Page 11 of Mated to the Mountain Bear
Beau goes for them while I stay put, feeling awkward.
“I’m sorry about the mess,” I start, but Ben dismisses my concern like I’m an idiot for caring about dirtying his home.
“You think this floor hasn’t gotten some dirt on it before?”
Looking at our surroundings—the tall peaks behind us and the dense forest all around—I guess he has a point. Ben takes my silence as agreement and casts another glance at my feet, his nose twitching.
“I landed in a bin. I probably don’t smell great.”
But Ben just shakes his head. “You’re bleeding.” Twisting to face the small hallway his brother disappeared down, he shouts, “Beau, grab the first aid kit, too.”
Beau reappears with a small stack of clothes in his hands and a green box sitting on top.
“Go get warm,” Ben says, nodding toward the fire. “Before you get pneumonia.”
Beau shakes his head. “She’s not changing in front of the fire.”
Ben shrugs. “Suit yourself. There’s a bathroom down the hall.” He resumes whatever he’s doing in the kitchen, turning his back on the two of us, and muttering about uswanting his help, then not listening to him.
Beau shrugs, clearly used to his brother’s surly demeanour, but I’m not, and it’s been a long night.
“I can leave,” I offer quietly, trying to inject some steel into my voice. “Find a hotel. I don’t want to put you out if this is too much. And I certainly don’t want you or your brothers to get hurt because of me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He huffs at that, like just the idea of them being in danger is preposterous. “Don’t worry about them.”
Looking at him, all thick muscles, manly beard, and dark expression, it’s hard to imagine him feeling threatened by anyone, but if this is the same guy, the one who took Amber, maybe he should be.
“You don’t understand.”
Ben’s brown eyes burn as he locks eyes with me and takes a step closer, making sure I know exactly how he feels about this.
“I understand completely. He’s a coward who deserves whatever he gets when we find him. And we will find him. Until then, you stay here. With me.” It’s almost welcoming until he turns away and finishes his thought. “As quietly as you can.”
Beau slips his arms back into the leather jacket as I shrug it off, and I’m acutely aware that my top has gone slightly see-through. To his credit, Beau’s eyes never leave my face as he digs my phone out of the inside pocket and hands it back me, followed by the SIM. “I’ll get you a new number.”
My initial instinct is to rebel against the inconvenience of a new number but right now, I have bigger problems to deal with.
“I have to go. The sooner we find this guy, the sooner you can go home.” Beau backs toward the door with an apologetic grimace.
“What? Already?” Panic flares inside me, and I glance from Beau to Ben, then back again. “But I haven’t even paid you…”
Beau waves away my attempts to discuss money. “You have enough to worry about right now. We can talk about it later. ”
He’s not wrong, but I also don’t want a massive bill at the end of this that I have no way of paying. Seeing that I don’t feel any less concerned, he adds, “I owe the good detective a favour. We’ll call it even after this.”
I’m not so sure she’ll want to use her favour on me, but I can tell I’m not going to get anywhere with him tonight. He already has one foot out the door.
Beau gives me a reassuring smile. “Ben will take good care of you while I work.” He glances at his brother. “Won’t you?”
Ben meets his gaze steadily. “She’ll be safe. You have my word.”
It’s not enthusiastic, but there’s something solid in the promise that makes me relax. He doesn’t know me, and I don’t know him, but I trust those words.
Beau gently squeezes my shoulder. “I’ll call as soon as I can with an update. And I’ll tell Detective Harris that I have you in case she’s worried.”
Then he’s gone, the heavy wooden door closing behind him with a finality that makes my stomach drop. The silence thatfollows is heavy, but the crackle of fire, the whistle of the heating kettle, and the rain hammering on the roof, are almost cosy, despite the bleak circumstances.
“Get changed,” Ben says, a little more gently this time. “You’re shaking.”
