by Adele Huxley
The light outside eventually faded. Another day gone and luckily this one, without any trouble. Penny wondered if Rhett and Rebel had made it to the Village yet, if they’d found Elle and Ethan. They were probably pouring over the flash drive, making plans without her.
A rising anger bubbled up in her chest, threatening to explode. She wanted to scream with frustration at it all. She’d done so much work, gotten it so far, and they were the ones to put the final pieces of the puzzle together. It wasn’t fair.
With a grunt, she pushed up from the chair. Wobbly with most of her weight on one sore leg, she steadied herself with a hand on the table.
“Stay there. What do you need? I can get you anything you want,” he insisted as he jumped to his feet.
“I have to move around.”
“Are you sure? Aren’t you supposed to keep injuries like that still and elevated?”
“If I don’t move around, I think I’m going to lose my freakin’ mind.”
The tiny cabin still seemed cozy, but she felt like it was only a day away from becoming claustrophobic. And there was always the memory of her past trauma licking at the edges of her sanity, teasingly close enough to tempt her into a panic attack. She hobbled over to the kitchen counter and tried to decide between two silver packets of dehydrated food. Since she couldn’t read Italian, it would be a surprise either way.
“See? That’s where I like to keep my women. In the kitchen.”
Penny turned and froze, leveling a heavy-lidded look at him. “Fire poker or dull kitchen knife.”
Phoenix blinked twice and looked at her with a funny expression. “What are you—”
She cocked her head to the side as she leaned against the counter. “I’m being nice and letting you choose which one I’ll drive into your eye for that comment.”
“In my eye?” he gasped with mock shock. “Bet you wouldn’t say that to my face.”
“No?” Deliberate challenge or not, she couldn’t back down. She limped closer, speaking with every shuffling step. “If I were you, I’d pick the fire poker.”
“Oh yeah?”
“It will at least cauterize the wound before you bleed to death.”
“I love it when you talk all sexy,” he smiled. The cleft in his chin deepened.
She made sure to keep out of arm’s reach. Their banter always cheered her up.
“Come ‘ere. I’ve got something to poke you with,” he growled. He jumped from the chair faster than she could get away. With one strong arm, he hooked her around the waist. They slammed back into the seat, her landing on his lap.
She wiggled to escape, which only made the heat between them grow. The contact caused her heart to race, yet she couldn’t let him think he’d won her over that easily. She only stopped resisting when he tugged a blanket over the two of them. She settled against his chest and watched the fire.
Phoenix’s hands loosened their grip as she relaxed. The flat palm of his left hand slipped under her shirt, warm and still against her stomach. He pulled her hair to the side with the other hand, exposing her collar. When he spoke, his breath was hot against her skin.
“Why did you pick me? Of all the guys on the team, why choose me?”
“Who says I did?” she bit back. He poked her in the side, urging a real response. “I don’t know. I suppose I didn’t consciously.”
His soft lips grazed her neck.
“Why did you chase after me?” she asked, her breath catching in her throat. “I was such a bitch to you.”
“Was?”
Penny wriggled and twisted to try to poke him back. He caught her hand and held it. Their eyes locked as he raised it to his lips.
“Something told me if I stopped chasing you, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
Her mouth fell open slightly as she tried to come up with a witty response, but the truth and vulnerability of his comment stilled any snarky reply she could think of.
His hazel eyes dropped to her lips a second before he consumed them. Nervous, flustered, she laughed against his mouth.
With one incredulous arched brow, he asked, “Was that a giggle?”
She puffed up indignantly. “Your stubble is scratchy.”
Phoenix dragged his nails along his scruffy cheek. “I suppose it has been a couple days.”
Their eyes locked, seeming to question one another, Is this really happening?
Their bodies answered that question. Moments later, he tore his mouth away, hands still hot on her skin. “Is this all… okay?” he panted.
Normally, she would’ve poked at any sign of weakness, in him or herself. But the fact he stopped to ask, with everything he knew about her, took away any last shred of doubt she had. Her eyes welled with tears. She nodded slowly, swallowing back the sudden flood of emotion. Words failed her. There was only one way to show how much it’d meant.
Penny’s fingers slipped into the hair at the nape of his neck as she found his lips once again. Before she knew it, he’d shifted her in his arms and stood. He took a few steps and softly lowered her to the floor, leaving only to collect every pillow, cushion, and blanket in the cottage.
Phoenix reached behind his head and grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling it up and over. Penny only had a moment to admire his physique before he sank to the floor beside her.
“Can… can we go slow?” she asked, feeling ridiculous for even asking.
He cupped the side of her face, his features glowing in the firelight. “You’ve got me for forever.”
While they had an initial connection the moment they met, their relationship was forged in the white-hot flames of a survival situation. The fire that’d existed between them before was impossible to ignore now.
* * *
Hours later, they snuggled together under a pile of blankets, heated by each other and the roaring fire. She couldn’t remember any time she’d felt so completely at ease, both in her own skin and with another person. Comical, considering the insane amount of danger they were still in.
“I have this theory about testosterone,” he said as he traced a pattern along her shoulder.
“Which is complete bullshit, by the way,” she laughed, pressing her hand to his chest.
“You better hope so, cause if anyone comes bursting in here right now, you’re fucked. I’m as placid as a sleepy kitten, so you’re on your own.”
Penny sucked her teeth to keep from grinning. “I’m sure I’ll be alright. And don’t worry,” she said, patting his chest. “I’ll protect you.”
As they lounged in front of the fire, she couldn’t stop herself from yawning.
Phoenix tenderly stroked her hair, only putting her to sleep faster. “You can sleep first if you want. I’ll keep watch.”
She instinctively opened her mouth to lecture him about staying awake and having the gun near him at all times, but realized she didn’t actually want to. She trusted him to keep her safe.
“Don’t do anything funny to me while I’m asleep,” she yawned.
“Define funny.”
Chapter 32
Penny’s voice tore him from a blissful sleep. “Phoenix! Wake up!”
He started, throwing the blanket from his shoulders and sitting bolt straight. “Wha?” It took a few moments to recognize his surroundings, but luckily years of heavy drinking had trained him not to care.
Penny had shoved one of the chairs in front of the door. She crouched in the gap, head barely peeking out above the top. “There’s someone coming,” she hissed.
That was a wakeup call that’d shake the cobwebs from any good dream. Phoenix threw on his clothes and reached the window in seconds. “How do you know?”
She held a finger to her lips. It was only then he realized she had the gun in her other hand. If the fear in her eyes hadn’t scared him to death, that did. This wasn’t a bad dream. This was very, very real.
He strained to hear through the surprisingly thick glass of the window.
Voices.
The hair on the ba
ck of his neck stood on end as he and Penny listened. But something was wrong. They were making too much noise if they were trying to be stealthy.
They both frowned as they clearly heard a woman’s voice. “Oh, will you shut up?”
“Couldn’t be…” Penny muttered, peeking out the window.
Phoenix shoved the heavy chair away from the door and flung it open just as the couple rounded the corner of the cabin. The sound was enough to make the pair spin around in shock. Hunter rounded toward the noise and dropped into something that resembled a karate stance.
“You asshole!” Hadley declared as she clutched her chest.
Hunter was faster to recover. He pulled Hadley to the cabin while laughing at himself. “I was ready to karate chop your head off.”
Phoenix tried not to laugh, but couldn’t help replay the move in his mind's eye. “I was pretty scared.” He shut the door behind them and moved to the side to give them room to shake the snow off.
“Maybe next time you can give us a little warning,” Hadley smiled at him, still breathing heavy with shock.
“Maybe next time you should keep your big mouth shut,” Penny commented from the kitchen.
The glare Phoenix leveled at her from across the room went completely unnoticed.
“What happened? Why are you guys out here?” Phoenix asked. He gestured to the seats in front of the fire. “You hungry? Thirsty?”
“Yeah, both,” Hunter nodded eagerly.
Penny reluctantly busied herself in the kitchen, but kept an ear on the conversation.
Hunter checked with Hadley before speaking, almost as if giving her a chance to tell the story. “We hung back, like we said. But what you guys were saying kinda bounced around in my head, right? So I made sure we stayed in that little shed at the edge of the property.” He leaned forward, hands wringing and twisting together. “I figured if we could see ‘em coming, we could figure out if they were a threat or not.”
The water in the kettle began to roil and bubble, making it harder to hear from the kitchen. Penny inched closer, stopping at Phoenix’s side.
“A couple choppers flew over and checked things out, like they were looking for a place to land. A lot of people ran out into the open and waved for help, but they flew off.” He stared at his massive hands, trying to keep his emotions in check. “It didn’t feel right. If they were coming to rescue us, why was it taking so long? I wanted to leave then, but she convinced me to stay.”
Hadley stared into the fire, her jaw working. She remained silent.
“They came back just before the sun went down. I pulled Haddie back. I wanted to watch ‘em, ya know? See what they did before I went out waving them over. I don’t know if the others were too desperate or their brains were working right, but the second I saw those white outfits again, I was done.”
“They were wearing the same clothes as the guards?” Penny gaped.
Hunter shrugged. “Maybe they all shop at the same outlet center. I don’t know. But some part of my lizard brain was telling me to run, so we did.”
“How many people do you think they took?” she asked.
“Thirty? Forty? I’m not really good with stuff like that. Less than were on the buses originally.” He cleared his throat and finished. “A lot of people didn’t climb outta the snow in the first place.”
“I’m glad you made it out,” Phoenix said.
“Me too, man. I think they had some kind of heat goggles, too. One followed us for a bit, even in the dark.”
“A couple followed us, too,” he replied. They shared a knowing nod, a gesture that said, You don’t have to explain.
The boiling kettle broke through the somber conversation. Penny left his side and busied herself at the counter. “Let’s get you fed and watered then.”
As the pair ate, he and Penny took turns getting them caught up on everything from Charlie’s betrayal, to Claire’s escape, and Rhett’s reappearance. They talked like old friends catching up after years apart.
“How’s the gunshot?” Penny asked.
Phoenix jumped. “Fuck! I completely forgot. Are you okay?”
Hunter shared almost the same reaction. “I assume so. It’s just a little sore, if I’m honest.”
“There’s a small first aid kit here,” Phoenix said. “I can take a look at it.”
“Yeah, man.” The tough hockey player bravado was back and firmly in place. “Knowing my luck, I’ll get through all this only to die from MRSA or something,” he laughed, clapping Phoenix on the back.
He peeled the layers off, wincing only on the last one. The blood had dried and caked to the fabric, so when it tore free, fresh blood oozed out. Penny moved to the bed as they shifted closer to the light of the window.
Phoenix examined the wound. A long gash had torn though the edge of his thick shoulder muscle. “This doesn’t look half bad, you know.”
Hunter tucked his hair behind his ear and looked down. “I heal quick.”
“I think there might be some shrapnel or buckshot or whatever you call it in here,” Phoenix said, prodding at the circular wounds surrounding the cut.
“It’ll be alright,” he replied through his teeth.
Phoenix quickly got to work, but the peace in the cabin would be short-lived.
“So you hurt your ankle, huh?” Hadley smirked, lingering by the fire. She had wisely ignored Penny up to that point. But like a match to dry hay, all it took was a tiny spark to ignite the whole thing.
“Yeah, two days ago, before we left you. You’re forgiven for not noticing. I’m not the sort to complain about every broken nail.”
“I broke this one,” she blinked innocently, holding up her middle finger.
“I’m about to break something else,” Penny replied with a vicious grin.
“I’d love to see you try, sweetheart.” Hadley cocked her head to the side, her shark’s smile growing wider.
“Babe,” Hunter warned.
“What? I’m just having a little fun. She can obviously take care of herself,” she responded in a perfectly reasonable tone. She turned more toward the fire and dropped her voice. “As long as she has someone to use.”
The squeak of the bed was the only warning she gave. Without a sound, Penny launched herself at Hadley like a maniac. Phoenix and Hunter broke away fast enough to stop anything before it started.
Penny thrashed in his arms, desperate to claw Hadley’s eyes out.
“Knock it off!” Hadley screeched. Hunter pushed her all the way to the other side of the cabin. She stopped fighting him, yet still yelled over his shoulder, finger waving in anger. “You might have the rest of them fooled, but I see you, bitch. I see you!”
“You see me? You know what I fucking see?” Penny shouted in his ear. She tore away long enough to grab something from the pocket of her coat. She pushed against Phoenix’s chest once and when he didn’t move, turned her barely contained fury on him. “Let me through.”
He stepped aside.
“I have never met someone so selfish and stuck up their own ass in my entire life,” she stated as she stormed toward them. “You think you’re little miss independent? You don’t need no man?”
“I swear to God,” Hadley sneered, slamming against Hunter’s arm.
Penny thrust out a black external hard drive. It was no bigger than a pack of cards and about as thick. A short USB cable dangled from her palm.
“Prove it. Drop the damsel in distress schtick and prove you’re as badass as you pretend to be.”
Hunter was able to check over his shoulder as Hadley calmed. “What is this?” she asked suspiciously.
“This is everything I have on everything. It’s my hard drive. I grabbed it when we were up at the bus. Now obviously I’m not getting out of here any time soon, so I’m giving it to you. If you care about what happens to your friends and innocent strangers, you better make sure this gets to the right people.”
Without waiting to see if she’d rise to the occasion, Penny droppe
d the drive on the table and hobbled back to the bed, chin held high. The tension in the air calmed. Even though Penny and Hadley were sequestered to either side of the cabin, the men still checked over their shoulders.
“I don’t have to say it, but you’re welcome to stay,” Phoenix offered.
Hunter gave him a wide-eyed, almost comical look. It was one he’d seen many men share behind the backs of women. “Oh no, that’s okay. I think we’re better off heading back to the Village like the others.”
Phoenix nodded, grateful he’d chosen not to lock the two women together in the same room. He didn’t have to say it, but they were both thinking it.
I’d rather take my chances with the armed psychos out there than these two in here.
“Alright. Lemme get you patched up,” Phoenix chuckled, heart still racing.
* * *
Their goodbye was significantly less touching than the one they’d shared with Rebel and Rhett. While Phoenix was glad to know they were alive and well, he didn’t have nearly as much confidence in their survival abilities. Still, Hunter seemed capable enough and if anyone in this world could keep Hadley in check, it was him.
“I can’t believe you gave her that hard drive,” Phoenix said as they shut the door. “I approve of the new, trusting Penelope Frost, but that seems reckless.”
Penny tutted. She hobbled over to her coat and sank to the bed as she rummaged through the pockets. “You know how they make toy vacuum cleaners for kids? Or toy lawn mowers?”
He never knew how to follow her train of thought and was constantly caught off guard. “I guess…”
“And the kids push ‘em around thinking they’re being helpful?” she continued, gesturing with her hand.
“Yeah.”
Penny pulled out an identical hard drive from the inside pocket. She gave it a little wiggle. “I just wanted Princess to feel like she was helping.”
“Jesus, you’re twisted,” he laughed. “So it’s a complete fake?”
“No, not at all. It’s got everything on it. So even if by some miracle she does right by everyone, it’ll work out. If she doesn’t…” Penny’s gaze darkened as she trailed off.