Page 5 of Captive Lies

“You’ll beokay.”

“Drowning …” Darkness sucked him back into the abyss, but his thoughts had quieted, pacified by the warmth tightly wound around him and the fragrance of heaven in hisnose.

The next timehe woke up, he was covered in sweat but no longer shivering. Grant could feel the heat of the fireplace on his right, and on his left, a warm body wrapped around him. A warm, soft body that cleaved to him in all the right places. If circumstances were different, he’d be sporting wood by now, but he was physically spent battling the fever. Contentment washed over him. His hand circled Blaire’s arm that was draped across his torso; he clung to it like a lifeline, a buoy that kept him anchored in tranquility. He let himself be drawn into slumber onceagain.

Voices.

Hushedwhispers.

Blaire was gone from his side and though his fever had abated, his whole damned body hurt as if he’d been run over by a freight train—from the almighty headache, sore throat, aching chest and ribs to the throbbing in his left leg. How much damage did he sustain? Then he remembered why he was in this predicament in the first place and concern for his foolish sister surged to the forefront of his mind. Val had taken off in a snowmobile after a fight with her boyfriend. As for that useless prick, he decided to disappear in the opposite direction, so it was left to Grant to make sure Val came back in one piece. Then he recalled his dream when he was delirious. It was a recurring nightmare from when Val almost drowned. Except in that dream, his sister always died. But something felt different this time and he hadn’t awakened to hopeless despair. Instead, his body recalled that moment of soothing calm as Blaire wrapped herself aroundhim.

Shadows moving by the open door pulled him out of histhoughts.

“It was a mistake to bring him here,” a man’s voicegrowled.

“Road conditions were treacherous,” Blaire replied. “We could have been stuck in a ditch. State Highway Nine was almost shut down by then,remember?”

They must have moved further away because Grant couldn’t hear the man’s reply. Who the fuck was that guy? He hadn’t stopped to think that Blaire might belong to another man. A strange emotion pierced hischest.

Grant didn’t know how long he’d been at the cabin, but it was time he found out. Every bone and sinew protested as he pushed himself from the bed. He managed to stand up, his surroundings spinning for a few seconds, and he stood still until he found his equilibrium. Taking a step forward and putting weight on his left leg was amistake.

“God fucking dammit!” he cursed as he crashed to his right knee. The only reason he didn’t fall flat on his face was because he managed to brace himself with his right arm. The jolt wasn’t pleasant either, but he swallowed back anothercurse.

Blaire and a man he didn’t recognize appeared at thedoor.

“Why did you get up?” she snapped. Blaire was about to walk up to him when the man she was with blockedher.

Grant didn’t like that one bit and his face must have shownit.

The man before him had a head of cropped salt and pepper hair. Weather-worn lines creased his forehead and the corners of his eyes. But the tight thermal he was wearing did nothing to hide the muscles bunched underneath. He was a fit man who looked to be in his late forties orfifties.

“Who are you?” Grantdemanded.

The man snorted. “None of your goddamned business,Thorne.”

Grant didn’t remember giving his last name to Blaire, neither had he taken identification on him when he took off after Val. He picked himself up from the floor just as Blaire shook off the newcomer’s grip. She attempted to guide him back to the bed, but Grant wasn’t about to display any form of weakness. He stood tall, his six-three height topping the other man by at least threeinches.

Blaire rolled her eyes at the blatant show of testosterone. “Liam and I found you,” sheexplained.

“Yes, we know who you are,” her friend said. “It’s all over the local radio. Senator Thorne’s billionaire son missing. Search teams are organizing as wespeak.”

“How long since I was reportedmissing?”

“It’s been thirty-six hours since we found you,” Blaire replied. “Look, as soon as the roads are passable, Liam here will take you to Summit CountyHospital.”

“Phones stillout?”

Blaire nodded. “Cell service has always been spotty up here and the landline isdown.”

“Valerie Thorne … my sister, is there any news about hertoo?”

“No. There are other tourists missing, but I don’t think your sister was one of them,” Blaire said, laying her hand on his arm in a show of comfort. Her touch startled them both and she quickly stepped away seemingly flustered. “I’m…I’m going to check on dinner,” shemuttered.

That gesture of kindness tugged at an unfamiliar muscle in his chest, and he had an odd desire to make her stay when she turned to leave. His eyes followed her retreating form until Liam moved and obscured hisview.

“Hey,” the other man snapped his fingers in front of his face as if to break Grant out of a trance. “Don’t even think aboutit.”

He narrowed his eyes at the older man. “Snap your fingers at me that way again and I’ll break them. You saved my life. I’m thankful. But don’t get between Blaire andme.”

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