Page 20 of Trouble

“Too bad we don’t have flashlights and all the hiking gear one would normally bring along for a lengthy jaunt through the woods.”

“A lengthy jaunt?” He whispered against my ear and then chuckled. Each puff of air from his nearly silent laughter sent a shiver of awareness prickling over my skin. Trouble rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “Take my jacket,” He offered. I shook my head.

“No, you can help warm me up when we get there. I don’t know how much I have left in me, but if I get warm now, I won’t want to move.”

“Then let’s go before we don’t have a choice in where we end up tonight.”

It took thirty more minutes, give or take a few, to get to the cabin on the other side of the street. It was pushed well back into the woods on the other side of the road, and we didn’t need to find the stream because the cabin was also stocked with water, some jerky, and a blanket. I glanced longingly at the single cot and wished with all my might that I could take a load off and lie down for a bit, but I knew that wasn’t fair.

“Dead, like I thought,” Trouble said as he shook his phone in front of him. “Too bad this place doesn’t have electricity.”

“Yeah, but I’m not complaining.” I waved a bottle of water and then took another long drink of it.

“Eat some of that jerky. You need the salt after all the sweating you did. Cliff’s deer jerky is usually salty as fuck, so keep the water at the ready too.” He chuckled and I laughed quietly along with him. “After you get some of that in you, go get some rest.” Trouble nodded at the cot as I shook my head.

“There’s not enough room for both of us to sleep on that thing.”

“Not a problem, since I won’t be sleeping.”

“Okay, Mr. Macho, I know you have to be just as exhausted as I am.”

“Not about being macho, Trin. Someone has to keep watch. I’ll take the first shift. You get some sleep. We don’t know what tomorrow will hold. Hollywood knew where we were headed, so they will send the cavalry eventually.”

“Do you know if Tash is okay?” He shook his head and I didn’t want him to say anything else. I couldn’t handle it if she didn’t make it. I’d put the things Terry screamed in the back of my mind to sort through later, but it sounded like she was fairly certain she had killed someone. My heart hurt thinking about it. “She’s always been so good to me.”

“Good to you?”

I nodded. “I work at Paramour.” I turned back to see Trouble watching me as I climbed onto the cot and wrapped the blanket around me. Poor Cliff would have to wash this sucker before he was able to use it again. I’d probably owe him a whole cot too, considering how much red clay and mud I had painted all over my hair, body, and clothes. “You did know that, right?”

Trouble nodded. “You help manage the place.” He stared out the only window in the cabin and I closed my eyes rather than asking how he knew, or why it mattered. My eyes refused to stay open any longer.

A howl, and several responding yips and calls woke me from a sound sleep. It felt like I’d been asleep for a week and only five minutes all at the same time because I was so disoriented. “Coyotes are close,” I mumbled.

“They’ve been checking out the cabin for a few minutes.”

“Do you think they’re bold enough to try to get inside?” Trouble shook his head. “Before the coyotes, there were a couple young fawns munching on the blackberry bushes over there.” He tipped his head toward the forest somewhere in front of the window.

“I was so tired I didn’t even notice the blackberries.”

“How are you feeling?” He asked. I glanced up to see his eyes were trained on me. I stood and walked over to where he stood.

“Better,” I whispered. “Sore everywhere. Still tired, but not drop dead exhausted like before. Why don’t you go get some sleep?” Trouble shook his head. “When morning comes, we’re going to have to find our way back to civilization without our vehicles, because they probably have someone watching them. You’re going to need your strength.”

“Shit, don’t like leaving you up to guard over me.”

“Let’s be honest. A bunch of city boys probably shit themselves when they heard coyotes howling. That’s if they hadn’t already given up because it’s dark.”

“You’re probably right.” Trouble pulled the cot over so that it was butted up across the door and he closed the curtains all the way. “Come on, we are both going to get some sleep.”

“I already took my turn.”

“You were only out for a little less than two hours, Trin. Come on.” He laid down and held his arms out for me to crawl as close to him as possible. Then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into position so that I was lying mostly across his chest with one of my legs straight down between his two. My other leg dangled over Trouble’s thigh as he tucked the blanketin around us. Not once did it even occur to me to complain about our position. I was still too tired to fight anything and if I was honest with myself, lying in his arms was a dream come true. It wasn’t one I ever thought would come true, and these certainly weren’t the circumstances I’d pictured, but damn if I was going to wish the moment away.

CHAPTER 14

CROWDED CLUBHOUSE

TROUBLE

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