Then There Was You

by Heather Thurmeier

“Once we hit the fire pit, we head northwest into the hills for about half a mile. When we get to the big boulders, we’re basically at the front door. It’s hidden, but it’s there.”

  “Sounds very Batcave-like.”

  “It is. You won’t believe it.”

  He put their empty dinner dishes beside the cooking fire that was still burning to give them light, then settled back in beside Sara, drawing her close. “You know what I don’t believe?”

  “No,” she whispered.

  Dane cupped her jaw in his palm, his fingertips threading into her silky hair. “I don’t believe how amazing you are. Every second I’ve known you, you’ve surprised me with your knowledge and planning for this unexpected moment.”

  “Except for my lack of knowledge about weapons, right?” she teased.

  He smiled. “Nobody’s perfect. But you’re pretty damn close.”

  Dane kissed her. It didn’t matter what was going on in the world or even what would happen in a few hours when he met her family at the bunker. The only thing that mattered was this moment, kissing Sara. Her sweet lips parted to invite him in. Her hands traveled across his stomach, leaving behind a wake of tingling nerve endings.

  “Be with me. Here, in this moment.”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Sara pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on a log. He made quick work of his pants and boxers, pausing only long enough to realize he didn’t have a condom with him. Or his wallet. He was basically naked, figuratively and literally.

  “Crap,” he muttered, sitting on the silver sheet Sara had put out earlier.

  “What?” she asked while wiggling out of her panties and tossing them onto the rest of her already discarded clothes.

  She stood before him, naked, silhouetted by the firelight behind her. The sight of her made his predicament even more painful.

  “We can’t.”

  “What do you mean?” Kneeling beside him on the blanket, she looked concerned. And hot. Holy shit, the girl was hot. Her breasts were firm and perky; her nipples already budded in the cool night air, as if teasing him. What he wouldn’t give right now to suck one into his mouth. Damn he wanted to be with her. But he couldn’t.

  “I left the cabin without anything. No extra clothes, no wallet...no condoms. I know it’s a survival kind of situation out here so modern conveniences might not be available, but do we really want to risk bringing a child into that? So we can’t.”

  Sara cocked an eyebrow at him, her expression cunning and sultry at the same time. She didn’t speak, simply grabbed her backpack and started rooting around inside of it. A second later, she held a square packet in her palm.

  “I always come prepared.” She offered him her treasure, which he eagerly accepted.

  “Yes, you do. And you shall be greatly rewarded for your preparedness.”

  Dane kissed his way to Sara’s breasts, teasing them into even harder peaks, then continued down along her stomach. When he got to the junction of her thighs, he stayed put until she quivered beneath his mouth and called out his name. His name had never sounded so awesome before.

  When he finally thrust into her, he kept his pace slow, taking the time to enjoy every sensation she offered his body. As far as he was concerned, they could stay in this moment forever and he’d die a happy man.

  ***

  Dane woke with a kink in his neck. He shifted his head only to find a rock poking him in the temple. He couldn’t lie there any longer. He had to move and hopefully he could do it without waking Sara. She shifted slightly as he wormed his way out from underneath her, but quickly settled back into a peaceful sleep.

  It had been easy to drift off on the hard ground after the lack of sleep they’d had in the last twenty-four hours, on top of all the exercise they’d done, hiking and otherwise. He’d love nothing more than to drift off into a dreamless sleep for another twelve hours or so, but that couldn’t happen. He’d give Sara another few minutes to rest then they should get up and make the last leg of the trip.

  Dane left the cluster of pines still lit by their fire and let his eyes adjust to the darkness beyond them. He wandered a few feet from camp. While relieving his bladder onto a bush, he peered around in the darkness, trying to make out the difference between the hills and the valleys in the dark. But everything looked like dark on more dark.

  Everything except the grouping of tiny lights, twinkling and swirling, from back the way they’d come earlier. He cursed. The movement of light wasn’t that of anything natural. Nope. It was the movement of flashlights climbing over the rough trail, practically following their footprints.

  He bolted back to camp, waking Sara quickly with a gentle shake. “Get up. Get dressed.”

  Dane pulled on his own clothes and shoes while Sara struggled into hers, clearly still in a sleepy fog. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I was wrong. We were followed. By the looks of the lights, there are at least three of them. Possibly more.”

  Fear flashed across her face. “I can’t let them find the bunker, but where else can we go?”

  Dane gripped her shoulders. “You’re going to the bunker, now, in the dark, alone. I’m going to take the flashlights and head back toward the cabin around the other side of the lake. Hopefully they’ll think we’re going back and will follow me.”

  “No. I’m not leaving you.”

  “Yes, you are. We both can’t make it to the bunker with them following us. You said it yourself. We can’t let them find it. This is the only way.”

  “No!” Her voice broke. “Don’t leave me. Come with me. We’ll fight them together.”

  “You’re a much better fighter than you were a few days ago, but look at what happened with the guy at the cabin. I didn’t even kill him and you looked at me like a monster. I’m going to have to do whatever it takes to keep you safe, even if that means taking them down. Permanently. I’m not sure you can do the same.”

  Dane kissed her, wishing he could imprint the memory of her lips on his. He wished more than anything that he could take her all the way to the bunker, but he couldn’t.

  He pulled away and grabbed the flashlights. He shouldered his guns and his bow and forced her to do the same, ignoring the tears on her cheeks.

  “I’ll fight. I promise, just stay.” She pleaded. He wanted to give in. “I won’t let you go without me. I won’t lose you.”

  He racked his brain trying to come up with some solution that would save them both. “Okay. Here’s what we’ll do. You go in the dark to the fire pit and wait for me for a couple of hours. I’ll lead them away from the location and try to take them out so they can’t follow us again. Then I’ll double back to you.”

  She nodded, wiping away her tears. “Promise you’ll come.”

  “I’ll do whatever I can to get to you. But you have to promise me something, too.”

  “What?” she asked, her voice shaking.

  “If I don’t come by the time the sun is high, you go without me.”

  “No.”

  “Yes, it’s the only way.” He pulled a handgun from her bag and shoved it into the waistband of her jeans. “Keep this close, just in case.”

  He kissed her again. This time it felt like good-bye. “Now go. We don’t have time to fight about this. I’ll meet you later at the fire pit.”

  He waited long enough to watch her stumble off into the darkness, weighed down by her heavy gear and weapons. Dane hated that his last words to Sara were a lie, but he didn’t see any other option.

  Flicking on his two flashlights, he started off in the other direction hoping to see the lights behind him follow.

  They did.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sara paced around the circumference of the fire pit. Again. It was only her sixteenth lap. Other than her footprints in the dry dirt, there was no sign that anyone or anything had been here before her. Her family either hadn’t come through the dirt or hadn’t been here at all yet. She had a sinking feeling she was on her own. Ex
cept for Dane. Wherever he was.

  How long had she been there already? How much longer should she wait for Dane to come? It wasn’t yet daylight; the stars were still out and twinkling.

  What would she do when she was done waiting?

  She stopped walking at the sound of a noise in the bushes. A figure stepped out of the darkness from between the trees, but it wasn’t Dane.

  Sara instantly recognized the short man from a few days earlier, one of the initial scouts who’d come to the house. The one who’d originally been hiding in the tree line while the tall one got her to open the door.

  If only she’d been smarter that day and not made any noise. Not opened the door. Maybe they would have gone away and left them alone. Maybe they never would have learned that Dane had guns and ammo.

  “All alone today,” the man asked, coming into the clearing around the fire pit.

  “I could ask you the same question.”

  “Where’s your boyfriend? Isn’t he here to protect you?”

  Sara didn’t plan on giving this guy any information. “He’s around.”

  “Pretty, and a liar, too. That’s a deadly combo.” He sneered. “I happen to know he’s not here because he wandered off in one direction while you came this way. You guys thought you were sneaky, but you’ll have to try harder than that.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He laughed. “Your boyfriend said the same thing when we found him. Said you were ‘around,’ but you weren’t. And now I have you all alone.”

  Fear spiked inside Sara. “What have you done to him?” If they’d hurt him.... No. Don’t think that way, she scolded herself. There was no time for negative thinking like that now.

  “I can’t tell you that, sweetheart, since I didn’t stick around long enough to see my buddies finish him off. But he was looking pretty rough when I left.”

  “You son of a bitch. I’m going to make you pay for hurting him.”

  Sara reached for the knife tucked into the outside pocket of her backpack, but someone grabbed her wrist from behind before she could. She didn’t wait to find out who it was. It didn’t matter. She twisted, thrusting the hand of her free hand up and out as hard as she could. Her palm connected with a nose, followed by the distinct sound of bones crunching.

  The feel of snapping bones under her hand and warm blood running down her wrist was enough to make her gag, but she swallowed hard and bolted from him while he screamed and clutched his face. She didn’t recognize the man she’d hurt, but it didn’t matter who he was. He’d attacked her and she had to defend herself.

  She pulled her knife free, then held it out in front of her. “What do you even want from us? You took the cabin. We don’t have anything else.”

  “I don’t think you’re telling the truth. I think you do have something. Something better than the cabin, otherwise, why would you give it up so easily? I bet you’re hiding something, and I’m not leaving until I find out what it is.”

  The man behind her lunged for her, his hands covered in his own blood. Without thinking, she moved toward him, slashing the knife the way Dane had taught her. She connected with his stomach, a large gash opening, spilling his blood. He sank to his knees.

  Tears clouded her vision but she quickly blinked them away. In another time, another place, she’d have a complete breakdown about what she’d just done. A few days ago, she never would have thought she could be this kind of fighter. She didn’t have any choice in the matter now.

  The short guy rushed her, knocking her onto her back. Her knife flew out of her hand; the air was forced from her lungs. She gasped for breath and struggled against him, trying to find a way to her feet. He attempted to pin her to the ground but her backpack and weapons made it impossible. She rolled to the side, kicking and punching as she did until she was able to get to her feet again.

  Her knife was gone in the darkness so she pulled out the small handgun Dane had tucked into her waistband. She didn’t want to use it, but she didn’t see any other option.

  “Leave me alone or I’ll shoot,” she said, making her voice as strong and convincing as possible.

  “No you won’t. You’ve probably never even held a gun before.” He moved toward her, slowly. Obviously she’d landed a few good kicks at least.

  Sara clicked the safety off, her finger hovering over the trigger. “I have, actually. Last warning.”

  He paused as if considering his options. When he lunged for her, she closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.

  The sound of her gunshot echoed off the rocks of the hills around her, as did the sound of the man’s screams as he clenched his thigh. She probably should’ve been disappointed with her aim, but at that moment she was thankful she hadn’t killed him. Or the other guy, still writhing on the ground, holding his stomach.

  She wasn’t a killer. She only wanted to get away.

  Sara sprinted out of the fire-pit clearing and back into the woods. After a few minutes, she stopped to catch her breath. She’d done it. She’d defended herself and had gotten away from not one, but two grown men all on her own.

  It was official—she was completely badass.

  Sara doubled over as the dinner she’d eaten earlier came up and she heaved it out onto the ground. She took a sip from her water bottle to rinse her mouth then spat that out too.

  So maybe she wasn’t completely badass.

  Taking in her surroundings for the first time, she stopped and listened for the sounds of the men following her. She hadn’t killed them, but hopefully she’d hurt them enough that even if they could follow her, they wouldn’t want to. Hopefully they’d wander off in search of a hospital and finally leave her alone.

  Through the trees, a set of lights was barely visible. The sky was brightening as dawn approached, and soon she wouldn’t be able to see the lights anymore. It must be Dane, or the rest of the men. Either way, she had to find out.

  ***

  Dane’s stomach clenched as another fist connected with his ribs. Damn, the guys fought dirty. It didn’t seem to matter that they had his fallen weapons at their disposal; they preferred to beat the snot out of him the old-fashioned way, with fists. Lots of fists.

  He’d already successfully taken down a couple of the men, but these last two were giving him a workout. He suddenly had a deep understanding of how a punching bag must feel as one guy held his arms behind his back and the other worked out his frustrations at life on Dane’s unprotected midsection.

  Another hit connected with his jaw, sending his head snapping to the side and his teeth clattering together. Damn it. He was going to need a doctor and dental work if he didn’t stop them soon.

  Dane hung his head as if he’d been defeated, hoping they’d take the bait. Blood dribbled down his chin from a cut inside his mouth, and he watched as it splattered on the leaves at his feet.

  “Had enough? That all you can take?” The jackass who’d just pulverized his ribs sneered at him. “Not so tough now, are you?”

  The guy behind him let go of his arms and Dane fell forward. A boot hit his side as he landed on all fours, almost knocking the wind out of him. He tried to push to his feet, but couldn’t find the strength.

  A boot connected with his ribs again, but this time Dane saw it coming at the last second. He grabbed the guy’s ankle and twisted as hard as he could. Something popped and the guy screamed, crashing to the ground. Dane jumped on him, smashing a fist into his face, feeling pretty damn justified about it.

  The guy lay unconscious beneath him. One more down. One to go.

  Dane quickly staggered to his feet, facing the last man standing. Earlier, the group of thugs had split up, with two going after Sara, the rest staying to mess with him. Just the thought of those men hurting her gave him the last burst of energy he needed to survive. He’d do whatever it took to get to her.

  Before he could decide his next move, the final guy rushed at him, hitting him full force in the chest. Dane stumbled back int
o a tree. The air rushed from his lungs. The guy punched him in the gut before he could get the next breath in.

  His knees gave out and he slumped down along the rough bark. Halfway to the ground a hand wrapped around his neck, holding him to the tree trunk.

  “Tell me where you guys were headed. Tell me where all your hidden supplies are because they must be somewhere nearby.”

  Dane’s head swam from the lack of oxygen. These guys weren’t stupid. They’d quickly figured out that Dane and Sara had somewhere else to go. And they’d followed them to find out exactly where they were headed and what they were hiding.

  But Dane wasn’t about to sell out Sara or her family. This guy could do whatever the hell he wanted to torture him, but he’d never give up the bunker location. He’d never put Sara’s safety at risk.

  “I don’t...know what...you’re talking about,” he managed before the hand on his neck tightened. He saw flashes of light as his peripheral vision faded to black, his vision narrowing as the darkness took hold. He was going down, but at least Sara wouldn’t go down with him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sara peered through the trees trying her best not to draw any attention to herself. She held back her urge to call out to Dane when she saw him thrown against a tree trunk and held by his throat.

  She raised her bow and looked through the sight. It was too hard to tell where her arrow might hit. Maybe she would hit the guy choking Dane. Or maybe she’d hit Dane.

  The risk of putting an arrow into the wrong man was too great. She couldn’t take the shot.

  Lowering her bow, she crept forward quickly and quietly. She had to be less than twenty yards away, but that was still longer than any shot she’d practiced. She wasn’t good enough for this kind of high-pressure shot, but she was running out of options, fast.

  Sara took a few more steps forward and to the left, hoping it would give her a safer angle. When she peeked around the side of a large tree, she saw Dane’s legs go weak, his head flopping forward, lifelessly.

  She smothered the scream threatening to burst out of her at the sight of Dane collapsing. There was no more time for fear or doubt anymore. Sara raised her bow, arms shaking. Pulling back the string, Dane’s words echoed in her mind, steadying her arms and her determination to make this one shot count.