Page 229 of Crucible

“Did you see the way he crawled after her? Jesus. I don’t love my wife that much.”

“Forget her voice. Her cunt’s got to be lined with gold.”

Keeping my gaze straight ahead, I walk and ignore the raucous laughter around me at my expense.

Truthfully, my body is present, but my mind is still back in that dell with Seth. The things I said to him…I don’t have to wonder if he believed them. I saw the defeat in his eyes and the crushing hopelessness I left him with.

His heart’s broken, but at least it’s still beating.

“Ignore them,” Finnegan says somewhat amicably. “Most of them have only felt that kind of devotion from the warm mouth of a two-dollar whore.”

“I want to talk to my uncle,” I demand.

“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

I stop walking to face him. “Why the hell not?”

“No cell reception out here, darling.”

“Why did my uncle hire you?”

“I told you. To find you and bring you home.”

“You’re saying my uncle thought I was still alive after all this time?”

“No. We were tasked to find your body or proof that you were dead. Luckily for us, we found you alive, so I get to triple my fee.”

I roll my eyes and resume walking. This time, I let my gaze wander the forest, hoping for some sign that Thorin and Khalil have caught up, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

“You don’t want them finding us, darling. It won’t end well for them.”

“Call me biased, but I’d say this won’t end well foryou.”

Finnegan grunts but doesn’t argue. We hike for two hours before I realize we’re nearing the base of Big Bear.

Home.

I don’t know how close I am to the cabin, but I find myself looking back, seeking out that lonely cliff for a glimpse of it. When I don’t see it, my eyes travel the way we came—up the steep, craggy, snow-packed slope to the sun high in the sky right above it. It’s sandwiched between two forest lines like a frozen stream, and about five hundred feet ahead is the ledge where all this lingering snow piled so precariously could fall over at any moment.

One wrong move could send it all sliding.

The climb down won’t be easy, and I realize I might have underestimated my mountain men’s knowledge of these wilds because they would have known a better, safer way down.

Perhaps time is of the essence for the mercenaries since Thorin and Khalil will be hot on our heels. I’ve done what I could to slow our progress, but when Finnegan threatened to hogtie and carry me, I decided I’d rather have my hands free for when the time comes.

The mercenaries stop once we reach the ledge, and I figure they’re trying to figure out a way down, so I inch closer to the edge to see if there’s a possible escape route while Finnegan argues with some of the other mercs I caught staring at me a few times.

Apparently, even battle-hardened killers get star-struck.

Two of the men are sent off to scout while another unnecessarily announces that he’s going to take a shit.

One peek over the side of the ledge, and I know I wouldn’t survive the fall. All those sharp rocks waiting to break me in half will ensure it. Maybe I can make a break for the trees while the mercs are distracted and take cover there.

Unfortunately, I take a little too long to shit or get off the pot.

Finnegan breaks away from the other mercenaries and approaches me. “Hey, so this is a little awkward,” he says while rubbing the back of his neck, “but some of the guys have daughters and girlfriends who are fans of yours.” When I just stare at him, he huffs his irritation at me for not making this easier for him. “They were wondering if they could get you to sign some autographs.”

I cut my gaze at the men in question, who pretend they’re not eavesdropping and waiting for my response and then I sigh. “Sure. Got a pen?”

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