by Lara Lacombe
She cursed softly, despair rising in her chest once again. Maybe her phone had service... She clung to the tendril of hope as she dug her cell from her pocket and glanced at the display.
No such luck.
Rebecca sucked in her cheeks as she considered her options. She could leave Quinn and head back out into the night in search of the radio. Or she could stay here and wait for morning. Neither option was appealing. Quinn seemed fine for now, but there was no guarantee he would stay that way for long. What if she left and he needed her? What if his attacker came back to finish the job and found Quinn alone and helpless?
But if she waited until morning, they’d have to go that much longer without help. If she managed to find the radio and call in for assistance, people would set out right away. Sure, they’d have to wait a few hours until anyone arrived, but that was better than waiting all night.
Could she find the radio, though? The waxing moon provided a nice glow, but it was still quite dark. What where the odds she’d be able to find the small monitor, and then find the cave again? She wasn’t familiar with these trails or the terrain. And with the way their luck was going right now, she’d probably slip on some gravel and fall off the side of the mountain before she could get back to Quinn.
I’ll stay here, she decided. She couldn’t risk leaving Quinn alone, not under such precarious circumstances.
“What’s wrong?” His voice cut through her thoughts, and for a split second, she debated lying to him so as not to upset him. But she dismissed the idea almost immediately—Quinn deserved to know the truth of their situation. They were in this together, for better or worse.
“I lost the radio,” she confessed. “I think it fell off my belt somewhere along the trail.”
Quinn didn’t respond, and she began to wonder if he’d heard her. Had he fallen asleep?
“Well,” he said finally, “that does put a damper on things.”
His mild response was so unexpected she couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s it?”
“What do you mean?” He sounded puzzled.
Rebecca shook her head, even though she was outside the circle of illumination provided by the flashlight. “You’re pretty calm, considering I lost our only means of calling for help. Don’t you want to yell at me or something?” In truth, she wished he’d display a bit of anger. She felt terrible, and Quinn’s understanding strangely enhanced her guilt. If he would just cooperate and argue with her, she’d have a distraction to focus on, to keep her mind off their predicament.
“I don’t think yelling at you is going to bring the radio back,” Quinn said logically. “And besides, I don’t have the energy right now.”
“Fair enough.” She rummaged in one of the bags and pulled out a bottle of water. “I think you should probably drink this.” She unscrewed the cap and passed the bottle to Quinn, who took it and stared at the label for a moment.
“You’ve lost quite a bit of blood, if your shirt is any indication. I think the water will help you feel better.” She didn’t really know if that was true, but it sounded good and it made her feel like she was helping him.
Quinn lifted one shoulder and grimaced as the movement caused him pain. “Probably can’t hurt,” he muttered, taking a healthy swallow.
Rebecca watched him drink, the tension gradually leaving her muscles as she realized he wasn’t going to collapse in front of her eyes. Now that they could rest, hopefully Quinn would regain some of his strength before the sun rose again.
She idly played the beam of the flashlight across the walls of the cave, exploring their surroundings. The red rock surface was irregular, dotted with pits and a few small holes here and there. The silk threads of spiderwebs glistened in the light, making her shudder. Best not to think about what creepy-crawlies might be living here...
“How did you know about this place?” Quinn had to be tired, but she wanted to hear his voice. It was selfish, she knew, but she felt very alone and scared. She needed to know he was still there, or her imagination would get the best of her.
“It’s my job.” His voice was heavy with fatigue and pain, but he took a deep breath and spoke again. “I found it not long after I started working in the park. I figured if I was in the area and ever needed an emergency shelter, this would do.”
“You’re the ultimate Boy Scout,” she said, admiring his foresight. “Always prepared.”
“Words to live by.”
“Speaking of living, do you think anything calls this place home?” She tried to sound casual, but she couldn’t disguise the note of worry in her voice.
“You mean like a mountain lion or a bear?”
Or a snake or a giant spider, she thought. “Well, yeah.”
“Probably not,” he said. “There are no bears in the park, and I don’t smell any evidence of a cat.”
“You can smell them?”
“Sometimes. It’s a musky scent, maybe mixed with blood from a recent meal, or scat if they’ve been marking their territory.”
“Oh.” Rebecca felt even more out of her depth. If Quinn wasn’t here, she wouldn’t last a hot minute on her own.
“But like I said, there’s no mountain lion here.”
She let out her breath. “Okay. I believe you.”
“Good. Now turn off the flashlight so we can get some rest.”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight,” she said.
“Probably not,” he replied. “But we need to save the batteries. And we don’t want to advertise our position, in case he’s looking for us.”
Quinn didn’t need to define who “he” was—given Harry’s earlier absence from the campsite, who else could have attacked Quinn? Rebecca hoped she’d scared Harry away with her gun, but it was possible he’d gone back to his campsite, gathered his friends and some weapons, and set out again to finish the job.
She flicked off the light, her stomach twisting a bit as absolute blackness enveloped them. She’d never been afraid of the dark before, but tonight she felt very small and alone.
“Come here.” Quinn’s voice was soft but kind, as if he knew what she was feeling.
She scooted closer to him, moving carefully so as not to hurt him. “Do you need something?”
“Yes,” he replied. “To hold you.”
Her heart warmed at his words. She found his hand in the dark, and he guided her to lie alongside him. He threw his arm over her torso, a warm, heavy weight that anchored her in place. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered.
She laughed weakly. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line? You’re the one who’s hurt. I should be comforting you, not the other way around.”
“We can help each other,” he said. His breath was warm against her skin. Against all odds, Rebecca felt her body relax. The ground was hard and cold, the darkness hid any number of creatures she did not want to think about, Quinn was injured and she’d lost their only means of calling for help, and there was a very real possibility Harry and his friends were even now hunting for them. She should be wound tighter than a coiled spring, but the tension in her muscles eased and her panic slowly drained away. Their situation was definitely not ideal, but she wasn’t alone. She had Quinn by her side, and that made all the difference.
“Try to sleep,” she said softly. “I’ll keep an eye out.” She bent her knee, drawing her leg up so her gun was within easy reach. The chances of them being found tonight were small, but if Harry and his cohorts showed up she wasn’t going to be caught unawares.
“Wake me in a bit,” Quinn said, his voice sleepy. “You need rest, too.”
“All right,” she lied. She had no intention of disturbing Quinn, but she knew he wouldn’t sleep unless she agreed.
He let out a sigh, and after a few minutes, his breathing settled into the deep, regular rhythm of sleep.
Rebecca stared into the darknes
s, her thoughts racing and her heart filled with emotions she wasn’t sure she wanted to name. Seeing Quinn at the mercy of his attacker had taken years off her life. She’d responded without thinking, firing at the masked man before stopping to consider that she might miss and hit Quinn instead. Her shock and fear had driven her actions, and now that the immediate threat had passed, she was angry with herself for letting her emotions rule.
It wasn’t the first time she’d let her heart take the lead where Quinn was concerned. Ever since she’d met him, Rebecca had felt drawn to him on a visceral level, one not subject to logic. Her attraction to Quinn and the feelings she’d developed for him were larger than life, something she couldn’t control or contain. She simply had to accept them, and learn to deal with the consequences.
As she felt the warmth of his breath on her skin, she realized her attachment to Quinn was no longer casual, or a flight of fancy she could dismiss as the by-product of a stressful situation. No, it went much deeper than that. She’d fallen in love with the man, against her better judgment and despite any number of reasons why she shouldn’t. For the first time since losing Brandon, her heart was making itself known. For a long time, she’d feared losing Brandon had meant the end of her ability to love. Now she realized her heart had been broken, but it wasn’t dead. It had simply gone into hibernation, coating itself with a protective layer of ice so that it could heal in peace. Now that she was starting to feel again, it was clear she was tougher than she’d known. She’d always carry the scars from Brandon’s death, but like an oyster with a grain of sand, her heart had absorbed the blows of his loss and turned them into a pearl of strength.
Quinn sighed in his sleep, his arm tightening around her for an instant before his muscles relaxed again. Even unconscious, he was determined to keep her close. Did that mean he returned her love? She knew he cared for her, but it wasn’t clear if his feelings had deepened. Everyone grieved at their own pace, and it was possible Quinn wasn’t ready to love again. Possible, too, that he might never be ready. The thought made her stomach twist, but it was a risk she had to acknowledge.
And if he didn’t return her love? What then? She couldn’t force the man to open his heart. All she could do was confess her feelings and hope for the best.
Her heart fluttered in her chest as she imagined saying those three all-important words. How would Quinn respond? Would he smile and embrace her, or freeze in shock? Either way, she had to know. If she’d learned anything from her past, it was that life was too short. She couldn’t afford to waste time, especially not when something as important as love was involved. She’d take her chances and deal with the fallout, come what may.
But not tonight.
She shifted a bit, trying to dislodge a rock under her hip without waking Quinn. He didn’t move, which both pleased and worried her. He’d been through a lot tonight, and she wanted him to rest. But she remained hyperaware of his breathing, scared his injuries were worse than she knew and that he might slip away without her noticing. For the millionth time, she kicked herself for losing the radio. Thanks to her carelessness, Quinn had to spend the night on the cold ground with no chance of rescue. She’d never forgive herself if he suffered any permanent effects from this ordeal.
“Please be okay,” she whispered into the darkness. “Don’t leave me.”
She might not know the extent of Quinn’s feelings, but one thing was certain. If she lost him now, her heart would truly break.
* * *
Everything hurt.
Quinn let out a soft grunt as he emerged from the fog of sleep into a haze of pain. The cold from the ground had seeped into his bones, leaving them aching and feeling brittle. His muscles hurt, too—they were stiff and unyielding, like ropes stretched to the breaking point. His head throbbed in time with his heartbeat, and he was desperately thirsty. But he didn’t dare move. He knew on an instinctive level that the aches and twinges he was dealing with now were nothing compared to the agony that awaited him once he really woke up. He could sense the oncoming pain, a malevolent black presence lurking on the edges of his consciousness. Maybe if he played possum long enough it would grow tired of waiting on him and move on to the next victim...
“Quinn? Are you awake?”
Rebecca’s voice was quiet, as if she was afraid of disturbing him. Unless he missed his guess, she was giving him a chance to pretend he hadn’t heard her. But he couldn’t ignore her, no matter how bad he felt. He needed to know she was okay, especially after the events of last night.
“I’m here,” he said. He felt her fingers brush against his forehead, her touch cool and soothing on his skin.
“How are you?”
Quinn carefully took a deep breath, bracing himself. Then he cracked open his eyelids to focus on her face.
Rebecca leaned over him, her scent wafting around him as she leaned closer. Her body blocked out his view of the sky beyond the cave, but he saw the glow of pink light around her and realized dawn was well underway. Time to get moving. Hopefully, Harry and his friends would be sleeping off the effects of alcohol and he and Rebecca could get out of the area before the young men woke up and thought to start looking for them.
“I survived,” he said. Then he realized something. “Did you stay up all night? I told you to wake me so I could help keep an eye out.”
Rebecca arched one eyebrow as she stared down at him. “Yeah, like I was really going to do that. You needed the rest.”
His irritation fled, replaced by a mixture of guilt and sheepishness. “I’m sorry you stayed up all night. You must be exhausted.”
“I’m fine,” she said. But the dark circles under her eyes told a different story. It looked like they were both in for a rough day.
“We should get moving.” Quinn forced his body to respond to his brain’s commands. Slowly, awkwardly, he sat up. Pain blazed through him as his body moved, but he gritted his teeth and ignored it as best he could. They couldn’t stay here all day, especially since they had no way of calling for help. Their only choice was to move, so he was simply going to have to deal with the discomfort.
Rebecca helped him lean against the wall of the cave. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Her tone was heavy with doubt, and Quinn wondered just how bad he looked. “You’re pretty pale.”
“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Just need to drink something.”
She fished a bottle of water out of the pack and passed it to him. “I think you might be overly optimistic about the restorative powers of water. What about some food?”
The thought of eating made his stomach turn, but he knew she was right. He nodded and accepted an apple and granola bar.
“It’s not a gourmet meal, but it’s better than nothing,” she said.
They ate in silence. The food didn’t taste good to Quinn, but he dutifully chewed and swallowed. Rebecca sat across from him, watching him like a hawk.
“If you keep staring at me like that, you’re going to give me a complex.”
She blinked, realization dawning on her face. “Oh, sorry,” she said. She stopped talking, but he could tell by the set of her mouth there was more she wanted to say.
“What is it?” he asked gently.
She shook her head and blinked hard. She’s trying not to cry, he realized. A wave of tenderness washed over him, and he reached out to touch her knee. “Rebecca?” he said softly.
“It’s nothing,” she said, swiping her eyes. “I’m just overly tired.”
He wanted to pull her into his arms, but the pulsing aches in his side and back warned him against trying it. “Last night was pretty scary,” he said, understanding her delayed reaction. She’d done such a great job of holding everything together in the moment—scaring off his attacker, dragging him up the mountain to the cave, tending to his wounds and watching over him all night. Was it any wonder she was feeling the strain of the past few hours?
<
br /> “That’s an understatement,” she said drily. “Did you get a good look at the man who attacked you?”
He shook his head. “He wore a bandana just below his eyes. But I think it was Harry.”
“So do I,” she said grimly. “I should have never let that bastard go—I should have found a way to keep him in custody.”
She began to gather up the remnants of their breakfast, clearly looking for a distraction. Quinn let her tidy up, understanding her reaction. He was no stranger to guilt, even when he had no cause to feel bad. But he had something to say to her, and he needed her to hear it, no matter how awkward it might be.
He waited until she was left with nothing to do but brush imaginary crumbs off her shirt. “Rebecca.”
She looked up at him, her eyes wide at the seriousness in his voice. “What? Are you okay? Do you need anything?” She leaned forward, one hand reaching for the bag with the medical supplies.
Quinn shook his head. He reached out and touched her cheek. “I need to thank you. For last night. You saved my life.”
She waved her hand, trying to brush aside his gratitude. He grabbed it and squeezed gently. “Don’t do that. What you did yesterday was amazing. I don’t think I could have handled things any better.”
Her eyes shone with an emotion he couldn’t name. “I’m just glad you’re okay now. You really scared me.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. I scared myself, too, if it makes you feel any better.”
She laughed softly. “It doesn’t.”
“I mean it, though. The only reason I made it through last night was because of you. There’s no one else I’d rather have by my side.”
Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, and she opened her mouth. “Quinn, I—” She stopped, letting her words hang in the air between them.
