Page 103 of Cabin Fever

"Hey, bro, you're hurting me." He winced and bent to my touch like a good little wimp.

"What's a little pain between enemies," I said with a smile.

Derrick tried to pull at my fingers, but I was too strong for him.

"I didn't do anything to you. Now let me go."

"You hurt the woman I love and that's more than enough of a reason to make you cry," I said through gritted teeth.

Olivia gasped. When I glanced over at her, I couldn't tell if she was happy at my declaration or sad. I hoped she didn't mind me saying that with everyone around, but it's how I felt.

I should have told her before I left, especially after she admitted her feelings for me, but I was a coward. If my life had taught me anything, it's that running doesn't make things better, it only caused pain to fester until it was all you felt.

"Wait. But you're Carter Fitzwilliam. She was stuck in Maine with some crazy mountain man. So, are you the mountain man?" Kiki tilted her head and for some reason, counted on her fingers.

"My God, Kiki, you actually pieced that together? Perhaps I've been too harsh on you over the years. You aren't ridiculously dumb, only a little dumb. My apologies," Bea said.

Kiki lifted her chin and smiled as if she won first place in an idiot contest.

"Bro, it's not like I found the papers anyway. No harm, no foul. We good?" Derrick gazed up at me as if that was the only thing I cared about in this room.

"I'm not angry at you about those papers. Screw the papers." I surprised myself by uttering those words.

Olivia moved with hesitant steps. She wasn't staring at Derrick with worry in her eyes, but at me. I had treated her terribly when she first came to my cabin. When she opened herself up to me before she left, I ignored it and told her to go home, alone.

And yet, she still gazed at me with care in her eyes.

I wished her to leave me in peace the first two weeks, and it seemed I got part of my wish. She left but there would be no peace for me.

"Carter, I saw them. I saw what was on the papers. It was the—" Olivia was cut off by the door behind me swinging open.

There was a man standing there. Elegant, dignified, and casually strolling in the room with his hands in his pockets as if this were his office.

He was the last person I ever wanted to meet—President William Higgins.

THIRTY-THREE

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