Page 37 of Mountain Men Heroes

Shafts of late afternoon sunlight combed through the fresh spring leaves to fan out across the ground at her feet. Glints of garnet caught her eye, and she slowed.

Blood. So, she did hit him. Or at least nicked him, if he made it this far. There didn’t seem to be enough that signaled a grave wound as Ethan had said.

If he was here, she didn’t want to be. Unease bubbled in the pit of her stomach. With a little effort, she shoved it down with a couple of big deep breaths. Her waders thumped on the wood of the dock, giving her position away so she slowed, careful to make as little noise as possible. Each step made the pier gently rock in the waves. Ripples of anxiety froze her in place. She crouched forward a little and scanned the darkened wooded area at her back before she hightailed it the rest of the way to the plane at the end of the dock.

She’d been so worried about him spotting her, she failed to see the state of the plane until she was almost beside it.

Metal that once served as a door hung sideways off the hinges with deep gashes from what she assumed was an ax where the handle once was. Acid boiled like a tar pit in her stomach and caused a wave of panic to tumble through her limbs. With each step closer the harder it became to stand.

Fluffy cotton tufts tumbled across the once pristine tan leather bench to catch on the dry grass by the bank and scatter across the water. A curtain of multicolored wires hung like gnarled vines from holes that weren’t there when they’d left the plane yesterday.

They were so screwed. This thing would never fly them home even if Ethan was capable. Remy laid a hand to the door still warm from the day’s sunshine, and her heart broke for Ethan. He treated this plane as a parent did a child.

“Let me see, baby.”

Remy nearly jumped out of her skin at the gruff, low voice. “Ethan, damn you. You’re supposed to be back at the cabin.”

Ethan clenched his fist at his side. “Like I’ll sit around and let anything happen to you. Not now or ever. Now let me see the damage, Doc,” he gruffly said, pinning her with an unwavering look. “Please,” he added quietly.

She stepped aside but worked the meanest glare she could muster while being freaked the hell out. When she managed a closed door behind them and cut off any possible escape route, she’d go full-scale doctor on him and make damn sure he listened.

Right now, she had to admit having him close eased the bubbling acid in her stomach, and she’d take it. Selfish as it sounded.

“The radio. It’s gone.” He worked hard to keep the worry out of his tone, but she knew him too well not to hear the small fractures in his words. The deep line between his brows returned, only deeper. If he wasn’t careful, it would become a permanent fixture to his looks.

Somewhere between the cabin and here, he’d found a big stick to use as a cane. She eased by it, careful not to hit his leg for a better look at what they were dealing with. “Son of a bitch.” Reaching over the torn seats, Remy retrieved the white metal box left open on the cockpit floor. “He took most of the first-aid supplies too, but I think there’s enough here to help.”

“Fucker. He took the whole damn thing.” Ethan held up the casing that housed the radio which tied them to home base. And any hopes of a rescue.

“Who does this guy think he is?” What kind of asshat did this kind of thing to the people that took him in? One more thing went wrong and she might spare the whole Savage crew the hassle and do him in herself with how mad she felt.

Ethan’s voice broke through her thoughts. “A first-rate douche, that’s who.” Ethan banged his fist into the ripped upholstery of the pilot’s seat. Pain weighed on him and made his shoulder droop forward.

Blood soaked through her scarf and trailed down his calf to wet his sock. “You’re not looking too hot, and we’re not going to figure anything out here.” Perspiration wet the tips of his hair from the exertion of the walk and plastered it against his forehead.

Several months ago, several feet of snow covered everything in sight. Now thousands of purple wildflower clusters burst from the ground to form a fragrant carpet that swayed in the gentle breeze. Everything around them gave off a peaceful vibe. But after today she’d never look at the woods the same.

Ethan, hurt as he was, still towered over her. His power evident in every move he made. She eased under his arm and guided him to lean on her. “I can shimmy together something to care for your wound from the things back at the cabin and what I have here until we can work out plan B.”

“Plan B, huh?” A light sheen of sweat covered him, and she could tell the extra effort to follow her out here was taking a toll.

Pain-filled eyes peered down at her as if calculating the options and the limits of his body. The angles of his face sharpened in the rapidly dimming daylight, and his muscles bulged beneath the clean T-shirt he’d slipped on.

Ethan looked down his chest at her with a ferocious mixture of amber and lava. His gaze landed on her bruised cheek.

Wrapping his free arm around her shoulder, he pulled her in close. “This isn’t over, Remy. He’ll pay. Not only for what he did to you but for nearly killing my brother and his mate in that avalanche last month and now us.”

“That’s right. I forgot about that.” She turned and rested a hand on his chest. “You think it was him then too?”

“Brax? Yes. There’s no doubt. He’s up to something bigger than we all thought. I know it and my brother, Drake, said as much, too. You were at Damon’s bar the night when Esme and Drake showed the evidence of Brax provoking the avalanche, don’t you remember? We just have to find out why, and now why he’s poisoning the water supply.”

Esme was Drake’s new fiancée. She arrived in town at the peak of winter to scatter her father’s ashes on the side of the mountain that carried her name. Long story short, Brax nearly killed her, but luckily failed. The only good thing that came out of that was the rekindled love those two have for each other.

“I do remember.” But for some reason, she didn’t make the connection since Savage Ridge was three hours away from where they currently were. “What do you think he wants? Do you think he followed us out here?”

“Who the hell knows. Land maybe? His family’s property is just over the ridge too. I just don’t know. He’s working for a big-time cooperation looking to move in on this land with a lodge that would bring in some high rollers. He always did like money. They already bought the land attached to ours north of here. That’s the only thing I can come up with. He’s always been a selfish prick.”

She took a little more of his weight and hoped her glasses didn’t decide to fall the rest of the way off. “If that happens, the Savage family faces a problem, right? From the lodge, I mean.”

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