The falling in love with Oz part had been so very easy, but I’d been a fool to think for even one second that I could go back to the life I’d once had.
I forced myself to focus on working my way back to the creek and creating several false trails for the attackers to follow. They’d probably eventually figure out my ruse, but it would hopefully buy us the time we needed. My hope was that the weather station had a working radio, but I knew it was probably unlikely since the station was undergoing repairs and had been for the better part of a year. At worst, it would give us a place to hunker down for the night, since I didn’t want to risk the treacherous terrain in the dark. Not with Oz being both inexperienced and injured. My ultimate goal was to get to the vacation cabins on the other side of the pass. Even though they weren’t occupied over the winter, they had working landlines and I’d be able to call for help. The road leading to the cabins would be deep in snow, but not impassable.
My eagerness to get back to Oz had me working quickly. I kept scanning the woods around me, fully expecting to come under attack, but there was only the silence of the forest settling down for the night to keep me company. When I was satisfied that I’d covered our trail as best I could, I rushed back to the line cabin. Thankfully, Oz was still out. I shook him awake and felt tears sting my eyes when he let out a soft little cry when the pain in his shoulder hit him all over again.
“Jake?” he asked in confusion.
“I’m here,” I said. “Need you to drink this for me, okay?”
I had him drink a little water, then dug out a protein bar and some more ibuprofen. I wished I could give him something stronger for the pain, but I needed him to have his wits about him.
“What… where are we?” he asked as he looked around. “What happened?”
I stroked his cheek and said, “You got shot. Do you remember the guys showing up at the cabin?”
He stared at me in confusion for a moment before the sleep cleared from his eyes and he came completely back to me. He nodded and said, “But you’re okay, right?”
I let out a strangled laugh. Leave it to Oz to get shot and chased through the woods by a bunch of gun-toting assailants and be worried more about me. I kissed him softly. “I’m better now,” I admitted. “I’m sorry, Oz, but we need to keep moving.”
Instead of questioning me, Oz nodded and said, “I’m okay. Let’s go.”
His unfailing trust to follow me so blindly made my heart hurt. “God, Oz, I love you,” I said softly as I put my hand at the back of his neck to hold him still so he’d look me in the eye. “I thought I’d lost you.”
He shook his head. “Never, Jake. You’re never going to lose me.”
I dropped my head to his chest and received a lick from Boo. I smiled and then eased my arm around him to help him stand. I felt him press his mouth against my shoulder, presumably so he wouldn’t cry out. I held him until he was steady on his feet, then quickly cleaned up our stuff. I put my arm around him, careful not to put any pressure on his shoulder. I needed to get his arm in a sling, but more than anything, I had to get him out of harm’s way, so with that thought in mind, I got us both moving.
Chapter 29
Oz
The weather station was only a slight improvement over the cabin. But it got us out of the cold, so I didn’t really care. And unlike the cabin, there were a couple of things we were able to make use of, including a foldable cot and a few blankets. My shoulder hurt like a son of a bitch as Jake helped me sit down on the cot and covered me with blankets. My mind was a little clearer than it’d been earlier in the day, but I still had trouble keeping my eyes open. I didn’t even realize I’d dozed off until sometime later when I woke up in Jake’s arms. We were lying on the cot with Boo snuggled between us. Between the regular blankets and the thermal one, I almost felt warm.
“How are you feeling?” Jake asked.
“Okay,” I said. Despite the pain in my shoulder, I reached out to touch his cheek. I hated that I couldn’t see his eyes in the darkness. I knew he had a flashlight, but it was stupid to waste the battery just so I could see his face for a little bit. “How are you?”