Page 10 of All That Lies Between Us

ADDISON

Olivia and I enjoy our day like typical tourists, strolling through Snowcap’s main strip and stopping midway for lunch at a cozy little café.

The weather is gorgeous—the sun high in the sky, the light breeze cutting the harshness of its rays. It’s nothing like the dry, smoggy heat of LA, and I find myself wanting to soak in all that I can. I worked five days a week at the firm, sometimes making phone calls and gathering information for Dad and Ethan well into the night, so it feels good to spend the day without an agenda.

In the late afternoon, we call a cab to take us back to the cabins. The only downside to our impromptu vacation is that we didn’t have time to secure a rental car, and now we’re spending a fortune on cabs that smell like dirty feet and old cheese.

When we arrive back at the cabins, Olivia empties the trunk of our goodies while I pay the cabbie, leaving a generous tip as thanks. After we head inside, Olivia drops her bags on the couch while I head toward the kitchen for a bottle of water.

I stop short at the sight of a large black-and-brown rope curled up in the corner in front of the stove. It takes all of two seconds for my brain to register that the rope is moving, two large round eyes peering up at me. I scream so loud that my throat constricts harshly, then spin and jump up on the dining room table. Olivia comes running into the room, calling out my name in terrified confusion.

“Olivia, watch out!” I shout, pointing toward the murky puddle in the kitchen. She reacts quickly, joining me up on the table and, if possible, screaming even louder than I did. Her words fly out of her mouth a mile a minute, her hands shaking as they grab for the phone in my back pocket.

“Gi-iive me your phone! I’m ca-alling the cops,” she stutters. I have to catch myself from falling forward as she knocks me off balance.

“Give me that,” I say, snatching the phone out of her hand. “You cannot call the cops about a snake.”

As if called by his name, he unwinds, stretching out to his full length to show off the black splotches along his back. My arms break out in goose bumps, and dread hits my stomach as I take in its full size—at least five feet long from the tip of its head to the tip of its tail.

“Why the hell not, Addi?” Her voice reaches a decibel I didn’t think was humanly possible. “Oh my god, what’s it doing? It’s huge.”

A loud pounding suddenly comes from the front door, followed by a muffled, “Everything okay?”

I let out a relieved breath, hoping whoever the hell is at the door will come save us from the anaconda looking at me like I’m a juicy piece of fried chicken.

Olivia gasps as she digs her fingernails into my arm. If I wasn’t filled with my own terrified adrenaline, I might be worried about her drawing blood, but as it is, I can only focus on getting the hell out of here before the creature in front of me makes his next move.

“Oh my god. Help us!” Olivia screams into my ear. I second her sentiment, screaming out with her but keeping my eyes locked on to the creature in front of us.

A few seconds pass before the front door opens, a man’s gruff voice filling the space. “Hello?”

“In here!” Olivia calls, pulling herself higher on her shaking knees. The sexy, angry man comes rushing in, Drake right behind him.

“Look out!” I shout at the same time Olivia says, “There’s a snake!”

All of the commotion has him slithering over to the screen door that leads to the deck, where he curls up into a tight ball. His movements cause a new wave of goose bumps to mar my skin.

“Woah, woah, it’s okay,” soothes Drake, detaching Olivia’s white-knuckled grip from my arms. He turns his back to her and wraps her arms around his neck. “All right, time to piggyback it.”

She claws at his shoulders, frantically sliding to the edge of the table and hooking her legs around his hips. “That’s it,” he says gently. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Once she’s safely locked around his waist, he walks out, turning once to give his friend a wink before leaving the cabin completely.

I’m still kneeling on the table, its hard wood digging into my knees, when I hear the screen at the front door slam shut. Despite the discomfort, I can’t seem to move because annoyed eyes are pinning me in place.

He’s leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and not looking the least bit in a hurry to rescue me. Leave it to Olivia to get the gentleman of the bunch and me to get the hottie with an attitude.

After a few blinks, I swallow and lick my lips. “Are you going to take care of that?” My voice is still a little shaky as I nod in the direction of my nightmare.

“Who? Freddie?” He doesn’t move a muscle as his eyes rake over me.

“Freddie? That monster is someone’s pet?” I’m met with silence, and my shoulders drop. “You’re kidding.”

“Yes,” he deadpans. I narrow my eyes on him, surprised he even knows how to crack a joke.

Before I can utter another word, he’s stalking toward me. All I want to do is hurdle myself off this table and into his arms, but I’m sure I won’t be welcomed as fondly as Olivia was by her knight in shining armor. He’s close enough for me to reach out and touch if I wanted to, but the look on his face warns against it.

“So, you come to Colorado in the middle of summer, you stay at a cabin at the top of a mountain surrounded by wilderness, and then you’re surprised when you encounter nature?” His words come out unnecessarily sharp, managing to reprimand me and shame me at the same time.

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