Page 21 of Being Bold
As they circled each other, the short tanto-style blade gleamed with his blood, mocking his lack of situational awareness. Still, Bo had the advantage unless this guy had a gun hidden in his coat. Raising his weapon, Bo trained it on the man, “I could shoot you.”
The man stilled but didn’t lower his knife. “Who are you?” a decidedly feminine voice asked.
A woman?
Surprise rolled through him. Under the trees, he couldn’t see her face clearly, but “he” was most definitely a “she.” The idea of fighting a woman left a sour feeling in his stomach. It roiled in protest at the thought of striking her. The only thing that kept him from lowering his Glock was knowing she was here for Selene. “I’ll ask the questions. But first, close the blade and toss it.”
The woman hesitated, clearly unenthused about not having the upper hand.
Bo didn’t take his eyes off her as he calmly stated, “You can still talk with a bullet in your leg. Don’t tempt me.”
To his relief, she complied, tossing the pocketknife at his feet. Crunching it into the snow under his boot, he asked, “Who sent you?”
“No one.”
If she wanted to act dumb and do this the hard way, he could play along. “Fine. What are you doing on my property?”
“Your property? Who are you?”
The confusion in her voice nearly had him convinced she didn’t know. It made him willing to throw her a bone and see how she reacted. Stepping closer to try and see her expression in the ambient light, he said, “Bo Larson. Who are you?”
“Yumi Nakano.” A scowl crossed her face as she demanded, “Where’s Selene?”
Despite her claim, Bo didn’t lower his weapon. Instead, he wished for his tactical vest because a pair of zip ties for her wrists would’ve come in handy. She might claim to be Selene’s friend, but he’d wait for her to verify that before letting down his guard.
Gesturing toward the cabin with his head, he said, “I think you know exactly where she is.”
Chapter 7
Selene
Bo’s floor had twenty-one, eight-inch boards. Selene knew because she’d been pacing and counting them for the last ten minutes as her feet traveled the distance from one wall to the other. Her heart drummed in her ears while her thoughts swam with fear and confusion.
Was someone here? What if it were Mr. Dao? They found her tracks and knew she was alive and—No! Stop it, Selene.
She was anxious enough without adding her worst fears to the list. But where was Bo? What if he didn’t come back?
Something buzzed a loud warning tone, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Relax, it’s just the dryer.
Startled out of her stride, she gulped down air and worked to get her pulse under control. If Bo didn’t come back and someone else did . . . standing here petrified wouldn’t help her. She’d gotten away before and could do it again, but she needed a weapon.
In case he had another one hidden there, she raced toward the couch, dropping to her knees to search underneath it.
No such luck.
Her gaze flitted around the tiny cabin. The small home didn’t offer a lot of hiding places. She chewed her lip when her eyes fellon the loft. It seemed wrong to invade Bo’s personal space, but her need for survival outweighed any sense of courtesy. Blowing out a breath, Selene climbed the ladder.
The low height of the loft ceiling meant she had to crawl on her hands and knees once she reached the top. Knowing Bo had several inches on her, she wondered how he managed to maneuver up there. She’d already almost bumped her head twice. On all fours, she stared at the cramped bedroom.
A king-size mattress took up nearly the entire space. The roof slanted, and Bo had the bed pushed all the way into the sloping corner. Piles of neatly folded clothes cluttered the wall at the foot of the bed. Nothing she could defend herself with there, but on the opposite side of the slant, a hard-sided case served as a nightstand.
That looked promising for holding a weapon. If she were lucky, he’d have another gun. She wasn’t any kind of marksman, but her father had at least ensured she knew how to shoot.
Managing to scoot-crawl in between the bed and the low railing that kept her from falling fifteen feet to the floor, Selene paused in front of the sun-faded green box. It looked like an equipment case, though for what, she wasn’t sure. Catching her lip, she undid the latch and lifted the lid.
A glance showed her it was full of personal items, but no weapons. On instinct, she reached in and lifted a photograph. The edges were worn and wrinkled, but it didn’t seem that old. At least the Bo in the photo closely resembled the one she’d just met. He stood, smiling into the camera next to another man. A little younger and a touch shorter. Both wore military uniforms and held rifles. The background was hazy but looked like a dirt street with a mountain peak in the distance.
