“Once we get some distance away from here, we’ll find a place for you to hole up while I circle back to the mine.” Davis crawled toward the entrance.
“Wait. What?” Sunny snagged his arm and pulled him back. “I’m not hiding.”
“It’s not safe.”
“Duh, Captain Commando.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s why you need me.”
His head shook before she even finished her sentence. “I’ve done this a thousand times. Special Forces, remember?”
“With back up, or do you not remember them?” Her voice snapped with sarcasm.
Man, even angry, she shined. He couldn’t risk her getting hurt or caught. Couldn’t trust himself with her safety, not with how his PTSD could make him snap in rage or freeze solid with fear.
“Sunny, I’ve been trained for exactly this. Spent years in the army doing nothing but sneaking around.”
“And what do you think all those years I’ve been bow hunting have been?” She pushed his shoulder. “Do you know how hard it is creeping within twenty feet of a thousand-pound bull moose and not be detected? Or what about a dall sheep on the open rocky mountainside or a full-grown grizzly? Darn near impossible, which is why most hunt with rifles.”
“Sunny—”
“No, don’t Sunny me.” She gripped his sleeve in her fingers. “You’re not leaving me, Davis.”
Her fingers trembled against his arm. If anything happened to her, he’d hate himself for agreeing to let her come.
He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Okay, Firefly. You win.”
Her smile almost blinded him, so he pulled his hand away and quickly continued in his sternest tone.
“You follow everything that I say. Everything.” He cocked his eyebrow at her.
“Yes, sir.” She saluted.
“I’m serious, Sunny. If I tell you to run, you run. No questions, and I promise I’ll be right behind you.”
“Follow orders. Got it.” She reached for her pack. “You might not believe this, but my dad ran a tight ship. Sure, I’m used to being the leader, but I know when to give the helm to someone more qualified.”
“I know. I’m just… scared.” There. He said it.
“Me too.” Her serious gaze stared at him over a trembling smile. “We’ve got this.”
She reached toward her pack, and he shook his head when she pulled her bag to her. “I’ll carry it until we get close to camp. Save your strength.”
“Fine. Let’s go.” She peered through the roots toward where the men disappeared. “No baddies this way.”
He eased out of the shelter and scanned the area for shadows that didn’t belong. When he saw none, he hoisted her pack over his shoulders and motioned her up the hill. When she made it halfway to the top, he followed.
As he crested the rise, he found her searching the area like a true soldier. All her bubbly personality had dissipated to intense focus. Maybe they could do this together.
He nodded at her, hiked her pack higher on his shoulders, and circled back toward the mine. No one could call her weak. Her pack weighed a ton. It reminded him of all those missions he’d had to haul gear for days on end.
As they walked within a quarter mile of Justin’s mine, a dark plume of smoke rose from the trees.
“Davis.” Sunny spoke his name low, almost inaudibly.
“I see it.” He looked back at her, not wanting her to go any closer. If whoever had caught the cabin on fire was still there, she’d be in even more danger.
“Don’t even think about it.” She pushed past him and disappeared into the willows.
He huffed a laugh and let his smile free. There really wasn’t anything worth grinning about. Yet, his Firefly still knew how to light up his darkness, even after he blew it with her the first time.