Page 45 of Snowed In with Three Mountain Men

“How come you look so much better in my clothes than I do?” I murmured, brushing a strand of hair back from her face.

“A mystery we’ll have to figure out when I get back,” she replied, and she kissed my cheek.

She doesn’t seem interested in trying to hide her feelings for all three of us. I guess it’s clear that we’re all in this together by now. There’s no point trying to pretend that we aren’t utterly wrapped up in one another. Dax and Chuck are just as unhappy about theway this is going down as I am—they’re worried about her, but they can tell there’s no point fighting her on this. When she’s got an idea in her head, there’s nothing in the world that will change her from that path, even if that path leads right into the hands of her ex.

I keep my distance as she moves through the woods, a basket hanging over one shoulder which she occasionally adds a new stick or log to; now that it’s started to brighten up, firewood’s easier to come by, and she makes her way through the trees with ease, studying the ground like she’s trying to find the perfect additions to our hearth.

I scan the forest surrounding her—they must have had time to get back to Killinsbury and back by now, right? We moved the spike traps from the road, so they’ll have no trouble getting back up here. The man who escaped—or at least, thought he did—will have been able to map the route right back to us, and even giving them time for a few mistakes and missteps, they should be here any?—

All at once, a noise catches my attention. My head snaps around, and I lift the walkie-talkie to my lips.

“You hear that?”

“I heard it,” Chuck replies at once. “Came from somewhere near me. You got eyes on anyone, Dax?”

“Nobody yet,” Dax mutters. I can hear the strain in his voice. He hates being out of control like this, even if it’s for the best in the long run, and it’s a miracle he’s lasted this long without flipping his shit and rushing out there to get her.

We all fall silent. I can hear the static on the line, Dax’s breathing where he’s still holding the button down, but other than that, nothing. Maybe it was just an animal. Or maybe?—

“Shit, I have eyes on someone!” Chuck hisses. “Closing in from the east. Three of them. Looks like one of them’s the guy we took from the car yesterday.”

My heart pounds in my chest. This is it. I wish I could call out to Charli and warn her, but we can’t let them know our position. They need to think she’s out here alone.

Finally, I spot them—three men approaching her from her right side. I can tell that she clocks them; her head shifts slightly as she hears them getting close, but she doesn’t let it show on her face. She stoops down to pick up another stick, demonstratively turning her back to them, making it easier for them to sneak up on her, or at least think they are.

And all I can do is watch as they move in on her. Three men, three fucking guys, all after Charli—James is a complete coward, I know that much for sure. Or maybe he knows just what kind of girl he’s up against. The kind of girl who would climb out the window of the venue she was supposed to get married in, steal a car in her wedding dress, and flee into the hills rather than be stuck at his side.

I smirk. No matter how much I hate the motherfucker, I can’t help but enjoy the idea of him standing there at the end of the aisle, waiting for her while she was already headed back to my arms again.

One man steps out in front of her, and she straightens up—for a moment, her face flashes with real panic, and I have to squeeze my eyes shut to keep from rushing in to get her out of there. Itfeels fucking twisted to stand back and let this happen, let the woman I love get taken from me all over again.

But I force my eyes open once more. I can’t look away. She’s relying on me to take in every detail of this. Anything I miss could condemn her to capture—or worse.

One of the other men moves behind her, shoving a bag over her head and pulling back on it hard. She stumbles, the basket falling from her shoulder, spilling the branches and logs over the forest floor. I can hear her trying to protest, but it’s muffled by the sound of the fabric in her mouth. I can see her lips moving against the inside of it, but nothing comes out.

“They’ve got her,” I mutter into my walkie-talkie.

“Fuckers,” Dax hisses back.

“Keep your head, Dax,” Chuck warns him. I can hear it in Dax’s voice, how hard this is—how much he just wants to go out there and fight them off, make them pay for laying a hand on her. I know how he feels.

All I can do is watch as they drag her off the path and toward the road once more. I don’t know where they’re planning on taking her, but I know we have the truck gassed up and ready to go after them.

“They’re headed for the road,” I tell Chuck. “Pull the truck around to the cabin, meet us there, and we’ll go after them.”

“Make it quick,” Dax adds.

“Meet you there in ten,” Chuck snaps back, and he closes off his line. I watch as Charli vanishes into the forest once more. I know this is what we planned, I know this is everything she told usto do—but despite myself, it fucking kills me to watch them get their hands on her, even for a second.

Silently, I send her a message—We’re coming, Charli. You won’t have to wait long.

Just make sure you survive till then.

22

CHARLI

“Getthis fucking thing off of me!” I yell, squirming in the chair. I don’t know how long I’ve been here, but the fabric in my mouth is starting to choke me, and all I want is to breathe in fresh air and see exactly what I’m up against now that James’s goons have got their hands on me.

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