maybe they do have someone on the inside,” I shrug. “You could have been lulled into a false sense of security.”

“If I get out of here, I’m going all the way up the chain,” he growls. “It’s one thing to have my life put in danger. It’s entirely different when they put innocent people in harm’s way. What if I had been flying a family?”

I look at him. This man has become my unexpected partner in this unanticipated chaos. “Noah, I don’t blame you. Do you blame me for what Carter may try and do?”

“No.”

“Right. I blame them. I blame Carter.”

The room is growing colder by the minute. I scoot over and lean my head on his shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad I’m in this mess with you.”

He turns to face me and kisses my cheek. “Thanks. We’ll wait for nightfall, and then we run like hell. In the meantime, there’s nothing to do but wait.”

We stay silent, listening to the murmurs of the men outside and the occasional bark of orders. I can feel the weight of every second, the anticipation building like a coiled spring. I pray this Vincent character doesn’t show up before we can escape.

Chapter twenty-two

Noah

“Be careful,” I whisper.

Mia’s fighting with the zip tie around her wrists. I can see her skin breaking and bleeding.

“I’ve almost got it,” she hisses.

My heart pounds as I watch her, every second feeling like an eternity. I hate that she’s hurting herself, but it’s this or worse. I’m trying to break my own ties, but mine are much tighter. Regardless, I still fight, pulling and tugging at the sharp plastic tearing into my skin.

I bite back a curse as I feel the blood pooling in my palms. I barely felt the pain. But we have no choice. It’s either this or a bullet in our skulls.

“Got it,” Mia exclaims quietly, holding up her now-freed hands.

I can hear our captors in the living room. Judging by the smell of meat, they are helping themselves to the cans of soup. Every footstep sends a wave of panic, but I swallow it down, focusing on Mia’s determined expression.

“Wrap your hand in a blanket,” I instruct her, my voice barely above a whisper. “Break the window as quietly as possible. Then, use a piece of glass to cut my ties.”

She nods, moving as silently as a shadow across the room. The blanket muffles the sound of breaking glass, just as I anticipate. I hold my breath, praying the noise doesn’t alert the men outside. A shard of glass in hand, she makes her way back to me and begins the delicate process of cutting through my restraints.

“Sorry,” she gasps when the glass nicks my skin.

“Just do it,” I order.

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