Page 35 of Risk It All
“I’m sure. Let’s save that for when we’re under fire and I’m unconscious and bleeding out.”
The sound he made was strange, kind of like a laugh disguised as a cough. “Good to know.”
“What’s good to know?”
“That you get morbid when you’re hungry.”
“And thirsty.” She’d reached the point where she didn’t care if she was whining. Her upper lip just couldn’t stay stiff any longer. “And tired and sore and really annoyed about being kidnapped and shot at.”
“Don’t forget about the grenade being tossed at you.”
Cara scowled at the mention. “Oh, don’t worry. I haven’t. That’s definitely on the list.” After a pause, she added, “You never answered. Were you trying to distract from the fact that Abbott and his guys are after us?” The groaning of the wind was loud enough that someone could be driving a tank toward them right now and she wouldn’t hear it until it was on top of them.Not that it’d be easy getting a tank up here, her brain interjected, making Cara shake her head, trying to wrangle her straying thoughts even as she started to imagine approaching helicopters and heavy weaponry.Stop, she ordered the more lurid parts of her imagination.Not helping.
“Doubt they’ll come after us on foot,” he said, but there was a very slight emphasis on the last two words that made her uneasy.
“So theyarecoming in tanks and helicopters.” She marched forward more quickly, grimly determined to reach the structure before the invading army attacked. Maybe the Unabomber-type homeowner would have some useful weapons they could use to defend themselves.
“Wait…what? Tanks?” From the bemusement in his voice, she’d actually managed to knock him off-balance, but she was so preoccupied with mentally preparing for war with Abbott that she couldn’t appreciate it properly.
Ignoring the way her feet ached with each step and how her skin felt like it was stretched too tightly from the dry, cold air, she hurried through the thickening trees. Kavenski easily caught up with her, and they walked in silence. The snow was starting to fall in small, spindly flakes that stung her skin where they landed, lending extra urgency to her steps. She was amazed by how dark it had gotten, seeming more like dusk than midmorning, when just a short time earlier the sun had been merrily shining from a bright, clear sky.
All too quickly, the few flakes turned into a flurry. The wind drove them into Cara’s eyes and bit at her exposed skin. The light dusting of snow seemed to grease the rocky ground, making each step more treacherous than the one before—but she had no choice. She had to keep going. Her heart beat faster than their quick pace warranted. The building cold and howling wind made it all too easy to understand how people could freeze to death in a mountain blizzard.
Just as she was starting to doubt that the reflection they’d seen earlier was anything human-made, Kavenski caught her arm, pulling her to a halt. She followed his gaze and spotted the stacked row of peeled logs that couldn’t have been natural. They’d found the structure they were looking for.
Without a word, Kavenski took the lead, and Cara let him. If he wanted to be on the front lines when they met a bear or one of Abbott’s guys, he was welcome to it. She was just as happy tucked safely behind his brawny form. Besides, he broke the wind, and his back gave her something to focus on besides the worsening storm.
They approached as quietly as possible, given the obstacles. Kavenski stepped over a large fallen tree, and Cara wished for his long legs as she scrambled over it much less gracefully. As she landed on the other side, she slipped on some loose, pebbly dirt covered in snow but caught her balance before she fell. Turning, Kavenski gave her anAre you okay?glance, and she nodded, annoyed with her clumsiness.
As they crept closer, more of the log wall came into view. It was more cabin-sized than a full-on house, although it was larger than the shack where she’d started the day. Cara eyed the unlit windows uneasily. The Unabomber’s twin could easily be watching them, waiting for them to get close enough to push the button, setting off the bomb he’d planted in preparation for when the FBI raided his mountain hideaway. The wind settled briefly, creating an eerie quiet that was broken by asnap. Swallowing a startled yelp, Cara grabbed the back of Kavenski’s coat-turned-vest as she braced for the coming explosion.
Nothing happened. The expected hail of bullets never came. Kavenski gave her a questioning look as the wind picked back up, tossing tiny, icy pellets of snow at their faces. Her gaze dropped to the small branch that had broken under her sleeve-boot. Giving Kavenski a sheepish look, she released the handful of his coat, smoothing down the fabric as if to erase her entire embarrassing reaction.
Despite the false alarm, she quickly grew unnerved again as she returned her attention to the dark windows. Now her fears didn’t center on loud dangers such as tanks and helicopters. The quiet, scary things—such as Abbott’s people crouched silently in the cabin, waiting to ambush them, or odd, weapon-obsessed mountain folk who’d shoot any trespassers on sight—seemed so much worse than any rumbling machinery.
Kavenski made a sharp gesture, one that she was fairly certain meantstay put. Reluctantly, she halted and watched him continue to pick his way through the rocks and scrubby trees. Instead of heading for the front porch, he slipped behind the back of the cabin, quickly fading to a shadow in the false twilight of the gathering snow and then disappearing completely.
Chapter 11
Leaning against an aspen trunk, Cara kept her eyes locked on the spot where she’d last seen Kavenski. After her steady feeling of being watched, she was surprised to be so bothered by her solitude now. The wind continued to howl, and the snow picked up even more, creating a sheet of white that blurred the structure in front of her. Despite the cabin and the trees—and the possible tanks and helicopters, her lurid imagination insisted on adding—that bit of the mountain felt completely desolate, making it hard to believe that civilization still existed, much less that there was a town with a police station a few miles away.
Shaking herself out of her postapocalyptic imaginings, she peered through the wind-tossed snow, waiting for Kavenski to reappear on the other side of the cabin. Seconds ticked by, turning into minutes, and Cara grew increasingly cold and worried. She shifted her weight, wishing once again that she was in the habit of wearing a watch. Time seemed to stretch uncomfortably long, and wild thoughts ran through her head.
What if something had happened to Kavenski? Could he have been grabbed or hurt or found by Abbott’s guys? Or maybe the threat wasn’t human-made at all. Maybe there was a mountain lion making a snack out of his insidesright now. Despite knowing that her fears were unlikely, Cara still pushed away from the tree she’d been leaning against and took a step toward the cabin.
“It’s clear.” Kavenski materialized in front of her, making her jump a foot in the air. He paused, eyeing her. “What’s wrong?”
She waved a cold hand, her worries seeming silly now that an unharmed, un-snacked-on Kavenski was standing next to her. “Nothing. Just felt like you were gone a long time.”
“Had to break in.” He started toward the front of the cabin, and she followed him, feeling both relieved to have him next to her and a trifle aggrieved at herself for needing him there to figuratively hold her hand. He led the way up the few roughhewn front porch steps and to the heavy wooden door.
As he turned the knob and pushed the door open, Cara glanced around for any evidence of how Kavenski had gotten into the locked cabin. “Did you have to break a window?” she asked when she couldn’t find any sign of damage.
“No.” He stepped inside and moved so she could enter the dim space. “I picked the lock.” As she passed by him, he gave her a slanted look. “Something you seem to know a little about.”
Feeling along the wall, her hand encountered the reassuringly familiar shape of a light switch. Holding her breath hopefully, she flipped it up and was happily shocked when the room filled with light. “That’s why you took so long,” she said absently as she took in the interior of the cabin. Compared to the kidnappers’ shack, this one was surprisingly cozy. The living room, kitchen, and dining area made up the open lower level as in the other place, but this was larger and furnished with a comfortable-looking couch and coordinated chairs, as well as a small dining table. The rugs and wall hangings made it feel warm, even though the potbellied woodstove in the corner wasn’t in use.
Closing and locking the door behind them, Kavenski gave one of his stuffy-sounding huffs. Cara bit back a smile. The sound was so grandmotherly, completely incongruous with his hulking form and usual scowl. “I was faster than you were that day.”
