Page 16 of Guarded By the Lumberjack
I'm not worried about health issues, but we didn't discuss the other possible complications. Cal's sixteen years older than me-- if he'd wanted a family, wouldn't he have found someone to start that with long since now?
Now, doing math and remembering dates keeps me distracted from the reason he's not here having this conversation with me.
I certainly haven't bothered staying on birth control for the last few years.
The second hand makes another slow tour of the clock face, and my thoughts go from worrying that Calvin might not want to start a family at his age to worrying I could end up raising a child alone.
My fear and uncertainties finally get the better of me and I collapse on one of the twin size beds lining the wall,
Pent up tears start to fall just when I hear a sound at the back of the room. A sound coming from the other side of the bookcase that quickly reveals itself to be hiding another door.
A man in black combat gear appears, looking more like he's here to kill me than save me; which is what Harlan Frost is quick to assure me he's doing when he finds me staring at him in tear-stained terror.
"Still no Murdock?"
The man turns back to the darkness he stepped out of and motions to someone still out of sight. Beyond the bookcase slash doorway, I hear boots landing in quick, heavy steps on a ladder or stairway.
Harlan frowns as the footsteps recede.
"Need to pad those fucking stairs," he grumbles to himself like he's forgotten about me.
He pushes the black, knit beanie off his head, revealing close-cropped hair that's more white than gray and a handsome face that doesn't look like it's seen a smile in twenty years.
"House is cleared, let's get you out of this hole."
Opening the door is a simple task of pressing a button that says "unlock," but Harlan punches a series of numbers into a keypad as well.
"Updating the system so it'll stop sending alerts of an active incident," he explains without looking at me.
Back upstairs, I find two more men, also dressed like ninjas, but more laid back than Harlan.
"Cap," a younger man introduces himself with a wave from where he's casually leaning against the counter with a rifle over slung across his chest.
"Leo." The man standing in the doorway holds his weapon casually as he watches the night outside like he's waiting for it to confess.
"Got em," Leo says, still watching the darkness but lifting himself off the doorframe to stand.
"Good?" Harlan presses a finger to one ear like he's listening to something, then nods.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Calvin's familiar voice breaks through the low conversations between the other men, but he doesn't wait for answers from any of them.
He's only looking at me as he pushes past Leo and Harlan to take me in his arms.
Calvin
Catcalls and whistles sound around the room, and one voice telling us to "get a room." I'll not-so-politely remind these assholes that I have one when I'm doing kissing my girl.
When Penny's ready to let me speak, I tell Frost's men what I think about our uninvited guests and get a chorus of various insults and jeers for my effort.
"Have fun out there?" Harlan asks the man who met up with me as I was making my way back to the cabin.
"Nah, nothing left for me," the man who introduced himself to me in the woods as"Virgo"answers, sounding more than a little disappointed.
Harlan raises an eyebrow at me and I hold up three fingers. In turn he points toward my hand and motions his men toward the door.
I know they're being sent out to clean up after me. Not that I can't clean up my own messes, but I admit, having Harlan's crew here means the difference betweenleave no trace, andleave em guessing.
