Page 57 of Line of Resistance

Nate studied her closely. “Has he tried calling you or is he just leaving you creepy presents?”

Eloise shoved at her hair as the wind blew it across her face. “If he’s tried calling me he probably got to have a nice, long chat with whoever took my freaking car since they got my phone too.” She snorted out a laugh. “Maybe they’re more interested in hearing him talk about himself than I was.” She’d been so stupid. So focused on finding someone who didn’t threaten her ideas about who she should be and what she thought she wanted. She never should have given Matt the time of day, let alone allowed him to make her feel unworthy.

“You’re not making me want to hunt him down any less.” Nate’s jaw worked from side to side, but a far-off sound dragged his attention back into the clearing. “Shit.” He snagged her hand in his. “We’re going to put a pin in that and come back to it later. We need to start moving.” He turned, leading her back into the trees.

She slowed her steps, intending to stick to the rules she’d been taught. “We’re just going to go back the way we came?” If they weren’t careful they were going to end up going in circles and never get anywhere. It was one of the hazards of being lost. You had to be very careful not to get turned around. And it was very easy to get turned around. Especially if you panicked.

“Not all the way, but I think we need to stay in the trees. It’ll reduce the risk of leaving a visible trail.” Nate was moving faster now as the mechanical sound got a little closer. “And they won’t be able to get the snowmobiles in here to chase after us.”

“They’ve got snowmobiles?” Her stomach twisted, threatening to revolt. “How are we going to outrun snowmobiles?”

“We’re not going to outrun them.” Nate suddenly changed direction, heading north, farther from civilization and deeper into the wilderness. “We’re going to evade them by being smarter than they are.”

She wanted to think it was possible. That they could somehow manage to stay one step ahead of whoever it was scouring the outskirts of Fairbanks for them. “Why are they so interested in finding you?”

“That’s the million-dollar question.” Nate pushed his way through the thick line of scrappy brush, holding it out of the way so she could pass behind him. “But I don’t necessarily want the opportunity to ask them.”

Eloise kept moving, keeping pace. “Me neither.”

Nate gave her a smile, one that looked wickedly charming and confident as hell. “Let’s get the fuck out of here then.”

* * *

A FEW HOURS later she was rethinking every life decision she’d ever made. Moving back to Alaska. Skipping out on her cardio. All the ice cream she ate with Naomi. “I think I need a break.”

“No breaks. Not yet.” Nate crouched down, slapping one hand against his back. “Climb on. We’ve got to keep moving.”

Eloise shook her head. “You cannot carry me. You’ve got to be exhausted too.”

“I’m a Marine. I’m more than capable of hauling your little ass however far I need to.” He slapped his back again. “Get on.”

She hesitated a second longer, but Nate didn’t look like he was going to give up, so she rolled her eyes and sighed before wrapping both arms around his neck. “How do I get—” She yelped a little as Nate grabbed her thighs, bouncing her into place. “Never mind, I guess.” She shifted her grip, trying to position herself so her body didn’t push against the bag of blankets he had slung over his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Nate started walking without waiting for an answer.

“I’m fine.” She loosened her hold on his neck, making sure she wasn’t cutting off his air supply. “A little embarrassed I can’t hold my own.”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” Nate’s steps evened out as he found his new center of gravity. “This is just what I was trained for.”

Eloise leaned into his back, resting her chin on his shoulder. “Did you like being in the Marines?”

“I loved it.” His steps were longer now. Faster.

Obviously she’d been holding him back and it made her feel even more embarrassed she hadn’t been able to keep up. “If you loved it, why did you leave?”

“Pierce offered me a job.” There was something off in his answer. His words were too tight. Too clipped.

And she wanted to know why. “But you loved being in the Marines. Working for Pierce might’ve sucked. Why were you willing to risk it?”

Nate was silent for a minute. When he finally answered his words were quieter. “I never felt like I belonged in the Marines.”

Eloise looked over what she could see of the man currently carrying her through terrain that was quickly becoming more treacherous. “I’m not sure how that’s possible.” He was barely breathing hard and didn’t seem ready to slow down at all. “You’re pretty damn capable.”

“Physically, yeah.” Nate’s jaw clenched, the muscle working where it rested on her cheek. “But I barely passed the exam to get in. Had to study for weeks to even do that well and everyone knew it.”

Eloise stared at the side of his face. She could only see half of him but there was no mistaking the expression he wore. Shame. She’d seen it on Bryson’s face more times than she could count, and every one of them made her feel like throwing hands with whoever put it there.

This was no different.

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