by Suzanne Cass
“Yeah, well, I’m not sure I do,” Tony interrupted.
“I don’t care what you think. And you’d do well not to trust me at this stage,” Wyatt snarled. He turned his gaze back to Stella. He was tall and solid, standing above her on the trail, the bulk of the backpack and his thick coat making him look even more imposing.
“I might not be the brightest social butterfly, I’m not good at parties, and I might not have the smarts to be a lawyer or doctor, but I am good at this. I know how to survive in the wilderness. I will keep us safe.”
How could she argue with that? “Okay,” she said simply.
He turned around, as if satisfied with her answer, and they kept walking. They walked and walked. Sometimes the snow got deeper, and then Wyatt would have to wade through it, forging a trail for them to follow. At other times, there was a break in the forest canopy and Stella could see the stars so high above them. She began to sweat inside her coat as her breath came in quick puffs. The terrain was getting steeper, and she was worried if she missed a step, she might tumble backward all the way down the hill.
“Are we there yet?” Tony huffed from behind her, not quite loud enough for Wyatt to hear, more for her ears only.
She ignored him, but that the same question had been niggling at her, too. Then, as if the gods had been listening, she crested a small rise behind Wyatt and came into a small, level clearing.
“This is it,” Wyatt said, dropping his backpack on the ground.
“Great,” said Tony, also dropping his backpack and leaning on his knees to get his breath back.
“Stella can have the tent, you and I will sleep under the stars,” Wyatt announced.
“You got to be kidding,” Tony spluttered.
“I’ve only got one tent. I’ll build a fire to keep us warm. We’ll be fine.” Wyatt was already undoing his backpack.
“What about bears? Or wolves? I’m not sleeping out in the open, exposed.” Tony stood up straight, his eyes casting around the small clearing as if a bear were about to jump out at any second.
His words startled Stella; she hadn’t even thought about unfriendly wildlife.
“Don’t be stupid, Tony. The bears are all hibernating, it’s the middle of winter.”
Tony’s face cleared a little. And Stella drew in a deep breath. Of course, the bears were hibernating, everyone knew that. Even with her limited knowledge of this mountainous forest, she should’ve remembered that kind of detail. This whole mad dash in the middle of night was confusing her brain so she couldn’t think straight anymore.
“What about wolves? I’m sure I heard a wolf howling, earlier.” Tony still wasn’t convinced.
Wyatt stopped unpacking. “Look, it’s either that, or you walk back down to Stevensville, and find yourself a nice warm hotel room. Perhaps you could use a credit card, make it easier for Dmytro’s hitman to find you.” He glared at Tony.
Tony said nothing more, but Stella could feel the irritation oozing off him. Wyatt needed to be more careful with his complete disregard for Tony’s feelings, making his disgust for the man so evident. This man was putting up with Wyatt because he was afraid of what was following him. But he might only be prepared to put up with so much before he retaliated. Tony had kept up with them on the hike—Stella knew Wyatt had been taking it slow for her sake—but even though the other man looked thin and wiry, she’d heard his breath rasping in his throat all the way up the hill. He didn’t sound very fit. Would he balk at a longer, harder climb? Wyatt might’ve made a big mistake bringing Tony along with them.
She also didn’t like the way Tony looked at her. The way his eyes flicked up and down her legs when he thought she wasn’t looking. Even now, in the dark of the night forest, she could feel his gaze on her. It made her shiver.
Stella said nothing, however, and she felt a little useless as she watched Wyatt move efficiently around the clearing. First, he used his feet and sometimes his gloved hands to clear the snow away, forming a small circle. The snow wasn’t deep beneath the trees. They hadn’t had any more snowfall since the blizzard a week ago. It’d had settled and some of it’d melted, leaving a hard, icy crust on top.
Then Wyatt took out a bag that looked way too small to contain a tent. But when he shook it out, the fine, parachute-like material expanded into a tent big enough for two people. He erected the little tent quickly. She’d never set up a tent in her life. But she hated to be powerless or ignorant, and decided to remedy that. In the morning, when it was light and she could see what he was doing, she’d ask Wyatt to show her how. Then Wyatt walked over to the nearest pine tree and broke off some smaller branches, ending up with an armful of pine needles. Scattering them on the floor of the tent, he stood up and said, “That’ll help keep you a little warmer, if you’re not sleeping directly on the ground.”
Stella nodded. It made sense, but she would never in a million years have thought of that, herself.
Tony leaned against a tree trunk a few feet away, watching her and Wyatt, but doing nothing to help.
“If you want to stay warm tonight, you need to collect some wood,” Wyatt said to Tony.
The other man grunted, but pushed away from the tree and walked off into the forest. She could hear him crashing around in dark.
Once Tony was gone, Stella whispered, “Share the tent with me, please. I’ll feel safer if you’re inside.”
Wyatt stopped what he was doing. “Really? Are you sure? I didn’t want to…” He let the rest of his sentence trail away.
Stella had been thinking merely about safety when she made the suggestion. But now, she remembered their time spent together in his truck and their kiss tonight, and a fizz of something else ran through her.
She nodded slowly.
“It’ll definitely be warmer if we both share the tent,” he said into the awkward silence.
“Yes, I’m sure,” she replied. She wondered what Tony might think and then decided she didn’t care. Instead, she asked, “Do you trust Tony? To leave him outside by himself, I mean? What if he tries to run away, or something?”
“No, I don’t trust him. But he’d be stupid to leave in the middle of the night. He’d get lost.”
That was true, but it wasn’t necessarily what she meant. She couldn’t see Wyatt’s features in the dim light, but he cocked his head, understanding her unasked question.
He moved in closer so he could whisper in her ear. “Don’t worry, I have insurance, if he should try anything…dodgy.” Wyatt patted his coat pocket. “I have a weapon. Levi gave me his spare 22 pistol. It’s small, but it’s better than nothing.” His breath was warm on the side of her neck. Stella wasn’t sure if this news reassured her, or terrified her. Because it made it that much more real.
But then something even scarier occurred to her. “Do you think Tony’s got a gun, too?”
CHAPTER TEN
WYATT TILTED HIS head toward the stars and thought for a second. “I don’t think so. I would’ve felt it when we were fighting. He might have had one stashed in his car, but that’s why we wouldn’t let him go back outside.” Wyatt wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not. Being unarmed may well make Tony feel more vulnerable, and therefore more desperate.
The sound of Tony returning cut off any further conversation. Dumping an armload full of branches, he said with disgust, “There you go, Mr. Boy Scout. Now light a damn fire, I’m fucking freezing.”
Wyatt decided not to comment, but went about clearing another spot in the snow. “If you could find some small, dry twigs, that’d be helpful,” he said quietly to Stella. He watched her from the corner of his eye as he continued to clear the area with his gloved hands. He could tell she dare not go too far into the forest, instead, stopping at a fallen log near the edge of the clearing, which had some dead branches pointing out toward the sky. Returning, she handed her fistful of twigs to Wyatt. He already had a few pieces of shredded paper in a small pile, and he added her twigs, then set a match to it. The wood was damp and cold fr
om the snow, but as he slowly added more twigs, the meager fire grew. Tony stood on the other side, holding out his hands to capture the warmth.
“I brought the rest of the hot chocolate in the Thermos, do you want some?” Wyatt asked Stella.
She paused for a second, as if surprised, and he wondered if she was thinking the same thing he was. Had their dinner-date really only been a few hours ago? It felt like forever. His life had changed in those few seconds after Tony arrived. Both their lives had altered. Hot chocolate sounded so normal, so mundane. Something you’d drink at home by the fire. Not while you were on the run from a group of crazed gunmen.
“I’ll have some,” Tony interjected. Wyatt ignored him.
“Yes, please,” she said, shooting a quick glance in Tony’s direction.
“Why don’t you hop into your sleeping bag, so you stay warm. I’ll get Tony organized, then I’ll bring it to you.”
She nodded gratefully. It’d be darker in the tent, but the firelight should cast enough radiating light through the fabric to see by. Wyatt had laid out two sleeping bags, side-by-side. There were no mattresses and no pillows, as it was all he could carry. Stella had been skeptical when he’d first unpacked the sleeping bags. He’d told her they were special bags, made for hiking; they were lightweight and packed down to small size, but very warm. He also suggested she sleep fully clothed, keeping her coat on. If she got too hot during the night, she could always take it off, but somehow, he thought she was going to need every scrap of clothing she had on to stay warm. She’d already swapped her beautiful pink sweater for Cat’s more practical, knitted one and had changed into Cat’s ski pants, as well. He didn’t tell her the other reason not to get undressed was in case they had to leave quickly.
Wyatt had borrowed one of Levi’s camping bags, and he helped Tony unroll it and place it next to the fire in the spot he’d cleared. He should spread the ground with dry leaves, the same as he had for Stella and himself as insulation, but he couldn’t be bothered. Tony was going to be cold, but if he kept the fire well-stoked, he’d survive the night. Wyatt had measured the practical need for a fire versus the slim chance of someone following them. If that were the case, it’d act as a beacon calling them in. He decided that the fire outweighed the very low risk that someone else was out here. He didn’t think even Dmytro’s hitman would be clever enough to figure out where they’d gone. If they had worked out he’d run into the mountains, there were so many trails, it’d take days for them to figure out which way they’d gone.
After filling a pan with snow to melt by the fire—it’d need to be filtered in the morning before they could pour it into their drink bottles—Wyatt thrust a half-full cup of hot chocolate at Tony. He was loath to give the man anything, but it wasn’t worth listening to his moaning all night if he didn’t.
“Remember to keep the fire stoked. There’s plenty of wood over there.” While Stella was getting settled, he’d forced Tony to accompany him back into the forest and find more wood to feed the fire throughout the night.
“Yeah, thanks for nothing, dude.”
Wyatt wanted to swing around and punch him in the face. Ungrateful sod. Instead, he took the Thermos and two more cups, and went to join Stella. She was tucked up in her sleeping bag, a bulky shape in the dim confines of the tent. He handed her the Thermos and the cups, and then crawled in beside her, careful to knock the snow off his boots as he did so. He removed his boots and left them in the little vestibule at the front of the tent, next to Stella’s.
“This is so good,” Stella practically hummed the words, handing him a cup of hot chocolate once he’d settled into his sleeping bag.
“I know. I nearly left it behind, because I wasn’t sure I needed the extra weight. But we can also brew some coffee in the morning to drink on our hike tomorrow. It’ll help keep us warm.”
They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the sounds of Tony getting settled and sipping from their plastic mugs.
“What about Cat and Levi? Will they be safe, if they stay in their house?”
He’d been wondering how long it would take for her to figure out the other two were in danger. She must’ve been mulling over a few things in her head as she sat getting warm in the tent.
“We don’t know,” Wyatt replied. “But Levi won’t take any chances, regardless. They’re going to stay at Stargazer for the next little while, just to be on the safe side.” He, Levi, and Cat had discussed it quickly in the kitchen before they left. Stella had been preoccupied, staring out the window, trying to come to terms with everything that was happening. Levi had seemed to know what he was going to say, even before he opened his mouth.
“Don’t worry about us,” he’d said, laying a hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. “I realize the danger. But Cat and I can take care of ourselves. We’ll keep our eyes and ears open. You know I’d never let anything happen to Cat.”
Cat had snorted at his words, but the look she threw him contained a mixture of exasperation and unending love. Wyatt hoped he could find a woman who’d love him as deeply as Cat loved Levi. Was Stella that woman? He shook his head and concentrated on rest of Levi’s words, acknowledging that Stargazer was the best place to be, and they should head there tonight, as soon as Wyatt and his little troupe left.
Wyatt wiggled deeper into the sleeping bag. His toes were at last warming up.
Seeming to accept his explanation, Stella asked another question. “How do we know this person—what’s his name?”
“Dmytro,” Wyatt supplied.
“Yes, Dmytro. How do we know those men he sent to get the diamonds won’t follow us into the mountains?”
“We don’t,” Wyatt answered quietly. “But they’ll have to be pretty damn good, to find us out here. I’m not even sure my brother could find us, and he knows where we’re going.”
“Where are we going, exactly?” Stella finished her cupful and put it aside, then snuggled down into her bag.
“We’re headed for a ruined house. It’s on the other side of this range; a two-day hike from here.” A tight knot formed in his stomach. Should he tell her? It was probably too late to keep it a secret now, she knew everything else. “It’s where I originally hid Tony’s diamonds. I was coming back from there on the day I rescued you.”
“Really?” Stella sounded genuinely surprised. He waited for the disgust and disdain he knew he was due. She had every right to get mad at him. “That was kind of lucky, don’t you think?”
“What?” Her comment took him by surprise.
“In some twisted kind of way, we can thank Tony for our first meeting.”
It was true, but not the way he would’ve preferred to meet Stella. “I guess so,” he agreed.
Stella yawned. She was lying flat now. He lay down next to her, and could just make out the pale oval of her face beneath her knit cap, the bag tucked up under her chin.
“Wyatt?” she breathed.
“Hmm.”
“I know this probably isn’t the time or the place. I was going to tell you earlier. And well… I think you should know.” She had his attention, even if she seemed to be hedging around whatever it was she wanted to say. “Armand and I broke up yesterday.”
“Really?” Dozens of questions had sprung to mind. Had she left him, or did he leave her? Was her heart broken? But if her tone was anything to go by, she seemed to be untroubled by it all. She had mentioned they were having problems. Was it because of him? No, that was being plain big-headed. He settled on asking, “Are you okay about it?”
“Yes, I think so.” She smothered a yawn. “I’m sorry, I’m too tired to talk more, but I wanted you to know.”
“Thank you. Let me know if you get too cold,” he said.
“I will.” She yawned again, and soon he could hear the calm, regular breathing of someone in a deep sleep. Sleep would be a lot more elusive for him, however. His mind was going a million miles an hour, and not only about that bombshell regarding Armand.
Wyatt patted the b
ulge in his pocket, and it comforted him, even while he hoped to God he didn’t have to use it.
* * *
Wyatt woke with a start. It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. Thin, morning light filtered through the material of the tent. Expelling a breath, he watched the steam from his mouth drift up to the ceiling.
He wasn’t warm, exactly, but neither was he as cold as he might’ve expected after a night out in the forest. The reason for his comfort was snuggled on his left shoulder. At some time during the night, Stella must’ve rolled over and tucked herself in next to him, probably seeking his extra body heat. She still had her sleeping bag pulled up, almost covering her ears. He didn’t remember doing it, but he’d thrown his arm over her shoulder sometime in the night, pulling her in closer. Even with the plastic floor of the tent and the pine needles beneath them, the cold had seeped up through the ground. But where they lay together, their sleeping bags entwined, he was surprisingly warm.
Wyatt thought back and tried to remember if he’d ever taken a girl out camping before. Nope, he’d never shared a tent with anyone else. Idly, he wondered why that was, because right now, it was decidedly cozy in here. He’d taken to camping out—or sleeping rough, as his dad called it—when he was around sixteen years old. He’d started withdrawing from his small family after his mother left, at the age of thirteen; to get away from his drunken father, mostly. But also, because he felt he couldn’t breathe in that house anymore, as if it were less without his mother’s warm presence to light it up. Much later, Wyatt had found out she’d returned to her hometown in Italy. But at the time, even though the logical part of his brain knew it wasn’t true—he’d blamed himself. If he’d been a better son, perhaps she would’ve stayed.
Stella stirred beneath his arm, breaking his memories. She yawned, then snuggled in deeper to his chest, as if seeking the last of his heat. He smiled to himself at the thought she was no longer with Armand. She was a free woman. But exactly what that meant for him, Wyatt still had no idea.