Breakthrough

by Kris Bryant

  “Not until I see what’s on this. Turn it on for me.” He thrust it back at me and waited.

  I almost cried tears of joy when two cars full of hikers pulled into the parking lot and parked next to me. I took that opportunity to step away from the poachers and go around to the passenger side of my SUV. Thankfully, my car keys were in my jacket pocket. I jumped in and scooted over to the driver’s side. I barely looked at the three men as I pulled away. I hit the highway and sped as fast as I could.

  I had no idea who to call other than Brynn and I didn’t even have her number. I thought about calling the sanctuary for her, but I was panicked and I needed to calm down. I could have called the police, but I didn’t know what to report. Plus with their fresh kill, I’m sure they wanted to get away from there as soon as possible. I was certain they were poaching, but maybe I was wrong about hunting season. Maybe hunters didn’t wear safety orange here. Brynn mentioned that hunting hadn’t improved much since the eighteen hundreds and the laws constantly changed based on politicians in office. I was confused and angry, and I just wanted to go home. I was done with Alaska. Every day here was just bad. Those men were jerks. For what they were doing, for what they did. I was pissed that they had my bag, but at least there wasn’t anything important in it. Just my food and water. I was pretty sure I took off my luggage tag when I unpacked. I’d have to check when I got back to my cabin. Fuck. My cabin key with the name of Cee’s cabins beautifully etched on a wooden key chain was in the backpack.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Cee, is there any way you can call Brynn for me?” By the time I was back at the cabins, I was a complete wreck. I drove ten miles over the speed limit with my eyes glued to the rearview mirror the entire time. “And I’m so sorry, but I lost my key. Can I get another one? You can charge me for it.”

  “What happened to you?” Cee jumped up and came around the desk to inspect me. My boot was barely on, bits and pieces of leaves and twigs were tangled in my hair, and I had torn my jeans at the knee.

  “I was at the wrong place at the wrong time,” I said.

  She grabbed her phone from the desk and dialed Brynn. “Hi, there. What are you doing?” There was a pause as Cee allowed Brynn the opportunity to answer before hitting her with my news. “I have somebody here who would like to talk to you.” She handed the phone to me. I was so nervous, I dropped it on the counter.

  “Crap. I’m sorry Cee.” I picked it up and sighed. “Brynn. It’s Kennedy. I’m sorry to bother you, but I really need to talk to you. Can you come by when you’re off duty?”

  Cee grabbed the phone from me. “Brynn, you probably should get here sooner rather than later.” I heard concern in Brynn’s voice when she told Cee she would be right over.

  “You didn’t have to scare her. I don’t want her to get hurt driving here,” I said.

  Cee pointed to a chair. “Go sit. She’ll be here in twenty minutes.”

  I didn’t feel like being alone so I did what she told me. Cee made me hot tea. I wasn’t cold, but the heat was comforting when I curved my hands around the mug and held it close. Brynn was at Cee’s cabin in fifteen minutes. The look she gave me when she saw me made my heart stop. It was fierce and protective and made me want to cry.

  “What happened?” she asked. She sat on the coffee table directly in front of me. She was completely in my personal space and as much as I wanted to sink into her and feel her warmth envelop me, I stayed strong, leaned back, and told her my story. “You shouldn’t go anywhere alone ever.” Her tone was a mix of panic and barely controlled anger. She was upset, but not at me.

  “It was a clearly marked path. I thought it was okay.” I didn’t recognize my own voice. I sounded defeated and tired.

  “Are you okay?” She reached out toward me, then drew her hand back.

  “A few bruises here and there, I’m sure, but I’m fine. I got away before anything happened,” I said. She stood and started pacing. “There’s worse news.” She stopped pacing and stared at me.

  “Tell me.”

  “They took my bag that had my cabin key in it. And it might have my luggage tag with my name on it. I don’t know if I took it off, but they definitely know where I’m staying.” I cringed.

  Brynn swore under her breath, shook her head, and walked outside. The screen door smacked loudly into place after she pushed through it. I sat there, not knowing what to do. I looked at Cee who shrugged at me. I decided to go after Brynn because I wasn’t sure what my next move should be. I needed her advice. She opened the door before I had a chance to grab the handle and just stopped short of crashing into me.

  “You’re staying with me,” she said. Her voice was firm and her gaze hard.

  “Excuse me?” Granted, the idea wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t used to being bossed around by anyone.

  “It’s not safe for you here.” She looked over at Cee. “You need to be careful, too, and have John and the dogs close by because we don’t know what these people are capable of. They know about Kennedy and they know she’s here.” Brynn put her hands on my elbows and looked at me. Her gray eyes were almost black. She was serious. “I want you to stay with me until we get this sorted out. Poaching’s a serious crime and these guys know that you’ve seen their faces, their trucks, and probably have pictures of them. The best place for you to be is right next to me. I can keep an eye on you twenty-four seven.” She nodded once, insinuating that the decision was made.

  My feminist hackles didn’t like her Neanderthal grunts and commands, but I also trusted her and those guys were scary so I caved. I turned to Cee. “I’m so sorry, Cee. I hope they don’t cause any trouble for you.”

  “Don’t worry about me. We’ll be fine here.” She waved it off like three angry, burly poachers on her property wasn’t a concern. “I have guns everywhere and I’m not afraid to use them.” I never expected words like that to fit in my life. If someone had said that to me two weeks before, I would have packed it up for the season and headed somewhere far away from Alaska.

  “Let’s get your stuff together. And let’s get rid of your car,” Brynn said.

  “Like dump it?” There was no way my company would pay for a total loss. I got lucky the first time that it wasn’t on their dime.

  Brynn laughed for the first time since she arrived. “No. I mean, let’s turn it in. I would advise against renting from the same place. That way, if these guys start sniffing around and see that you aren’t here and your rental car’s back, they’ll think you went home. They won’t chase you there.”

  “Well, can’t they just walk the two steps to the other car counter and ask if Kennedy Wells rented a car from them?” I wasn’t trying to be a snob, but it wasn’t like there were a ton of car rental options.

  “Okay, new plan. We’ll drop off your car and I’ll loan you one of mine,” Brynn said.

  I liked that idea even less. After our uncomfortable encounter the other day, I didn’t want to feel like I owed her any more than I already did. “No, it’s okay. I’ll just go to a different place.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Brynn’s lips move as she silently counted to ten. Great. I infuriated her. “And I can just go to a hotel. Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll be fine.” I threw that in because I didn’t want Brynn to know that I wanted her protection. My pride wouldn’t allow it, even though she had helped me countless times.

  “We need to hurry and get you out of here. We can deal with the location when we’re on the road, okay?” She turned to me, her eyes dark and angry. I nodded and winced. She held the door for me and followed me up the path to my cabin. Not a word was spoken. “I’ll wait out here while you pack up,” she said.

  I shrugged my shoulders like a child. “Fine. Whatever you want.” I was in a hurry to get out of there so I packed and did a final walkthrough in under ten minutes.

  Brynn took the luggage out to her Jeep. I looked around the cabin before I shut the door and smiled at all of the memories. Seeing thousands of stars at night, the fading
ribbons of the aurora borealis, Wally playing with an empty box and making himself comfortable here, Brynn at the table sharing a meal with me, and the out of control smoky fire in the fireplace. Well, most of my memories were good.

  “Are you ready?” Brynn leaned against the Jeep as though she didn’t have a care in the world, but I could sense her tension ten feet away. She was wound tight. If things between us were different, I would’ve suggested a quick remedy for relieving her stress. I was stressed, too, but I felt safe because of her. It wasn’t fair. She gave me relief and I gave her high blood pressure.

  “I can get a different car and find a different place. I didn’t call you because I wanted you to come to my rescue again.” That was a lie. “I called because I have photos of poachers and as soon as I can get connected to a workstation, I can download the photos and email them to you. I just didn’t know what law enforcement agency to call, but I’m guessing you do.” Why was I sabotaging this? Wasn’t this what I wanted? Brynn Coleman in close proximity to me twenty-four hours a day?

  She rubbed her face with her palms a few times and massaged the back of her neck for a few seconds before answering me. “I would feel better if you stayed with me. I don’t think you realize the position you’re in. We don’t know who these guys are yet. I would just feel better if you were close by.”

  “Brynn, you don’t have time to spare. I’m here for two more weeks and I can’t take you from your job. That’s not fair of me,” I said.

  “If they found you and hurt you, I’d never be able to live with myself,” she said. “I feel responsible for you.”

  “Well, you aren’t. I know you don’t believe me and I can’t even believe I’m saying this, but I’m an adult. Even though I’ve sucked out here in the wilderness, I’m pretty responsible in my real life. I thought I handled the situation with those hunters well.” I left out the part where I shook the entire drive back and cried when Cee first saw my face. I was tired of Brynn seeing me cry.

  She walked over to me and stood imposingly in my space. I didn’t move. She looked at me. “I know things are awkward between us, but don’t let your pride get in the way. I don’t want you to get hurt. Just stay with me for a few days until we get this under control. Can you do that?” she asked. I sighed and wondered if she was right about pride. “Give me a few days to work with law enforcement. I know a state trooper who would love to help out. I’ll see that she puts this top of her list. She owes me.”

  That answered the question of who I was supposed to call. I was going to say so, but instead I said, “A woman state trooper?” I couldn’t have sounded more sexist, but Alaska didn’t strike me as a forward thinking state.

  “You sound surprised. Yes, she’s been one for about a dozen or so years now. She’s well respected. Once we get you settled, I’ll give her a call. We should probably get out of here. Follow me back to the airport.”

  I climbed into my car and wished I didn’t have to drive back into town. I wanted to already be at Brynn’s cabin, under a warm blanket, sitting by a properly contained fire. Brynn drove the speed limit the entire way. I wanted to get there fast, but patiently followed her instead. She was sacrificing her time to help me out. When we pulled up to the rental place, I swore they all pointed to me. I was infamous here. For the first time in an hour, I saw Brynn smile.

  “They looked scared.” She leaned in my window and watched me clean out the console.

  I had an M&M problem based on the three crumpled empty wrappers smooshed in one of the cup holders. Diet definitely gone. When I turned to look at her, I gasped. She was very close to my face. She looked at my lips, then met my gaze and took a step back from the window.

  “Ready?” She didn’t give me a chance to answer, but opened my door and waited for me to climb out.

  “Just doing a last minute sweep.” I opened up the back doors and checked under the seats. Since I packed in a panic, I wasn’t sure I had everything. Brynn lifted the hatch and poked around the back.

  “All clear here,” she said.

  I locked the car and went inside to return it. The clerk gulped when I approached the counter. “I just need to turn the car in.” I placed the keys on the counter.

  “She’s going home. She’s had enough of this Alaskan wilderness. It’s not for everyone.” Brynn nudged my leg when she saw I was getting ready to say something to defend myself.

  “Uh, yeah. I miss my life in the lower forty-eight.” I heard somebody say that at the diner the other day.

  “Sure. Just give me a few minutes to check you out. You can have a seat if you want.” They had to inspect the SUV and I couldn’t blame them.

  Brynn stretched her arm out and rested it on the back of my chair. It felt like such a possessive move. I wanted to lean back into her. Had anybody else done that, I would’ve asked them to move it.

  “You can borrow my truck or the sedan I’ve been working on.” Her voice was low enough for only me to hear. She held her hand up when I started protesting. “Just for a few days. Until we get a better handle on what’s going on. Besides, you’ll be my shadow for at least the next three or four days so you won’t even need a car.”

  I sighed. This wasn’t the place to have this conversation. I jumped up when the clerk motioned me forward to the counter.

  “You’re all set. Please just sign here and here, and you’re good to go.” He pointed to three blanks and I happily signed. I took my receipt and bolted out the door that Brynn held open. I climbed into the passenger side of Brynn’s car and watched Brynn gracefully slide into the driver’s seat. She had the longest legs I’d seen on a woman who wasn’t a model. The memory of our legs entwined on her bed flashed in my mind. I’d wanted her to strip me down and make me hers that day. I inhaled sharply at the intensity of it, drawing unnecessary attention to myself.

  “I know you aren’t happy about this, but I’m just looking out for you,” she said.

  Thankfully, she didn’t know where my thoughts were. “I know. And thank you for looking out for me. I’m not trying to be difficult. This is all just so new to me and I’m glad I have you on my side to help me out.”

  Brynn’s expression became serious. We spent the rest of the drive in silence. The realization of what happened and what could have happened finally set in. I couldn’t stop shaking.

  Brynn reached over and rubbed my arm until we reached her cabin. “Come on. Let’s get you inside and comfortable. I’ll get your luggage in a few minutes,” she said. I didn’t argue. I slid out of the Jeep and followed her inside. She grabbed a blanket and pointed to an oversized chair near the fireplace. “Here. Have a seat.” I sat and she gently tucked the blanket around me. “I’m going to get your things from the Jeep so just sit back and relax.” I nodded and watched her through the screen door as she grabbed all three bags and my jacket and made her way back inside. She put my things in her bedroom and shut the door on her way out. “I’ll be sleeping in the other room. I remembered you liked my bedroom a lot.” She avoided eye contact. I watched her slip off her jacket. Her uniform was still neatly pressed against her, but there was a small line of sweat on her back. She loosened her tie, unbuttoned the top button and rolled up her sleeves. She was so damn sexy doing simple everyday things. “Are you cold? Do you want a cup of tea?”

  “Tea would be great.” I grew tired when the adrenaline left my body. The only thing I could think about was closing my eyes. Maybe I dreamed it, but I thought I felt Brynn’s fingers brush the hair away from my cheek and touch my face. When I woke up, she was gone, but there was a cup of tea on the table closest to me, the water lukewarm. There was a note by the cup and for the first time all afternoon, I smiled.

  I had to go the sanctuary to finish a few things there. The cabin’s locked up. I should be back soon. Oh, and I’m bringing a friend. I hope that’s okay.

  I smiled at the really bad drawing of Wally and tucked the note into my jeans. I couldn’t wait to see both of them again.

  Chapter Fift
een

  I was in Brynn’s room when I heard her unlock the front door. I walked back into the living room with my laptop and camera. Wally was standing on his hind legs, sniffing. When he saw me he walked over and reached up. I put the camera on the couch and bent to scratch behind his ears and under his chin.

  “Hello, big boy. How was your day?” He chirped his response and waddled back to Brynn. I looked at her and smiled. “Thanks for leaving me the note. I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

  She held up her hands and waved me off. “Completely understandable given the circumstances. Do you feel better?”

  I nodded. “I do. Thank you for letting me nap.”

  “Are you hungry? I could make dinner if you want.” She opened the refrigerator and poked around. “I can throw some steaks out on the grill, or some fish. Or we can go all out and eat cheesy pasta or pizza. Anything you want.”

  “I’m starving,” I said.

  “You could have helped yourself to anything in my place, you know. I think I might even have some M&Ms.”

  I blushed. She saw my not-so-hidden chocolate stash in my rental. “Oh, I wouldn’t pry. I knew you would be back soon.” That sounded breathier than I intended. Or maybe I meant it. I looked away.

  “Well, just know nothing’s off limits. Okay?”

  “Thank you. For everything.” I found it hard to look at her because even though she offered everything, she herself was off-limits. It was the one thing I wanted in this house. I had to settle for food. For now. “And a steak actually sounds good. As much as I’ve enjoyed all of the different fishes and meats, I just miss a good old-fashioned steak. Medium. Salt and pepper.” Not that she asked how to prepare mine.

  “Great. How about a baked potato, too?”

  I nodded. I realized that I had a cup of coffee today and a cookie that Cee made me eat. That was it. No wonder I had the shakes. I needed protein. I stood up. “Let me help.”