Page 61 of Deceptive Lies

“I wish we could have had a proper bed to sleep in and about a week of uninterrupted time so we never had to get out of it,” Willow said wistfully.

We.

A slip of the tongue, or had she meant she wanted to see him again after this ordeal ended?

“Hold onto that, honey,” he told her as he framed her face with his hands and touched the softest of kisses to her lips. “You're going to need something for motivation to keep putting one foot in front of the other.”

The truth was, they had hours at the least, possibly days’ worth of walking to find their way out of there. Cooper wasn't sure they could do it. If he was on his own, he’d give himself a reasonable chance, but Willow was so weak. They’d already been concerned about cracked ribs, there was no way, if they’d only been bruised before, that they weren't broken now. Plus, there was the broken arm, and the finger one of their abductors had snapped, and bruises littering her body. Cooper didn't doubt that she would give this one hundred percent, but she couldn’t give more than was in her.

Willow’s face was serious as she looked back at him. Her gaze moved slowly from his lips to his eyes, and he felt something flow from her turquoise depths, he just wasn't sure what exactly it was he was feeling.

“Don’t worry about me having motivation to keep walking, I have the best motivation in the world. I have to pee,” she added without giving him a chance to respond to what she’d said, to ask what she was using for motivation.

“Sure thing.” Gripping her elbows, Cooper stood, his body protesting every movement, each muscle screaming in pain, and brought Willow up with him.

The small, pained gasp was the only indication he knew she was going to give him that she was in agony. His heart urged him to sit her right back down, make her stay still so she didn't hurt herself worse, and just wait there and pray for a miracle.

His head reminded him no miracle was coming.

If they wanted to be rescued, they were going to have to do it themselves.

Breathing in short, sharp pants, Willow had scrunched her eyes closed, and he knew it had to be taking everything she had not to sink back down.

Torment plagued him.

He wanted to help her but … there was nothing he could do. He had no medical supplies, no water, and no vehicle he could just stick her in and drive her out of there. He had absolutely nothing and it tore at him in a wave of helplessness that felt like it was going to pull him under and toss him around in a sea of despair he might not be able to fight his way out of.

If Willow herself hadn't been the one to break the spell that felt like it trapped them both in place, Cooper wasn't sure what he would have done, but he was sure it would have been led more by emotion than his training.

“Pee, right, I'm just going to hobble over there and take care of business,” she said, giving him a tight smile and jerking her good hand at the other side of the small hill he’d used for protection while they rested.

How she managed to keep going after everything she’d been through he had no idea.

The woman was the Energizer bunny. While she maybe wasn't jumping about with spunk and sass, she just didn't give up no matter what life threw at her.

Taking care of business was a good idea, and once Willow disappeared, Cooper moved slightly away and did the same. Just as he was zipping back up, he saw Willow walking slowly but determinedly toward him and he felt a rush of tenderness sweep over him. As soon as he had her safe, he was going to fuss over her like she’d never been fussed over before. He would make sure her every need and want were taken care of.

“Ready to start walking?” Willow asked as she held out a hand.

“Ready.” Cooper closed the distance between them and curled his fingers around hers, giving a slight squeeze. Despite the pain bracketing her mouth, and the fatigue in her eyes, she offered him a smile that warmed his chest.

Those first few steps were silent, but they hadn't gone more than half a mile before Willow broke it.

“So, I’m a little jealous that you have so many siblings. I always wanted a brother or sister, but after having me, my mom had complications and couldn’t get pregnant again. What was it like growing up in a house with so many kids? Was it pure craziness?” she asked, a hint ofwistfulness in her tone. If she’d had a sibling to help support the load after her dad’s death, he was sure it would have been a lot easier to bear. Cooper knew he wouldn't have survived the aftermath of his parents’ deaths without his siblings and stepsiblings. They were a family, and they always had one another’s backs no matter what.

That’s what he wished for Willow going forward. That she’d have a team there beside her, supporting her, watching over her, helping her not because she wasn't capable of going it alone, but because she shouldn’t have to.

He wanted to be the one to give her that.

To be her teammate, to give her back a family after she’d so tragically lost hers when she was so young and needed them so desperately.

“The best kind of crazy,” he told her as he tightened his grip on the hand that felt so small and fragile in his own. For now, they were teammates, and when they got home, he would fight for a chance with her. If friendship was all she wanted while she healed, then that’s what he’d give her, he’d be the best friend she ever had. And when she was ready, he’d give her more. Give her everything.

But for now, hand in hand, they were going to face whatever was coming.

July 13th

11:44 A.M

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