STANDING UP FROM the couch felt like a hammer pounding his joints. He had suffered a few bruises from the accident but walking through the snow the half mile carrying Sleeping Beauty hadn’t helped.
The puzzle pieces were starting to fit together, and the biggest clues were the dress and the cabin. She’d skipped out on her wedding and here they were at the honeymoon lodge. A little on edge, Gray wondered if a disgruntled groom would show up looking for his runaway bride. No one was going anywhere in this weather, but for theory’s sake…how would Gray explain? He wouldn’t. He’d just walk away…but where would he go? His Jeep was totaled, and it was so damn cold outside that the wind had left a burn on his skin. And with his aching body he’d rather not chance being out in the storm walking another who knows how far to reach shelter.
Going to the kitchen, he poured himself coffee and spread out a map he’d found in the drawer. He had Rock Ridge circled in red, his target location. From his calculations, he was about ten miles from where he figured Phantom was hiding. Rubbing his brow, Gray might as well be a hundred miles because without snow gear and a vehicle, he wouldn’t make it two miles without feeling the effects of the weather. Not to mention, he couldn’t leave the mystery woman alone—at least not until she woke up. What he could hope for was that if the roads were closed, Phantom would stay put. Gray had heard on the radio that all roads had been shut down due to weather conditions. No cars could pass.
Gray dropped his fist on the table, sloshing coffee onto the map. “Shit!” He glanced across the room at the couch. She was still sound asleep.
He cursed himself for not having any gear with him. Every single survival apparatus was back at the office. Hell, in his favor, he hadn’t expected to be searching for a criminal in a blizzard. Still, he was usually better prepared than he was now.
When the sun came up, he could access the situation, but without a vehicle how far would he get?
Hearing a soft moan from Sleeping Beauty, Gray hurried into the next room and found her thrashing around. He knelt beside her and gently held her arms down so she couldn’t hurt herself. “Hey, sweetheart. You’re okay. Can you hear me?”
Her eyes opened into slits. “Wh-where am I?” she asked in a croaked voice.
“You’re at the cabin. What’s your name?” He removed his hands from her slender wrists.
“Stormy. West,” she muttered. “Wh-who are you?”
“Nice to meet you Stormy West. I’m Grayson Carlisle. Or Gray. That’s what everyone calls me.” Some relief spread over him. He’d been starting to get worried that she needed medical attention, but her waking up was a sign that she was getting better. He needed to ask her some questions and get a good idea how she was feeling…and hopefully some answers on what the hell she was doing out here. Her eyes came open wide and she had amazing, ice blue eyes.
“Do I know you?”
“No. We’ve never met. I came upon you while you were walking in the snow. Do you remember?”
She blinked as if she was attempting to piece the memories together. “I-I remember walking, it was cold, then headlights…I jumped to miss a vehicle.”
“Yeah, you remember.” He’d wait to fill her in on the fact that he’d swerved to miss her and hit the mountainside. “Are you warm enough?”
“Yes.”
“Are you hurting?”
“A little.” She lifted her hand and touched her forehead, squinting. “Ouch.”
“You have a small cut that I treated with ointment and bandaged. You didn’t need stitches.”
“Are you a doctor?”
“No but feel safe enough knowing I’ve patched up a lot worse. Anything else hurting?”
“I’m sore all over.”
“That’s about to be expected.”
“I’m so thirsty. Can I have something to drink?”
He smiled. “Let me take a close look at you for injuries now that you’re awake and then I’ll grab you a bottle of water. Okay?”
“I thought you said you aren’t a doctor?” Her thin brows came together.
“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing. I’m certified in first aid.” He took her hands into his, seeing how small they were mixed with the finger marks on her skin lit his protective side. “Can you squeeze my fingers?” She did. “Good job.” He turned her hand over and swallowed. There he found another bruise, probably from a thumb, and about the size of one too. Acid rose in his throat and it took him a good three seconds to drag his head back on track. It wasn’t any of his business.
“I think I’m okay.” Her soft voice brought him fully back to the situation. “Right?”
“You have some bruising and you’ll be sore for a while, but nothing’s broken. I couldn’t find any pain meds here. How about I grab you that water now?” He stood, not waiting for her answer and stomped to the refrigerator, all the while gritting his teeth. Sure, it was none of his business how she got the marks on her wrist, but he sure as hell hoped the jilted groom didn’t show up pounding on the door because it might become Gray’s business right quick.
Having no clue about the situation, he felt relief that she had backed out. Instinct warned him that she’d been in trouble and things would have been far worse if she’d gone through with the marriage. Uncapping the lid to the bottle, he handed it over and she sipped. “Not too much. It’s possible you have a concussion.”
“I’ve lost my clothes,” she muttered.
“Sorry. They were wet and I took them off.”
She blinked. “You did?”
Would she slap him? “Yes.” He wouldn’t blame her if she did.
“I’m glad to get that horrible thing off,” she mumbled. “Is this your place?” She tried sitting up but squinted and touched her temple.
“No. I found the key in your coat.”
“I think I have some aspirin in my purse…ahh, wait…I don’t have my purse, do I?”
“I didn’t see it in your car.” His mind came up with a dozen questions, but he didn’t want to bombard her, not when he could see she had a headache. He could use an aspirin himself.
“I didn’t get very far walking, did I?”
“You wouldn’t have gotten far in those shoes you were wearing.”
“The only other option would have been barefoot.”
“I need to know. Should I be on the lookout for a rejected groom?” He didn’t want any trouble, unless it came to him protecting the beauty.
There was a hesitation that spoke volumes, and it contradicted her response. “No.”
Gray nodded, not feeling convinced, but he wouldn’t pressure her. Fact was, neither of them were going anywhere tonight, maybe not tomorrow. This definitely wasn’t how the night was supposed to go down, but maybe a twist of fate kept him from making a big mistake that could have cost him his life. Sleeping Beauty—or rather, Stormy seemed okay and by morning he hoped she was much better. Tomorrow he could walk back to the accident scene and see if there was a chance he could get the sports car out of the snow, but the Jeep wasn’t going anywhere until a tow truck could make the mountain. He had his gun safely tucked in the closet and they had a roof over their heads. When the sun came up he’d devise a plan, but for now, he’d attempt to relax and hope the aching in his knee and arm didn’t get worse.
He watched her eyes drift shut and that was his cue to retire to the bedroom and grab some winks too. Dropping into the bed, his head had barely hit the pillow when he closed his eyes and was out like a light.
*
Phantom smiled. His plans were coming together. Even Mother Nature worked in his favor. He touched his arm in thought. The bullet wound had healed, but his anger hadn’t. He didn’t like anyone getting in the way of his plans and Agent Carlisle had made a dire mistake when he foiled Phantom’s plans.
Soon—very, very soon—he’d show the lawman.
Phantom clicked on the TV, scrolled through the channels and stopped on a news channel. There was breaking news on another soft target attack. This made him thirsty, but he had to stay focused on his plans. He’d spent too long waiting for the day that he’d see Carlisle pay the price.
Patience was a virtue.