Nate woke with a start, gun aimed into the darkness. The wind had kicked up, the temp dropped to uncomfortable levels. That wasn’t what had awakened him.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he listened for anything out of place. Macy’s soft breathing filled the space between them. Nothing out of the ordinary, yet something had woken him up.
He lowered his gun, cocking his head at a tiny sound in the distance. A pebble. Dislodged by nature? Or someone’s boot? There were plenty of carnivores in the Sunnats, including brown bears. He had put Macy’s clothes in a zippered bag, but they could smell an animal carcass from twenty miles away. He couldn’t rule out one had caught the scent of the bloody clothes and came to investigate.
Didn’t sound like a bear. They were large and cumbersome. Definitely not light on their feet. If something was out there, it was silent and nimble. Arctic wolf, maybe. Not as much threat, but still dangerous.
Nate leaned toward the opening, listening. The stars and moon in the night sky provided some light. Nothing stirred. He didn’t hear any grunts from a bear. In fact, he didn’t hear anything but the wind.
“Nate?”
Macy’s worried voice broke the silence.
“I’m here.” He said.
“I heard something. Is everything okay?”
“Nothing to worry about. Go back to sleep.”
He heard the rustle of her sleeping bag. “Would you do something for me?”
“Name it.”
A pause. “Would you lay with me? I’m so cold.”
It went against his better judgment, but he moved to where she lay and slid up next to her. He tucked his Glock beneath their makeshift pillow.
“This isn’t exactly what I had in mind. Do you have another bag?”
“No.”
“Then we’ll compromise. Help me out of this thing.”
He unzipped it and helped her roll out of it. She immediately scooted next to him, her head on his shoulder, arm over his midsection.
“Cover us, please,” she said.
He did, tucking the bag more around her than him. He was used to sleeping on the ground with much less than a pillow and blanket. He adjusted his arm beneath her, getting more comfortable.
“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?” Macy asked softly. “What I wouldn’t give for a long, hot bath and my own bed.”
On impulse, he kissed the top of her head. They’d been through hell already and she still wanted to be close to him. And vice versa. What was that?
“You’re a gentleman, Nate Wolff. Thank you.”
She relaxed against him, letting go of her self-consciousness. Her trust made him want to pound his chest like an animal. Instead, he wrapped his hand around his Glock and let his eyes close. Nothing had changed. His number one task was to protect her. Despite how good she felt against him.
****
Macy let her eyes close. Her body soaked up the warmth of Nate’s, easing her shivers. He felt like a big, hard heater and she loved it. Made her feel safe and protected with him next to her. She’d never needed that security before. Not even during some of the more dangerous places she’d traveled with Books for Change. The good outweighed the bad in that job and she’d embraced it wholeheartedly. Never did she imagine she’d end up here.
Memories of how that happened threatened, trying to force their way past her barriers. She pushed them back. Buried them. They were just too painful to let free.
Nate’s lips brushed her hair. “Relax. I got you.” He murmured.
How he knew she’d been struggling mystified her. If not for him rescuing her when he did she’d be—
“Macy. I can feel your tension. Let it go and get some rest.”
“Easier said than done.” She whispered. “Can you talk to me? Just until I fall asleep?”
For a moment, she thought he’d deny her, but then he began to speak in a low, husky voice.
“Back home—”
“Where’s home?”
He gave her a squeeze. “Are you going to let me talk?”
She smiled. “Go on.”
“Back home, in Michigan.” He began again, emphasizing the ‘Michigan’. There’s a boat. An old runabout from the 1930s, built out of the finest mahogany.”
“You’re telling me a story about a boat?” She asked around a yawn.
“Shhh. This boat is twenty-five feet long with a twin cockpit. Now, this boat isn’t just a classic, she’s a beauty.”
“Does she have a name?” Good Lord, she was jealous of a boat. Heatstroke must be scrambling her brain. Nate had saved her life. It was natural for her to feel something for him. A hero worship kinda thing. It would pass.
“Lady Jane. Stop interrupting.”
Lady Jane. Elegant. Proper. A perfect classic name. She liked it.
“This lady was abandoned and left for dead in a boat graveyard somewhere in Maine. Waiting for someone to find her. Restore her beauty and put her in the water again. Where she belonged. So, someone did. Or, is working on it, anyway.”
Lulled to relaxation by the low timbre of his voice, Macy smiled, half-asleep. Nate had a knack for rescuing women in distress. A true knight in shining armor. “That someone must have an eye for seeing beautiful things as they were, instead of as they are.”
He didn’t answer. She hadn’t expected him to. He had replaced her horrible thoughts with those of a mahogany boat called Lady Jane. A very lucky boat indeed.
As she drifted off to sleep she wondered how Lady Jane would look when she was fully restored. A new version of her older self. Her true self. The one buried beneath the battered exterior.
“Lucky boat.” She murmured as sleep claimed her.
****
The next morning Nate was up before the sun had finally risen in the sky. He’d gotten some sleep, but every time Macy made a sound he woke up. She’d slept through the night which was good.
Deciding to let her rest a few more minutes, he left the cavern to do some recon to see what he’d heard last night. He tucked his Glock in his waistband, at the small of his back, and silently left the camp. The sun rose over the mountain, already warming the temps.
He scanned the horizon for any signs of life. Seeing nothing he began tracking any footprints that didn’t belong to him or Macy. Nothing appeared out of place, so he returned to camp. The sooner they got moving, the better. That chopper yesterday had located their position. He couldn’t risk being found today.
“Nate?”
Macy’s whisper greeted him. She sat up, eyes darting from one corner to the other. When she saw him, her shoulders relaxed a little. “Is everything all right?”
“We need to get moving.”
She tossed her sleeping bag off. “Did you see something?”
“No. It’s just safer to continue.”
“Right.”
He helped her stand. She swayed for a second, her hand gripping his forearm, before she righted herself.
“Good?” he asked, hesitant to let go of her.
“Yeah. Just a bit lightheaded.” She squeezed his arm. “No worries. I’m good to go.”
She got points for tenacity. Nothing stopped this woman. Damn respectable.
He fixed an MRE for her and packed while she ate. By the time he’d shrugged his pack on she’d finished. He disposed of the wrapper and held out an arm.
Macy accepted his assistance, using him as a crutch as they left the cavern. Their boots kicked up dust as they made their way toward the next mountain pass. Nate could see more greenery. A good sign because it meant extra cover. Maybe a tree he could snap a branch off to use for a walking stick for Macy.
Their progress was slow. The sun beat down on them. Macy limped heavily beside him, pulling on him more and more.
“Is that water I hear?” Macy panted.
“Ibi River.”
“Can we stop there for a minute? Refill our canteens?”
He’d pushed her hard today. Necessary, but risky. The river would be more sheltered. Safer. And, he did need to refill them. “Can you make it?”
She nodded, breathing hard. Nate put more of her weight on him, practically carrying her. They had reached the valley. Grass replaced dirt, the terrain easier to trek. The valley sloped as they approached the river, putting more pressure on Macy as she tried to walk on an incline. She stumbled a couple times, crying out, but it didn’t stop her.
When they reached the riverside, he eased her down onto a boulder and shrugged off his pack. Not a lot of shade or big trees here. Macy’s face was red. From exertion or sunburn he couldn’t tell. Either way he needed to keep her out of the sun as much as possible.
“Turn away from the sun,” he suggested.
She did, sliding around on the rock so she faced the river, her leg stretched out in front of her.
“Need a couple pain relievers?” He asked.
“Please. And water. My mouth is as dry as a desert.”
“Let me refill the canteens.” He made his way to the edge of the river and crouched down to dip them in. The hairs on the back of his neck bristled. He knew that feeling. Something was wrong.
He dropped a purification tablet in each canteen then capped them as he scanned the horizon. Nothing moved. Nothing he could see anyway. He’d learned to trust those hairs on the back of his neck in the military. They hadn’t steered him wrong yet.
Rising to his feet, he strode back to Macy. He handed her a canteen. “Give it a couple minutes before you drink.”
“Everything okay?” At his raised brow, amended, “You know what I mean. You seem…tense.”
Surprised, and not all comfortable that she’d read him like a book when most couldn’t, he unzipped his pack. “Nothing to worry about.”
“So, there is something?”
Finding an energy bar, he handed it to her along with two pain relievers. He decided not to lie to her. She’d proven she could handle most anything.
“Nothing I can prove. Just a feeling.”
She swished the water in her canteen. “Sixth sense?”
“Something like that.”
“Someone is following us?” She looked around.
“Possibly. Likely.”
“That doesn't make me feel any better.” She muttered.
“Best to be aware.”
Those hairs bristled again. Dammit. They were sitting ducks out here. “Sit tight. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“Hunting.”
Her face paled. “You’re going to leave me here?”
He crouched down, pulled a Sig Sauer from his pack and handed it to her. She stared at it a second before setting the canteen down and taking it.
“Have you ever handled a weapon before?”
“Airsoft.”
Didn’t expect that. How did this woman continue to surprise him? Life with Macy would never be boring.
Whoa.
Nate took a mental step back. Those ridiculous thoughts kept popping up in his head. What the hell? He’d never been distracted on a mission before. Bad shit happened when his eye wasn’t on the ball. His brother had learned that lesson the hard way and the family was still trying to deal with it.
“This is a little different than airsoft.” He said. “For now, just point and shoot.”
Macy nodded, turning the gun over in her hand.
“Safety is here. Make sure it’s on until you’re ready to shoot.”
“Got it.” She met his gaze. “Don’t make me have to use this.”
“I’ll do my best.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze before heading upriver. He stuck close to the water, following it around the bend. The hairs on the back of his neck didn’t alert him to any danger, but he felt like he was being watched. Animal? Human? Couldn’t be sure. All he knew was something or someone was out there. And he had to find them first, before they got to Macy.
He scoured the ground for footprints. Some human, some animal. Most were indiscernible. In a crouch, he moved further along the riverside, his hand trailing the ground. A slight indent in the soft soil gave him pause. Leaning closer, he traced the heel print of a boot. Not a hiking boot, but combat. Like those worn by Diakameli’s soldiers. He’d seen enough of them to know when they had attacked his family on their own soil.
A mixture of bitterness, rage and a strong rush of vengeance roared inside him. The urge to hunt the bastard who murdered his brother nearly choked him. Forcing it down, he scoured the area for more tracks. Nothing. The bastard knew how to hide. Question was, why send only one man? Diakameli didn’t operate that way. He surrounded himself with an army, and sent one whenever he needed something taken care of. Solo missions didn’t fit his M.O. But Nate knew those boots. They were standard issue Azbakastan Army.
So, who the hell was out there?