“Must be a woodchuck or a raccoon,” Hawk says, holding his position.
In the moments that we’re paused, there is no more noise. In fact, there’s no sign of life at all. The mountain is still, which I would normally be grateful for. But there’s an eerie feeling crawling through my stomach that I can’t ignore this time.
“I think we should go.” I turn back and face the opposite direction, expecting that he’ll follow down, but he doesn’t.
He looks toward me, his gaze more discerning than before, more definite. “Nah, let’s keep going.”
I shake my head and the heavy weight that had been on my shoulders sinks into my stomach as I look into his eyes. “No. I think we should go.”
He stares at me, his dark eyes wide as he settles the heel of his hand on the gun at his hip.
Hairs on the back of my neck stand as I slowly begin to regret every decision I’ve ever made in life.
This handsome man isn’t who I wanted him to be, and this certainly isn’t playing out like one of the fantasies in my head.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he says, “but I need you to guide me up this mountain. Do you understand?”
I swallow hard and stare back at him, my throat tight with fear. Something tells me, he’s not here for pleasure, and I’m about to become one of those cautionary tales moms tell their little girls.
Chapter Two
Hawk
She’s clever. I’ll give her that. And beautiful…too beautiful.It’s a distraction. Her big brown eyes, that thick waist, and round ass are all too much. That, or I’m simpler than I thought. But this woman is perfection. She’s short, delicate, and steeped in an innocence that makes me excited to explore her further.
What the hell is wrong with me?
“Who are you?” Her voice is firm and confident, though I can sense her fear as though it’s a primal instinct. A wild heathen part of me wants to pin her beneath my frame until she’s thrashing and whining. It’s a dark excitement that steals me away to a place I shouldn’t be going. A place where I make her mine, and every other decision is out of the question, despite how wrong it is. Hell, she’s got to be close to twenty years younger than me. Not to mention, a thousand times better person. I don’t deserve her.
“It doesn’t matter who I am,” I grunt, reaching back for her hand as I hop over a boulder on the path. “I just need your help getting to the first cabin. When I’m there, and everything is good, you’re free to go.”
She narrows her brows. “What does that mean?If everything is good?”
I debate how much to tell her. If she were to break free and run, she could jeopardize everything. Then again, if she knows what’s going on, she might stay closer… if she believes me.
“Are you going to kill me? I’m just curious because I’ve watched about eight million crime dramas and I thought you seemed sketchy, but I—”
“If I were going to kill you, would I be listening to you ramble on about crime dramas, or would I have done it already?”
She looks away and shakes her head. “Well, it depends what kind of killer you are. Some of them like to play with their victims. Others like to do it fast.”
“I’m not going to kill you,” I growl, studying her pretty face. “In fact, if it’s up to me, not a hair on your head is harmed, but I need you to listen.”
She narrows her brows and looks toward me with rigid shoulders and a heaving breast line.
I hold her arm gently. “Can you promise that you’ll stay with me until I give you permission to leave?”
She sucks in a sharp breath and stops dead in her tracks, staring blankly ahead as though she’s seen a ghost.
I follow her eye line into the darkening woods, but there’s nothing there.
“Did you see something?”
She narrows her brows and turns back toward me. “I thought so. I thought I saw a man… but he was wearing a black hood. I think I read about this. It’s psychosis. People who’ve been through a traumatic event experience it. If you let me go, I promise not to tell anyone you’re up here. The rangers are going to be looking for me in two days, anyway. Probably sooner if my parents don’t get a call tonight.” She’s rambling. “My mom is relentlessly overprotective. You don’t have a chance. Either you let me go, or you’re going to end up in jail… or worse. People up here take vigilante justice seriously.”
She’s not wrong about that one. I did read about a bunch of locals going crazy on a drifter for skipping out on his diner check. But if I tell her all the details of what’s going on, she’s going to run right back down this mountain and into the house of a retired detective and a mother who has an affinity for crime. Nothing good will come of that.
“I told you,” I run my hand over her arm in comfort, “I’m not going to hurt you. So long as you stay by my side, you’re safe.”