Chapter 3
Kiera Lane
When was an appropriate time to ask what his name was? Hyatt sounded like a last name.
Honestly, I was curious about a lot of things where he was concerned.
Like, was he married? Did he hate me? Was his face stuck in that semi-scowl?
Not that I blamed him. I’d ruined his stay in this glorious crap hut, and I was going to be an extra mouth to feed. Which settled things for me. As soon as the sun rose, I wanted to look around to see how I could make myself useful.
He’d brought a big rucksack, similar to the ones my dad and I used to go hiking, so fingers crossed Hyatt had supplies for fishing or hunting.
A source of fresh water couldn’t be too far away if he only had one bucket.
I mean, the nights were cold, but the days were going to be warm enough that we’d need extra water.
Meanwhile, I guessed I could lie here on spider watch while Hyatt snored on the floor.
He couldn’t be comfortable. The floor was surprisingly clean and even; though, technically, it was the ground, not a floor. Rock hard. Just like the surface of this “bed.” He’d given me his mattress… Dammit. I wanted to make it up to him.
What time was it? My guess was…around five in the morning? We’d left Kabul shortly before midnight, and we’d been in the air for at least two or three hours, I was fairly sure.
I bet he knew my life story at this point. He came off as incredibly calculating, and he’d observed me a lot while I’d prattled on. Stupid. I rambled when I was nervous. It wasn’t my best trait.
I shivered and pulled the wool blanket higher.
Come on, fall asleep!
I woke up disoriented and hot, only to realize Operator Hyatt had covered me with his sleeping bag at some point. Presumably when he’d woken up. He wasn’t here now.
The door was open, and the fire was out.
I sat up and scrubbed my hands over my face, then glanced around.
Sweet Jesus, just how much had fit into his rucksack?
He’d unpacked. Next to the stove, I spotted a bag of flour, a pot, a pan, rice, a box of protein bars, coffee, olive oil, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
In a neat stack on the floor, I saw—were those puzzles?
Wow. Two boxes with puzzles, each one containing a thousand pieces.
A rolled-up puzzle mat leaned against the wall. A handful of books.
The flashlight on the door had been replaced by a camping lantern in the ceiling.
Hyatt was out there getting things done, and I was lazy.
That stopped now. I wanted to help out. More than that, I wanted to make sure we both had a somewhat comfortable spot to sleep tonight.
Maybe there was something we could use in the helicopter?
If it was ever used for search and rescue, chances were it was equipped with a portable stretcher.
But first, I wanted to get clean. I hadn’t showered in over a week. They, uh…did things differently here. Noura had given me a basin of hot water every morning, so I’d made do, but I was used to being able to shower whenever I wanted.
Safe to say, my time abroad had given me a new perspective on a lot we took for granted at home. At this stage, I was thankful for the few items I’d managed to hide on me. A toothbrush, one extra pair of underwear, a bar of soap, and half a pack of gum. I was practically rich.
After rolling together the clothes Noura had given me, I was down to my base layer, leggings and a top. If Hyatt could possibly lend me a T-shirt, I could wash all my clothes.
I pulled my hair back in a messy bun and stepped outside, and the view almost knocked the air out of my lungs.
My God, it was breathtaking. We sat on a ridge halfway up a peak, and mountains stretched on for miles and miles. The valley below was a lush green and had a river snaking through it. I smiled and took a deep breath in the sunlight.
I couldn’t see Hyatt anywhere, but I suddenly saw our water source on the other side of the helicopter. That was amazing! Could it be defined as a waterfall if there was no actual fall? But the water rushed downslope fast, about three feet wide, and it had the most lulling sound.
Screw it. I would get started. I’d wash my clothes, I’d bring in water to boil, and I’d treat myself to a mountain shower.
Hyatt had already prepared a firepit, and it had two foldable chairs positioned by it.
Where was he?
The sun was no longer at its highest, so it was past noon. I was getting hungry, but I didn’t want to take anything from his stash without asking. Once I’d hung my clothes to dry on warm rocks, I’d tried to forage with zero luck.
I missed my phone. Even though I wouldn’t have any reception out here, it was a security blanket to distract myself with.
With nothing else to do, I wandered over to the helicopter and opened the cabin door.
This floor wasn’t exactly soft either, but it wasn’t made of stone.
I brushed my hand over the metal tracks in the mat and realized what they were. These seats could be moved. Possibly to actually make room for a stretcher. So that meant… Well, why didn’t we sleep in here?
I climbed up and inspected the seats, only to notice the cushions could be removed too. That was awesome. I could make an extra bed with this material.
The one concern was heat. The nights were cold, but I didn’t want to move the cushions to the stone cabin for fear they’d get torn.
To be honest, I’d rather sleep in the helicopter. I’d be off the ground, away from critters and potential spidery monsters, and I’d feel more like I was indoors.
I could totally picture Hyatt and me here. Maybe naked. I bet he looked hot as hell naked. He looked hot as hell with clothes on, so the odds were good.
Fat chance of that happening, but a girl could fantasize.
It actually wasn’t my fault he was suddenly my type.
He was just so tall and solid and handsome and…
His blue eyes held years of experience, and the corners crinkled when he smiled and scowled.
The latter happened a lot. He was rocking some silver too, both in his hair and trimmed beard.
Anyway.