The smile Sunny gave him slid warmth under his skin and deep into his cells. He nodded and turned toward the door, needing space to clear his thoughts. He slowed his rush into the bigger room to intercept Momzilla so he didn’t look like he was running away. In truth, he didn’t know what to do with Sunny, run away or draw closer. The fact that he didn’t know scared him.
Davis stumbled behind Sunny through the undergrowth. Alaska had to be the most frustrating terrain to navigate, with its permafrost marshes and moss that sucked his foot in and tripped him up. It made him miss Colorado’s high-desert mountains, where he could hike forever with no issue.
“Come on! I think she’s this way.” A yell from behind pushed him to stretch his legs farther, terrain or not.
Davis had hoped for a bigger lead, but nothing had gone in their favor. Sunny didn’t look back, just plowed forward. He kept an eye on her trail, glad at least the horrible terrain mostly covered their tracks.
She’d recovered from her teeter on the edge of breaking down. He didn’t blame her. This was her first experience with such evil. He’d almost blown it back there too. If it hadn’t been for her stopping him, he’d probably be tossed in the burning cabin with Justin.
Davis shook the thought away. He just needed her to continue believing that he could keep her safe. Having her trust burned away everything else. He’d seen the doubt in her eyes. Had she heard the desperation in his voice when he’d practically begged her to have faith in him? The vulnerability left him exposed, and he didn’t like it.
He glanced behind and caught a swath of color through the brush about three hundred yards back. The men gained ground. If Davis didn’t come up with something, and fast, his and Sunny’s position would be completely blown.
Why had he let his guard down around camp and not carried a sidearm? They kept a rifle at the cabin that they’d take to the mine site just in case an animal wandered too close, but he hadn’t used it since he got there. It had helped ease his stress-level not carrying a weapon all the time, always looking for danger.
Stupid move. He’d buried his handgun so deep in his gear stashed in his totes, he hadn’t been able to find it when he needed it most. Now he had nothing but his hands and what he found in nature to protect Sunny with. And those only worked if the men chasing them got close enough.
He peeked back and stumbled when Sunny grabbed his hand and yanked him off course. Jerking his attention to their front, he scanned for whatever danger she’d seen. Nothing was there but an overgrown trail barely discernible in the thick moss.
A branch jabbed him in the neck as Sunny barreled into the thick brush, dragging him with her. She let go of his hand and crawled through the tangled branches. This was a bad idea. Shouldn’t they keep moving fast, not creep through bushes?
He stopped short when the branches opened to a small half-circle at the base of a cluster of black spruce. In the middle was an old ladder tied to a handful of trees with frayed rope. Sunny scampered up the ladder, the rungs creaking with each step.
Davis tipped his head up, his eyes widening in shock. Two partial plywood sheets hid among the branches. She reached the first one, tested its stability, then climbed on.
Why was that even there, and how did she know it was?
Her head popped over the side, and she waved him up. He glanced back toward the men. Their loud rush through the forest probably meant they hadn’t actually seen Sunny. That or they didn’t care enough to keep quiet.
Why would they? The only ones around to hear them were Sunny and Davis. And if their noise pushed their prey along, eventually Davis or Sunny would make a mistake.
“Psst.” Her noise barely made it down to him.
He peered up. She pulled her eyebrows together and jerked her head, motioning him to get up there. Was that the right move?
He surveyed the small space and the brush around the trees. If he stayed below, he could keep anyone else from going up. But, if they saw him, they could just put a bullet through his chest from outside the brush and then climb up anyway. Maybe having the higher vantage point would be smart. Most people never looked up.
“Psst.” Sunny’s call hissed more insistently down at him.
If he didn’t join her on the platform, she’d probably come down for him. So much for him being at the helm. Didn’t matter. She’d found a place to hide. Hopefully, hiding was the right option.