Page 33 of Swept for Forever
“Where are you going?” Autumn asked as I stood.
“I’m calling someone. Wait here.” I shifted my phone, scanning for a signal, and walked farther down the road. When a single bar flickered to life, I made the call.
8
AUTUMN
I sat on the grass, watching Dom pace as he talked on the phone—checking in with his friend back in Buffaloberry Hill, he’d said.
My fever had eased for now, but after the past twenty-four hours, I wasn’t naïve enough to think I was in the clear. Even something as simple as standing could bring it crashing back.
Lulu’s ears twitched. A man was approaching in the distance, his beagle trotting ahead, its tail wagging.
Dom noticed too. Of course, he did. He might’ve been mid-conversation, but his attention never strayed far from me.
It still didn’t feel real, what he’d done. If someone had told me a man could haul a full pack on his chest and a woman on his back and keep moving, I would’ve laughed. But Dom had. He’d carried me, step after agonizing step. And it wasn’t just brute strength that had gotten him through it.
It was desperation.
For me.
Superhuman feats didn’t just happen. There was always something driving them. My old swim coach used to say that when the body reached its limit, the mind had to take over.That sheer willpower could push you past what should’ve been impossible. Dom had proved it.
The man with the dog finally reached us. Lulu perked up, immediately switching to social mode, her tail wagging as the beagle sniffed her.
“You all right, love?” the man asked.
My throat was still raw, but I answered, “Yeah, thanks. We’re just waiting to be picked up.”
He nodded, giving me a once-over before letting his dog drag him forward. Though the beagle wasn’t quite done with Lulu’s tail end.
Dom was still on the phone, but I knew he was watching. Ready.
Because no matter how exhausted he was, he wasn’t done looking out for me.
He tucked his phone away and came back over, but Lulu barely glanced at him. Her focus was fixed somewhere else. This time, she didn’t just perk up. She let out a low, warning growl. Not loud. Not obvious. But certain.
Something was on the other side of the bend.
A chill ran through me. I’d seen her act like this before, ears sharp, body tense, waiting. The last time, it had been when?—
“Lulu, stay!” I tightened my grip as she strained forward, her muscles coiled.
Dom’s head snapped toward us. “Where’s her collar?”
“It broke.”
His frown deepened, but Lulu wasn’t paying attention to either of us. Her focus was locked on whatever was beyond that curve in the path.
It could just be another dog wandering our way. But if it was Stiff-Neck, I wasn’t about to sit here like easy prey.
Maybe I was overthinking. Still, if my gut compass wasright, this village sat between Blodgett Pass and Buffaloberry Hill, making it prime ground for hikers passing through. Or for the wrong kind of people hunting for an easy target.
I moved to stand, only to have my legs give out, landing me right back on the ground.
Dom let out an exasperated breath. “Hey, stay down. Why can’t you just sit still for a second?”
“We should wait back there.” I gestured toward the stretch of bushes lining the trees where we’d come from.
