by Jade Alters
He walked toward the lodge, bag in hand, and immediately my skin prickles and the hair on the back of my head stands. He was walking toward Ellie, and I couldn’t have that.
I tell myself that this is ridiculous. This man was no threat to Ellie or us, but I rushed out of the cabin anyway.
“Hey!” I said with a friendly wave of my hand. “You must be Mr. Cortez.”
“Orlando,” he said, holding out his hand which I shook briefly.
“Sure.” I reached for his bag. “I’m Cole Clark, manager of Clarkstown Lodge.”
“You’re the guy I spoke with last night.”
“That’s right. If you follow me, I just got your cabin ready for you. Well, mostly ready. I just lit the pellet stove, so it’s a little chilly yet.”
“Don’t I have to check in?”
“Naw. Our census is light right now. Easy enough to keep track of who is here.”
“Is there anyone else?”
I didn’t like how he said this. Like he was probing for information.
“It’s off season. There’s me and my three cousins. We’ve one guest. She needs quiet time for her work. Keeps to herself.”
“I see.”
My feet clattered up the stairs to the porch of the cabin. “Say, what made you choose us? Our usual clientele are regulars that come here every year.”
“I guess I needed a little quiet time myself,” he said.
That wasn’t much of an answer, and my bear woke up and checked this guy out. Even though his credit card and ID ran through fine, I got the sense he was not telling me the entire story.
Now I had another thing to worry about because I do not know why this guy is here, and my bear does not trust his story.
I opened the door and waved him in. Cortez stood just inside the door taking in the rustic hominess of the log cabin. The logs were squared so the walls were flat, and elastic sealant used for chinking nowadays kept the cabin relatively air tight. The pellet stove in the center of room venting out the old stony chimney had done its job and warmed up the cabin.
The furniture were various pieces made by Clark men over the decades, some skilled and some not so. There was a kitchen table and chairs, a wicker couch with pads made from stuffed quilts made by various Clark women, a wicker chair and smaller tables.
Some Clark men, however, were not talented in woodworking and some of the worst pieces we had I’ve long since “recycled” for the Hammer mill that pulverized them to dust so I could make pellets. Making our own pellets takes a little time but worth it monetarily. Using the biomass from around the lodge was a cost-effective way to heat cabins and gave me some alone time from my cousins.
“It looks fine,” said Cortez.
“There is a microwave in the kitchen and a propane stove for serious cooking, and the refrigerator. Sorry, no dishwasher. The water is well water, so don’t worry about using too much cold water. Take it easy on the hot water though. It’s a small tank.”
“That’s fine.”
“You did remember to bring in your own food? That’s not part of the accommodations.”
“Well, I thought I’d pick up stuff here.”
“We don’t open our lodge store until Memorial Day. But there’s a general store in town. That’s the closest. Otherwise you’ll have to drive a way to the next town to find a grocery.”
“I guess I better go shopping.”
“Here’s your key. If you need anything, come up to the lodge, or use our app.”
“You have an app?” His voice was skeptical and impressed at the same time.
“Yeah. Drew, my geeky cousin made it. Comes in handy. It’s free on the app store. Just look for Clarkstown Lodge.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Towels, soap and shampoo are in the bathroom.”
“How about that? A five-star cabin in the woods.”
“A little more than that. When you look out the window tonight, you’ll see a million billion stars.”
“I’m looking forward to that.”
“We have a small beach, but the water’s too cold for swimming. We usually rent canoes, but they are in storage right now. If you need one, let me know and I’ll pull one out.”
“No, I’ll content myself with walks.”
“That’s fine. We’ve got seven square miles of area you can wander through, though you might want to inform the desk if you go out farther than the top of the ridge. We wouldn’t want you to get lost and then send out Marcus to fetch you. He’s our local conservation officer, and he’ll find you but give you a stern lecture about hiking safety.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” said Cortez with a smile.
“Good. Then I’ll get on to my other work. Nice to meet you, Orlando.”
“Bye.”
I walked away, but I did not like this man on our property. And when I turned at the door to say a final goodbye, I caught a glint of metal under his jacket as his bent to pick up a magazine. From Zain and Drew, I knew very well what this was.
A gun.
What the hell was our guest doing with a gun?
I had to tell Zain and as quickly as possible.
Ellie
If my head wasn’t swirling with the attention of the Clark cousins, all of this would be meaty material for a romance novel. Three hot guys after me? Oh man. Never in my life did I have this problem. Heck, I didn’t even have a high school boyfriend because of how many times we moved.
I grew up in Witsec, government protection, and they shuttled us from one place to another quite a bit. My father, it seemed, had tendrils everywhere. If it wasn’t his club, Satan’s Sons, tracking us down, a one-percenter club looked to cash in on the bounty that my father posted. Mom knew better than to hang out in the biker bars but since the advent of the digital age, it was easy enough to send a text with a picture. Mom was terrified of going out, and I only did because I had to go to school. Between our constant moves, changes in schools and hiding out in the house, I had no friends. I had my books which made things more bearable, but I was miserable most years and impossible my teenage years. We once had to move from a town and a school I really loved because I insisted on going to prom with guy whose father ran the local biker gang. Yeah. Idiot teenager, too much to drink and diarrhea of the mouth earn us our next visit from Witsec and us ghosting that town.
God. How I hated my life.
Mom died, and I left the program and didn’t know the continuing problems living as a Witsec kid generated.
They gave me a passport and a social security number but not a birth certificate. The passport was supposed to cover ID issues. It didn’t. Not always, especially when someone wanted two forms of ID. A lack of continuous school records didn’t impress college admission officers, and I was left to falling to my own devices to earn a living. Thank the Lord for my love of writing, the internet, and online freelance platforms. Now I have a thriving business, a robust client list and a job I can take on the road when I need to.
But with the Clark cousins chasing me, I am not getting my work done. And if I don’t write, I don’t eat. I mean, I literally have about a week’s worth of grocery money on my debit card, and that wouldn’t get me far. I had to put down some serious words to get enough money to get out of here to my next shelter, wherever that would be.
Cole walked into the lodge with his face as grim as could be. With purpose, he walked to the front desk and punched in a number.
“Zain, I have talk with you. Yeah, I think so…No, can’t. Yeah, Ellie is still here. Okay, I’ll do that.”
The phone hit the cradle more solidly than I expected.
“Cole? Is everything okay?”
He poked his head around the corner to peer into the sunken great room of the lodge where I sat. “Yeah. Everything is fine. I’m going to keep the door locked though. Don’t try to answer it yourself.”
“What’s going on, Cole? You are acting spooked.”
“Nothing to worry about. Someone’s been trespassin
g, but it could just be neighborhood kids looking for a place with some privacy. Sometimes our hunting cabins are popular spots for teenage explorations. But sometimes, people come off the Appalachian Trail looking for food, so I’ll keep the door locked.”
I didn’t like the sound of that at all.
“People?”
“Your basic mountain man, rage-against-civilization type. Homeless, mostly though, sometimes criminals on the run hide out in it. There are shelters on the trail. Not homey but keeps the rain off you.
“Wow. I’d like to see it.”
“You would? Are you into camping? Hiking?
“I haven’t done either, but anything new that helps to fill the reservoir of a writer’s knowledge is helpful. You never know when a little detail will help flesh out a story.”
“I like that you’re willing to try new things,” he said. Cole seemed to relax a bit more now, talking with me. But I’m still aware that he walked into the lodge highly spooked.
“You can say I was born trying new things,” I replied.
The front door rattled.
“Damn it, Cole,” rumbled Zain through the door.
“Zain? Didn’t he just leave?”
“Yeah. He must have forgot his lunch.” Cole’s eyes crinkled, and I knew he was lying. What was he hiding from me?
Cole stepped outside, further arousing my suspicions, and I decided to test out the crutches. I’d used them during my teen years after an unfortunate attempt at skiing, so I made my way to the door.
Cole hadn’t shut the door, and he and Zain were in an animated discussion with Cole gesturing to one of the other cabins-the one I supposed the new guest was in. Zain nodded.
“I’ll take care of it.”
Cole started for the front door, so I moved in the direction of the bathroom.
“Hey!” said Cole as he entered. “What are you doing?”
“Need to use the bathroom.”
“Oh.”
“So, what’s up with Zain?’
“Oh, he forgot a piece of equipment. I told him it was in the storage shed.”
“Seems like a long way to go to get a piece of equipment.”
“Do you need help getting to the bathroom?” Cole said. This abrupt change of subject confirmed Cole hid something from me. But it wasn’t like I could make him tell me what.
“No. I’m fine.”
“Hey, are you hungry? What about lunch?”
“I thought food wasn’t part of the cabin rental.”
He grinned at me. “That’s true. But you’re injured. We’re civilly liable to make sure you don’t injure yourself on our land again. And they do say the kitchen is the most dangerous room in the house.”
“Well, as long as it’s a legal thing,” I said. He smiled at me with the broadest, heart-melting grin I’d ever seen.
“But ’they’ are wrong,” I said. “The bathroom is the most dangerous room in the house.”
“Then I’ll have to have a talk with my sources of information,” he said. In a second, he was at my side and looking down at me. Damn, how can any one man be this gorgeous? He smelled of clean air, smoke and aftershave and the collision of these intoxicated me. “Maybe I should give you a hand in the bathroom. Just to make sure.”
My knees weakened, and I clung desperately to my crutches to keep me upright.
“I really should take care of that myself.”
“No,” he said seductively, “I insist. I’ll help you inside and then leave you to do your business.”
“That’s certainly above and beyond.”
“Anything for my guests,” he said in a voice so smooth it was like warm caramel sliding down a scoop of ice cream. All I wanted was for him to wrap his strong arms around me, so I could feel the strength of his body.
Cole put his arm around my waist to steady me as we made our way down the hall toward the bathroom. He opened the door, and I stepped forward but forgot and stepped on my twisted ankle. With horror, I fell forward and instinctively squeezed my eyes against the impending fall.
That never came.
Instead, Cole wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me upright.
“Are you okay?” he said. His warm brown eyes were filled with concern as if my well-being was the most important thing.
“Yes, fine. Thanks,” I said breathlessly. My heart flip-flopped as he held me against his taut body. I turned to face him. “Really, I’ve got this from here.”
He smiled. “You sure? Because from where I stand, I’ve got you.” Cole watched me with magnetic intensity as if he wanted to know every thought that crossed my mind.
Oh, I had thoughts. Wildly inappropriate ones where I stroked his cock to hardness, and put it in my mouth, and watched the expression on his face as I…
Stop. Just stop. I had to fight the strangled breath in my throat. Damn. This guy was so hot I was melting from the inside out, my brains along with my core, and I had to pull away before I did something incredibly stupid.
My heart did not get this memo as the delivery service from my brain to the rest of my body was short-circuited by Cole’s sheer sexiness. He leaned his body achingly close to me, and his manly scent intoxicated me, and right at this moment, I wanted him to push me against the wall while I wrapped my legs around him. I did not know what was happening to me, this lack of common sense, but I didn’t care. He was just too damned delicious.
Electricity ran through me, driving a need to get closer to him as if our flesh was melting into each other now. My mouth may have parted inviting him to kiss me, which he did, slowly, purposefully, imparting a thousand promises that couldn’t possibly happen. But I want to believe them, at least now, because I never wanted him to stop touching me.
The front door slammed open.
“Cole!”
Zain’s voice projected through large space of the lodge, and Cole pulled away with regret in his eyes.
“Stay here,” he whispered.
I did not want to let him go, but I did. Cole and Zain talked in hushed urgent tones, and then footsteps sounded on the floorboards coming towards me. Zain’s hulking form filled the hallway.
“Come with me,” Zain said as if his words brooked no argument.
“What’s going on?”
Zain stepped forward and without preamble swept me into his arms.
“We have to get you out of here, now.”
Zain
“Backpack,” I said gruffly to Cole who shook his head but went to the kitchen to get my prepacked backpack. I opened the closet in the wall opposite the front door and pulled out an empty backpack.
“What is going on?” said Ellie. Her eyes narrowed, and it was obvious she wasn’t happy, but I would to protect her.
Cole trotted to me.
“Arm,” he rumbled unhappily and slung the backpack on my left shoulder.
“Where are you taking her,” Cole demanded.
“You know where I’m going. Don’t make me say it.”
“Please do,” said Ellie sarcastically. “I’d like to know where my kidnapper is taking me.
“Look,” I said. “I just tossed off our property a man with a gun—a man whose ID did not check out. I don’t know who he is, but he isn’t here for the fishing.”
Fear sparked in Ellie’s eyes. “What does he look like?”
“Why, Ellie,” said Cole. “If someone is looking for you, we need to know.”
“Yes,” I rumbled in agreement. “We’ll protect you. But you have to let us know what from.”
Ellie looked away and bit her lip.
“Just get me on the bus, and I won’t bother you anymore.”
“Do you think it’s that easy? Ellie, I’m not going to let you out on the road with someone after you.”
“It’s my business.” Ellie’s eyes glittered with determination, even though she lay in my arms. And curiously, I didn’t want to let her go. She was a petite woman, almost nothing in my arms, yet her eyes burned with an intensity th
at cast a shiver down my spine and made me very aware of her presence.
Yes, it was her business. But curiously, it was my business too. Ellie showed up on my land on my watch, and there was no way I would let her come to harm.
“So, he’s gone then.” Cole said. His eyes glowered, and anger rolled off the normally jovial man.
I nodded. “Call Drew. Give him the information the man gave you when he registered and tell him to run it. Also let him know I’m taking ‘personal time,’ and to meet up at our spot tonight.
“All of us?”
“Yes. And put up the ‘closed for the season’ sign. We’re shutting down until we get this cleared up.”
“I’m glad you are taking this seriously.”
I nodded. We are a territorial lot, and these unwelcome intrusions were wearing on my nerves. Sure, we got the odd teen pair of miscreants who trespassed for fun’s sake. But this was different. First a known criminal and now an unknown with a firearm taking up residence until I kicked him out.
“Let’s go,” I said. I handed the empty backpack to Cole. “Bring up her clothes later.”
“Now wait a minute,” Ellie said struggling in my arms. “I demand to know what you plan to do. Where are you taking me?”
“Full of questions,” I rumbled. “I’ll answer yours if you answer mine.”
Ellie’s lips drew a tight line. She wouldn’t tell me anything.
No matter.
“I thought as much,” I said and started for the door.
“Wait! My laptop.”
“We will not have internet service where we are going,” I said.
“I don’t care about that. But I have work to do.”
“Hmph. Cole, put her laptop in here.”
