by Cari Hunter
Sarah was smiling as she met her gaze. “I’ll make supper,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse. “You make the bed.”
The bed. One bed. Alex swallowed dryly and nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak. She wavered sideways as she stood, and Sarah reached out an arm to steady her.
“You gonna pass out on me?” The firelight made her eyes dance with mischief as she reiterated Alex’s earlier question.
“Don’t think so.” The giddiness eased and Alex blew her breath out. “Okay. Bed. Supper.” She turned to go one way as Sarah turned to go the other. Chancing a look back, she caught Sarah watching her. They grinned like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar, before averting their eyes and making a show of focusing on their given tasks. It was only when Alex spread their blankets in front of the fire to dry that she realized she had never been so nervous in her life.
*
Alex sprinkled a packet of crackers on top of her portion of thick vegetable broth. She cradled the mug in both hands, blowing on the soup to cool it. Sarah’s herbs and spices had apparently survived her ordeal at Merrick’s hands; the rich aroma drifting up to Alex was far removed from that of any freeze-dried soup to which she had ever added water. Her stomach rumbled in anticipation, but the soup was too hot to gulp down quickly. She glanced at Sarah, only to see that Sarah’s mug was already half-empty.
“How the hell?”
Sarah shrugged as she swallowed another mouthful. “Years of drinking piping hot tea, probably. I can’t bear the stuff if it’s gone even slightly tepid.”
Alex took a chance and captured a floating cracker between her teeth. Steam gusted out as she breathed. “Oh that’s really good.”
“It’s reconstituted veggie broth.”
“Yeah, but you’ve reconstituted it perfectly,” Alex countered, braving the heat to risk a sip.
“The crackers are a large part of its charm.” Sarah examined their plastic packet. “Not something I’d put with soup, normally. Soup’s more of a toast or bread roll thing where I come from.”
“My parents went over to Britain once. Did the usual tour: London, Stonehenge, Stratford-upon-Avon, Edinburgh…”
“They didn’t take you?” Sarah sounded both surprised and saddened.
“They didn’t take us anywhere. We’d either stay with our nanny or get packed off to summer school. I’ve never left the U.S.”
“Never?”
“Never.” She set her mug down and turned to face Sarah. “I always wanted to travel. I was trying to save up, but a cop’s salary doesn’t stretch very far, and then suddenly I wasn’t a cop anymore.”
“Your parents…” Sarah’s question trailed off; Alex was already shaking her head.
“They never offered and I never asked.”
Sarah stroked her fingers down Alex’s cheek. “Lot of world out there, Alex.”
“Yes, there is.” She turned her head and kissed the palm of Sarah’s hand. “Maybe one day, huh?”
Sarah closed her eyes, her lips parting slightly as Alex moved her mouth to Sarah’s throat. “Definitely one day,” Sarah said. Her voice was breathy and her cheeks were pink in the warmth of the fire. Alex kissed her gently and then with more urgency when she moaned her encouragement.
Without any kind of prompting, they sat up together on their nest of blankets. Alex raised her hand to the zipper of Sarah’s jacket, feeling strangely hesitant and uncertain until Sarah took hold of her fingers and placed them against the metal clasp. The repetitive click of the zipper opening sounded unbelievably loud. It snagged at the bottom and Alex struggled to work it free with hands that had abruptly lost their dexterity. When it finally came loose, she pushed the jacket back off Sarah’s shoulders and then paused. She studied Sarah so intently that Sarah, evidently having figured out the reason for her consternation, began to giggle.
“How many?” Alex asked despairingly.
“Five.”
“Five!”
Sarah could hardly confirm the number for laughing. “I was cold!”
“Gonna take me all fucking night,” Alex muttered. “How the hell am I supposed to erotically remove five layers of clothing?”
“Well, how many are you wearing?”
“Are we including bras?”
“No.”
“Four.”
Sarah shrugged. “We could just do our own,” she suggested.
“Would certainly be quicker,” Alex said with a grin. “You mind?”
Sarah had already thrown her jacket off and her sweater was halfway over her head. “Not at all,” she mumbled through the thick wool.
It took them less than a minute to strip down to their underwear, and a good few seconds of that were spent rescuing a T-shirt that Sarah had overenthusiastically launched into the embers of the fire.
Alex had seen Sarah half-naked before, but not like this, not with a flush of excitement coloring her skin, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Goose bumps covered her bare arms, but when Alex touched her, she wasn’t cold. Alex drew her onto her lap and she went willingly, wrapping her legs around Alex’s waist. She smiled shyly and then kissed Alex in a way that didn’t feel shy at all.
Alex moved her hands lower, playing her fingers around the soft cotton of the bra Sarah was still wearing, before unfastening it and dropping it. Salt and wood smoke combined on the tip of her tongue as she traced it across Sarah’s skin. Apparently somewhat distracted, Sarah took two attempts, accompanied by some very creative cursing, to undo the clasp on Alex’s bra, and when she finally had it in her hand, she tossed it over her shoulder.
“That better not be on the fire,” Alex said, trying not to laugh. “It’s the only one I’ve got.”
“It’s not on the fire.” Sarah ran her tongue between Alex’s breasts. “Might be in the pool,” she said, edging toward a nipple, “but it’s not on the fire.”
Her lips closed, sucking eagerly, and Alex instantly forgot what might have been in the pool. She slipped her fingers beneath the elastic of Sarah’s boxer shorts, sliding them down into slick heat, and Sarah’s mouth fell open, small gasps escaping her as her back arched. She smiled at the same time Alex did and then began to move with her in an easy rhythm.
“This mean we’re dating then?” Alex asked innocently, before giving a not so innocent twist of her fingers.
“Oh God…” Sarah nodded helplessly, her hands gripping Alex’s shoulders for leverage. “At least I cooked you dinner first.” She started to laugh and buried her face in Alex’s neck.
“Hell of a first date,” Alex said. She swirled her thumb, making Sarah bite down on the side of her throat, and suddenly neither of them had breath left to speak.
*
At some time during the night, Alex must have put fresh wood on the fire. It was the only explanation for the fire still being alight when Sarah awoke, but she had no memory of Alex ever having moved. Lying on her back, feeling languid and content, she considered the way in which she and Alex had celebrated their reunion and wasn’t entirely surprised that she had slept so soundly. The brightness of the daylight filtering into the cave made her check her watch and she raised an eyebrow at the time; at this rate they would be late for their own rescue.
“Hey,” she whispered, close to Alex’s ear. The sound made Alex mumble a little, but she stubbornly remained asleep. “Alex.” Sarah kissed her ear and then the corner of her jaw. By the time she reached the lips, she caught Alex smiling. “Faker,” she said, kissing her anyway. Alex returned the kiss, making up in enthusiasm what she lacked in coordination.
“I think we need to get up.” Sarah’s tone was utterly lacking in conviction, largely thanks to Alex’s hands having found their way beneath the layers of clothing she had put back on before going to sleep. “Oh, don’t do that.” She shook her head in a halfhearted protest. “Rescue party, Alex…”
Alex nodded sagely, her fingers deft on the button at the top of Sarah’s pants.
“They’ll be here
soon,” Sarah continued weakly, finding herself unable to care about, or even really remember, why she was trying to call a halt to this.
“I can be quick,” Alex said. Her hand edged into the space she had made in Sarah’s clothing. “Can you be quick?”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Sarah whimpered.
Alex smiled. “I’m going to take that as a yes…”
*
Although Sarah was by no means frivolous with their dwindling supplies, she risked cooking an entire packet of grits for breakfast and treated them both to a bag of trail mix she had found buried at the bottom of Alex’s pack. She didn’t bother trying to split the last packet of cocoa; it went into a mug for them to share.
Heavy clouds had gathered overnight and showers of sleet had alternated with snow to coat the ground in thick slush. Fortunately, Alex’s diligence through the night meant that the fire had been established enough to stay alight. They huddled in front of it, taking turns sipping the cocoa while it was still hot. The camp was neatly packed up, their bags stowed in the shelter of the cave. Every few minutes, Alex turned the radio on, but there was no response from the channel she had hailed the rescue team on the previous day.
“Probably the weather messing up the signal,” she said, turning the radio off for the fourth time. “Don’t look so worried.”
“I’m not worried.” Sarah tried to smile, but even she wasn’t convinced by her efforts. A nagging ache in her side had been making her restless since she sat down. Among her many other aches, she had almost forgotten about the bullet wound, but it had started to hurt again this morning. She tucked herself closer to Alex and felt Alex take hold of her hand. The mere contact was enough to make her shiver pleasantly. If the previous night’s exertions were the reason for her discomfort, it was a price she was more than willing to pay.
“So what happens when we get back?” Alex kept her voice to a low murmur, as if she were afraid to hear the answer but couldn’t stop herself from asking the question.
“Bubble bath and a warm bed,” Sarah said lightly, but Alex’s body remained tense, pressed against her.
“And then?”
Sarah met her gaze. “And then, I don’t know,” she admitted. She ran her thumb across the back of Alex’s hand. “I’ve read that it’s gorgeous here in the summer.”
Alex kissed her forehead. “And I don’t mind getting rained on in England.”
“Well,” Sarah said, “I guess we’re not going to have a problem, then.” She felt her mood lighten, relief and happiness coursing through her.
Alex was sitting up straighter now, and when she spoke again it was without her earlier trepidation. “We could travel…”
“Yes, we could. I could show you those cows with bells—”
“Alex!”
The man’s voice cut into Sarah’s and she looked at Alex to reassure herself that it wasn’t just a trick of the wind. He shouted again, the call clearer this time. Although he still sounded some distance away, they scrambled up and ran out into the sleet.
“Over here!” Alex yelled. “Hey, we’re over here!” She waved her arms as if afraid that their cries and the light from the fire wouldn’t be enough to guide the rescue team to the right place.
In less than a minute, three men were visible, walking quickly along the side of the river. Two of the men carried a large pack each, while the third—who appeared to be older—bore a smaller load. He moved ahead of his companions with a broad smile on his face. Alex and Sarah walked through their small campsite to meet him halfway.
“So which one of you’s Alex?” he said, his hand outstretched in greeting.
Alex raised hers in acknowledgment. She didn’t recognize the man, but his accent told her he was the one she had spoken to on the radio.
“Good to meet you, sir.” She shook his hand firmly.
With his free hand he waved away the formalities as the men he had traveled with caught up to him. “No need to stand on ceremony with me,” he told her. “I’m Nicholas, Nicholas Deakin.”
He still had hold of her hand. Without warning, he pulled her off balance, wrapping his arm across her throat when she stumbled and pressing her tightly against him. Too stunned to try to fight, she saw Sarah start to move toward them, but at the same time she heard the swish of metal against leather as the men behind her both pulled weapons from holsters.
“Sarah, no!” Her warning was choked off as Deakin jerked his arm, but Sarah stopped, her eyes wide with terror. When Deakin beckoned her to come closer, she looked at Alex for guidance. Alex shook her head once and seconds later felt the prick of a blade on the soft skin just beneath her ear.
“No, no! Wait, don’t!” Sarah’s words tumbled together. She instantly held her hands up in supplication and walked across to Deakin.
Everything seemed to fall utterly still then, and all Alex heard was that soft Southern accent as the knife drew blood in a stark warning. “I believe you have something that belongs to me.”
Chapter Fourteen
Sarah’s pale face and wretched expression made Alex feel like crying. It was either that or fight, but the blood running under the collar of her sweater told her the latter wasn’t an option. Neither was giving Deakin what he wanted, because she had hidden the keys in the middle of the fucking forest and in all the excitement since then she had forgotten to let Sarah in on that fact. She caught Sarah’s gaze and hoped to hell that Sarah would follow her lead.
“We don’t have the keys,” she said, even though the mere act of speaking made her bleeding worse.
Sarah blinked in confusion but made no comment, obviously waiting to see what else Alex would say.
“You better be lying to me.” Deakin kept his tone low and controlled, but the point of the knife twisted and Alex gasped in pain.
“I’m not lying.” She thought it would be in their best interests to sound remorseful, despite knowing that she and Sarah would be dead by now had she kept the keys with her. “We knew Merrick was looking for us, that he’d kill us the minute he got what he needed, so we hid them.” She tried to move her head to ease the pressure of the blade but Deakin’s hold on her was unyielding. “We hid them,” she insisted. Panic was muddling her thoughts. She didn’t know who the men were, but Deakin’s demands strongly implied that he and Merrick had been working together somehow. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at Sarah, who gave her a barely perceptible nod of encouragement. The trust she saw in Sarah’s eyes calmed her enough to let her think logically. She needed to buy time, and if she told the truth about where the keys were, Deakin would find them in a matter of hours. The lie came easily to her. “We left them back at the hut. They’re under a rock by a little stream.”
She couldn’t see Deakin, but she felt him incline his head and watched with horror as one of the men walked toward Sarah. Without saying a word, the man pressed his pistol against Sarah’s forehead and forced her to her knees. The click of the safety made Alex jump and she shook her head violently, no longer caring about the knife or the mess it was making of her neck.
“Tell me again, Alex,” Deakin said, his voice sweet and sickly as if he were cajoling a child. “Tell me again where the keys are.”
“At the hut,” she said, sobbing now and so close to giving him exactly what he wanted. She dug her fingernails into her palms and willed herself not to break. “They’re at the hut. I can show you on the map. We hid them under a rock by the stream. Please, please, I’m telling the truth.”
Sarah had her eyes closed and Alex could see her trembling, as if this latest twist had just been too cruel for her to cope with. Deakin nodded once and Alex felt her knees give way, his arm the only thing holding her up. The man standing next to Sarah slowly lowered his gun, and Sarah opened her eyes just before he smashed the gun into the side of her face. She slumped into the mud without making a sound.
“Son of a bitch!” Alex screamed. She kicked back, her hands clawing at Deakin’s arm. He sighed as if inconvenienced and waited unt
il she had worn herself out.
“This is how it’s going to work,” he said calmly, as soon as she had capitulated and sagged against him. “We will search you both and go through your gear. If the keys are not here, Aaron will return to the hut. If the keys are not where you say they are, things will get very unpleasant for you both. Think on that, Alex.” He lowered his arm, and without waiting for permission, she ran to Sarah, who was slowly pushing herself up.
“No, just stay still for a minute, sweetheart,” she said.
Ignoring the advice, Sarah managed to sit up straight, but that was as far as she got before she collapsed into Alex’s arms.
“You’re okay,” Alex said quickly. A large welt was already forming on Sarah’s jaw and a cut in the center of it splattered blood onto the snow. “You’re okay, I’ve got you.”
“Get her up.” Deakin made an impatient gesture from where he stood conferring with his men.
“Might’ve been easier before that prick gave her a concussion,” Alex yelled back, her fury overriding her caution. Then, more quietly, so that only Sarah could hear her, “Can you stand?”
Sarah nodded against Alex’s cheek, her breathing rapid and uneven. It was a trick Alex recognized; Sarah was trying not to throw up.
“Hey, if you’re gonna puke, do it on Deakin’s fancy leather boots, okay?” she muttered.
“I’ll do my best.” Sarah gave her a small smile but then screwed her eyes shut as she stood. “Oh fuck.” She swayed alarmingly. “Where’re his boots?”
Alex somehow kept her upright as Deakin and one of the men approached. The man who had hit Sarah had already gone to the cave, presumably to search and collect their gear.
“Arms out,” Deakin said without preamble.
Alex glared at him. “You want to pick her up again?”
If her tone irritated him, he didn’t let it show on his face. Instead, he roughly spun Sarah around so that she faced Alex; instinctively she clasped her arms around Alex’s neck. At a quiet command from him, the other man stepped forward, and Alex felt Sarah stiffen as he began to search her. He patted and pressed around her torso and down her legs, but she remained stoic despite the indignity, and even managed a shrug when he pulled two stones from the pocket of her jacket. By the time he was finished with her, she was able to stand unaided while he searched Alex. He found nothing but her pocketknife, Merrick’s GPS, and a handful of matches. The guns she had taken from Merrick were still in the cave. At no point had she ever contemplated this scenario, ever thought of arming herself before going to meet their supposed rescuers. She ground her teeth together as Sarah caught her hand in a death grip. If her naivety got Sarah killed, she would never be able to forgive herself.