Slowly, she reached back to her pack and pulled her bear gun from the hidden pocket. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? Her family would blow a fuse when they found out. She’d just keep that part of the story out when they got home.
If they got home.
Tapping Davis on the arm, she held the gun out to him when he turned his attention to her. His lips arched up and appreciation beamed from his eyes. He silently slid the magazine out, checked the load, and eased it back in.
“Ammo?” He whispered the question.
She pulled the two spare magazines from the side pocket of her pack, gritting her teeth and holding her breath when the movement rattled the spruces’s branches. Opening her palm to Davis, she shrugged and mouthed, “That’s it.” He nodded and curled her fingers around the magazines.
“Do you think we’ll catch up to her?” The shooter’s voice broke the quiet of the forest, causing a squirrel to chatter angrily.
“You better hope we do,” his partner growled back.
“You don’t think Zhang would actually kill us.” The tremble in the shooter’s laugh showed his nervousness.
“I’m just glad he didn’t shoot us right there and burn our bodies with the miner’s.” The second man stopped below the tree stand and ran his hand through his hair before shoving his hat back on. “Though he probably would just toss us in the woods and let the wolves and bears take care of us. Less evidence that way.”
“Dude, not cool.”
Sunny could see the shooter’s face through the thick brush and branches. He had his eyes open so wide they looked like they’d pop out. The other man pointed his gun at the shooter. Sunny held her breath, wanting to close her eyelids just in case. She didn’t think she could handle watching someone else get shot.
“What’s not cool is you not taking care of the girl in the first place and putting us on Zhang’s radar. Now she has help, and if we don’t find them, we’re both dead.” He shoved his gun in his holster and squatted.
“We don’t know if she has help or not.” The shooter shook his head as his partner scanned the ground. “Whoever’s tent that is could have gone to town. Shoot, it could be her tent, for all we know. If it’s someone else’s, he’ll get back and find just a burned up shell and his friend’s remains.”
“Maybe. We can’t assume anything since we thought Justin Freedom was mining alone.” The partner stood and tossed a leaf down. “Even if she doesn’t have help, she’s good in the woods. I can’t pick up her trail.” He cursed and kicked at the moss. “I can’t track in this stuff.”
She shouldn’t feel bolstered by the evil man’s comment, but she was. If they got caught, it wouldn’t be from her inexperience. She smiled at the knowledge the man just gave her, but it quickly morphed into a grimace as a searing cramp shot up her thigh and back.
She smashed her lips together and gritted her teeth. The pain increased. She needed to adjust her position. If she moved, the men would hear. There was no way they wouldn’t, not with them standing right below the tree stand. Her breath shuddered as she inhaled, and she squeezed her eyes closed as a tear rushed out. Of all the times to have her muscle spasm, this had to be the worst.
Davis touched her foot, and her eyes popped open.
“You okay?” he mouthed.
She lifted her shoulders a fraction and silently replied, “Muscle cramp.”
He nodded, his eyebrows V-ing together in concern as he did a quick scan of her before focusing back on the men. He slowly leaned more into her, tucking her leg between his arm and body. She hid her smile against her knees. Davis really was just a big ol’ cinnamon roll—crusty on the outside, but warm and sweet on the inside.
To distract herself from the men still arguing below, and her body rebelling in pain, she thought back to the time she’d spent with Davis in Kentucky. He wasn’t a part of Lena’s regular security team, so Lena had set it up that Davis pretend to be Sunny’s boyfriend there for the wedding and to help her babysit after. Sunny hadn’t complained, since the man was hotter than an Alaskan wildfire. After an awkward week before the wedding, she and Davis even had fun at the reception, dancing most of the night away under the Kentucky stars.
Sunny’s cheeks heated as she remembered the way he’d held her while they’d danced. The touch of his palm burned against the bare skin her low-backed dress exposed. He’d pulled her close, his lips skimming her ear as he whispered words that had made the air thin like she was on top of the world again.
“Firefly, you’ve got me on dangerous ground here.”
Opening her eyes, she leaned her cheek on her knees and stared at Davis’s profile. He never told her why he called her that. She hadn’t cared, not when he said it like a caress. He’d been so professional the entire week leading up to the wedding, holding hands and staying close to her for appearance’s sake, but remaining distant. The change at the reception had pleasantly surprised her and led to the best two weeks she’d had in a long, long time.
Then…nothing.
Ghosted.
The pain moved from her leg to her heart. What was it about her that made men disappear? She didn’t think she was annoying. Cheerful, yes, but not in the irritating way.
“They’re gone.” Davis sighed low and hugged her leg to him. “You okay?”
No. Not really, but she wouldn’t tell him that.
“Yeah.” She forced a smile and stretched her leg out. “Felt like a bear had gripped my back and tried to pull me apart.”