Page 73 of These Reckless Hearts

“Dakota....” Stone starts.

I shake my head. “I’m not sacrificing any of you. I mean it. We play their game until we don’t have to anymore.”

“We can still do this,” Stone assures me. “We’ll figure out a way.”

“Not at the expense of any of us,” I answer. “This team of his is fucking scary.”

Stone swoops in, grabs the back of my neck, and pulls me toward him. His kiss is so forceful, I trip over my own feet and almost lose my balance. He pulls away, keeping his eyes on me. “Don’t lose faith. We’re going to do this.”

He walks across the road to greet his father who steps out of a hired car. I’ve never seen the man out of a suit and tie, but here he is, in a pair of chinos and a black shirt. He looks absolutely ridiculous. If that’s what he thinks we hike up the mountains with, he really is clueless.

Lucas takes my hand, and we all move toward the trailhead. Behind us, Stone says, “Now that you have us here willingly, Father, I think it’s time you let your hired men go. They won’t be of any use to us in the mountains.”

Well, damn. That’s worth a shot.

Lance’s sinister laugh echoes in response. “I never pegged you for a comedian, son. The men stay. They’re my backup to make sure you don’t start anything funny up there. Remember we always talked about odds when you were growing up? Four against one doesn’t make for good odds. But, four against five highly trained men at my command? That’s good enough for me.” He slaps his hands together. “Now, let’s get to it.”

My heart plummets, but of course Lance wouldn’t have taken the bait. He’s nothing if not a smart businessman.

Stone sneers at his father’s back as the elder Jacobs starts marching up the trail. Of course, he would act like he knew where he was going and decide right away that he shouldn’t have to pull his weight.

“Father,” Stone barks. “You need a pack. No one else is going to carry your food or water for you.” He grabs the bag we designated for Lance from the ground and chucks it at him.

His father catches it, nearly falling on his ass when his foot trips on a rock. He frowns, testing the weight in his hands but shoulders it anyway.

“And these,” Stone says, throwing snake guards at him.

Lance catches one, but fumbles the second, and it lands at his feet, kicking up dirt. He inspects it with curiosity, but it isn’t until Stone thrusts his foot out to show his father what they’re for that he gets it.

“Unless you want to get bitten by a poisonous snake?” Stone mocks. “One of your men ruined our only communication off the mountain, so there won’t be any helicopter rescues if one of us gets bitten.”

Jacobs sticks his chin in the air. “I’m sure he acted in my best interest.” He takes forever to secure his snake guards as the rest of us pull our packs on. The hired men make all four of us go up the trail first.

I’d prefer to push the envelope to prove to Jacobs he’s a pussy but my battered body refuses. A sheen of sweat appears on my forehead far sooner than normal as the ache in my side pulses. Coupled with the slices on my thigh, I’m slower than slow. Wyatt, Lucas, and Stone take turns assisting me, taking on most of my weight through the rougher terrain. Even still, Lance falls behind, huffing and puffing. We pretend we don’t hear his wheezes and put off a water break for as long as we can until it’s evident I need one.

Wyatt sits me on a boulder that’s about three feet tall, locking me into place with his blue eyes. “What aren’t you telling us, Dakota?” He eyes my body as if he can see right through my clothes.

Stone pulls a First Aid kit out of his pack and kneels next to me as the hired men and Lance find their own places to relax. He turns, glaring at the guys over his shoulder. “Help block her. You’re about to see something that’s going to piss you off, but you absolutely cannot react. Okay?” His words started out as a warning then ended on a strained swallow.

Wyatt closes his eyes, preparing himself. Lucas pulls his shoulders back, and then they move into position as Stone helps lower my size-too-big hiking pants to my knees. I’ve got to give the guys credit, they don’t give in to the murder I see in their eyes. Instead, they move closer, allowing me privacy and checking out the injuries themselves as Stone changes the bandages.

The skin is red and puckered, inflamed from all the physical activity, but there isn’t any fresh blood. He wraps me back up and hands me two white capsules from a separate container that didn’t come from the kit. He gives me a worried smile. “They’re extra strength. Hopefully it’ll make the next leg of the trip easier.”

I use the canteen to take the pills, praying they kick in soon. Wyatt helps me to my feet, and he and Lucas move in, hugging me at the same time. Wyatt’s “You’re the strongest person I know,” is overridden by Lucas’ dark promise, “They’re going to pay for that.”

After a few minutes, we start back up the mountain. Stone eyes his father every chance he gets, watching his movements. If we were alone, I’d ask him what he’s up to. What he sees. Maybe he’s looking for something he doesn’t see? I know I’m always trying to find the link between the two of them. I used to see it as clear as day. They were both Jacobs’. Both my enemies. But now, that line is blurred. Stone is as much of an enemy as I am to myself. Lance, on the other hand, is a monster. He’s not scary up here. His true, worthless colors are being drawn out by the mountains as I knew they would be, but he still holds power. It’s just at the hands of five professionally trained, heavily armed men.

Not only that, but Lance has the capacity to bring Stone down. And that’s a major concern for me.

Because we take less breaks, we get to the area where we discovered the lantern sooner. The sun isn’t as hot today, and I feel cheated because I have major doubts that Lance would’ve been able to make it up this far if we were closer to summer. What a shame.

“What are we stopping for?” Lance huffs.

“This is where we’re searching,” Stone informs him.

“Is this where the map said to go?” He sucks down water and then drags in breath after breath. Sweat dots his brow, and he surveys the area as if he’s searching for shade or perhaps an air conditioner—neither of which he’ll find here.

“We’re still trying to decipher the map,” Stone explains, gazing at me as if he’s not sure how much he should say.

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