Page 56 of Axe-ing for Trouble
Just as I was starting to lose faith, Mila screamed.
Heart pounding, I took off running, picking my feet up to avoid tripping on tree roots. Ripley darted past me, as concerned that she was hurt, I was sure.
Mila kneeled on the cold ground, her back to me. As I rounded her, she was trembling, clutching what looked like a muddy phone in her hand.
“Is that…?”
Face tilted up, she nodded, her teary eyes glistening in the light of the rising moon.
I helped her to her feet, taking the phone from her hands. It was muddy and scuffed up and dead, of course, but there was hope.
“We found it,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“You found it,” I said.
“But you.” She sniffled. “You got me here. You helped me remember. Fuck, I’m so relieved.”
Grasping her hand, I led her back up to the car, both nervous and excited. She had started to softly cry, and I wanted to scoop her up into my arms and make everything better. But we had work to do. We had to get this phone to work.
By the time we pulled up in front of the house, I was shaking with adrenaline. Could this be it? Was it possible that the phone would power on? The moment the truck was in park, Mila threw her door open and hopped out. Ripley followed, dashing for the house. I was hot on their heels.
Inside, I kicked off my muddy boots and shrugged out of my jacket. “I’ll find a charger,” I shouted, heading to the kitchen.
“And I’ll wipe off the mud,” she replied.
I wasn’t even sure the front door was closed, but in less than sixty seconds, the device was plugged in and resting on the kitchen island.
We stood shoulder to shoulder, both zeroed in on the dark screen. The scratches all looked superficial, though there was a chance it had been damaged by water.
Regardless, we had it, and we had to try.
Mila was still trembling beside me. “What if it’s really dead?” she whispered.
“Then we take out the SIM card,” I said. I had no clue what the fuck a SIM card did, but it sounded right, and she immediately perked up in response.
She bounced on her toes. “Yes. Good call. I hooked up with this NSA guy when I was overseas a couple of years ago. Now I remember. We can get the data out of it even if it’s damaged. Okay. Okay.” She sucked in shallow breaths, still vibrating with a mix of anticipation and fear.
My eyelid twitched at the mention of a former hookup. Especially after we’d spent the last twelve hours sharing stories and opening up to one another, all while skirting danger.
We were still staring at the blank screen, silent again, when the little green battery icon lit up.
“It’s alive!” Mila shouted.
I let out the breath I’d been holding, and euphoria surged through my veins. We’d done it.
She jumped up and down carefully, her good arm wrapped around the injured one, as happy tears rolled down her cheeks. With a hiccupping breath, she turned to me and threw her arm around my neck. “Thank you,” she mumbled into my T-shirt. “I wouldn’t have found it without you.”
I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. God, what I’d give to pick her up and spin her around. I was that fucking elated. But with her injuries, this was the best I could do.
Today had been a marathon. We’d really gotten to know one another. We’d been vulnerable in ways I didn’t think either of us had allowed ourselves to be in a long time. Though we’d spent hours in the cold, this moment made the aching feet and freezing fingers worth it.
With any luck, this would be all we needed to guarantee her safety. That knowledge felt as good as having her in my arms.
I slowly released her, worried I’d hurt her.
But she was still smiling, beaming up at me. With a happy squeal, she popped up onto her toes and slammed her lips to mine.
The feel of her soft lips sent me hurtling back to our night together. Her scent flooded my senses, urging my hands to roam all over her body.
