Chapter 16 Remi
REMI
When I wake up the next day, the power is on.
I’m too hot beneath the two comforters Streeter pulled over us, and my entire body tenses.
The reaction makes me groan, and that sound makes Streeter wrap his arms tighter around me, pulling me back against his chest for a moment before he lets out a sound of his own.
“Why’s it so hot?” he asks, still half asleep.
I don’t want to answer him. Instead, I manage to kick off the blanket and wiggle out of his grip. He grabs for me, but I drift over to the window.
The snow is starting to melt.
Whatever weird bubble we’ve been living in bursts as I feel an arm slide around my waist and Streeter’s chin come to rest on top of my head. “Looks like we can finally take another warm shower.”
My body instantly reacts to the suggestion, to the feel of him warm and nude behind me… and I can’t help the way I squirm against him—I can’t help the way that I hope once all this is said and done, when we come off this mountain…
Maybe this is something I can keep.
I’m given the slightest bit of hope when Streeter takes advantage of the water that must have heated up while we were asleep.
The warmth on my skin is so much better than the frigid water we’ve had, and Streeter takes full advantage of the way the steam makes my body relax, taking me apart until I’m shivering and the water runs cold.
Once we’re both clean, he half carries, half walks me out of the bathroom and pushes me into the bedroom. We’re both dressed before I see the relaxed expression on his face slowly turn serious.
Calculating.
And it makes something in my stomach drop again.
“How long did you have this place rented for?” He sounds worried when he asks.
It’s almost strange to think of the answer, because my brain has somehow separated everything into before Streeter and after Streeter.
That answer is in the before, and it forces me to think of the way Trevor looked at me when he half asked, half demanded I come up here with him and let him “show me how he really felt.”
Fuck, I’d been so stupid.
“I think he rented it for the weekend. We’re technically over our time.” The answer comes out slowly, and Streeter’s brows dip.
“They probably aren’t going to go cabin to cabin kicking people out, but still…” He trails off and grabs his phone from his pocket. “Do you have a charger?” I glance at his phone.
“Trevor should have one in his bag you can use. I packed it for him.”
That seems like forever ago too… making sure he didn’t forget his charger because he was always doing it and always blaming me.
“Perfect.” Streeter takes a step forward, pressing a quick, warm kiss to my mouth. “We have to move fast now, Hummingbird.”
Move fast.
My mind is spinning as he makes his way out of the room. I realize what he’s talking about—we overstayed our reservation, and there’s every chance someone might be coming to check on us.
There are bodies close to our cabin, even if they are down a cliff, and it’s not like there were enough cleaning supplies to really make sure things were spotless in here.
And I…
I…
I swipe my phone from beside the bed and snag my charger out of my bag. I have to go into the kitchen to plug it in, and it takes another few minutes for it to charge enough for me to turn it on.
The signal is back.
Everything is in working order again, and I… I can’t believe I hate it so much.
Maybe we would have run out of food, and maybe we would eventually have frozen to death, but some small part of me really wishes Streeter and I could have just stayed here forever.
I don’t know what we’re doing—I don’t actually know what he has planned. I don’t know what move fast means.
But I need him to know that whatever he plans on doing, I can help.
I can be there with him.
I can—
“Seriously, you need me to move bodies? It’s fucking cold out, Streeter.
” The male voice on the phone spills from the extra bedroom where Streeter wandered off to charge his phone, and I press my back against the kitchen wall.
I can hear it, tinny and small, coming from the speakerphone while Streeter paces, the voice drifting clearly through the open bedroom door.
“Yeah, I know,” Streeter says with a huff. “I’ll owe you. I just know when the snow melts, someone is going to realize what’s going on. I’m not in the mood to get caught, Camden.”
“Caught.” I hear the man on the phone scoff obnoxiously, the sound filling the space.
“I thought this phone call was for another reason.” There’s something warm in his voice that makes my stomach flip unhappily, a familiarity I can clearly read.
“I told you I’d bring the snowmobile to your cabin to warm you up. ”
Streeter chuckles. “Now ain’t the time. I need someone up here, fast.”
Camden sighs heavily, and my brows knit together. He has to know who Streeter is to be so casual about it. “You fucking owe me.”
“Whatever you want.”
“Don’t say that. I can be real inventive.”
Streeter makes a noise between laughter and a groan. “Listen, all I know is that Remi said the checkout date was a few days ago. I should have had this cleaned up and been gone yesterday.”
“Remi?” the man on the phone asks.
For a moment, the room goes silent. I can taste my pulse on the back of my tongue while I wait for him to answer.
“Yeah,” Streeter laughs. “Pretty little thing. He’s been keeping me warm while I waited for the snow to melt.”
And he’s been losing his heart to you from the get-go. Of course, I can’t burst into the room and interrupt his conversation to say that, but…
“There’s someone alive with you? Streeter.” The rumbly voice on the phone lets out a laugh. “I know you like to play with your food sometimes, but that’s a bit ridiculous.” The man pauses. “I can help you take care of the wetwork, but you definitely owe me.”
Take care of the wetwork.
“I never said you had to help me kill Remi, Camden.”
Kill Remi.
I shove off the wall in a clumsy motion, feeling a little dizzy. My mouth is dry and my heart is thundering in my chest.
It’s ridiculous, because I knew this was a possibility. I’ve known it since the moment I dropped to my knees in an attempt to save myself. Streeter is dangerous—he’s a killer.
He’s…
Fuck, he’s one of the best people I’ve ever met. There’s a very real possibility that before him, I would have just given in to letting whatever Trevor had planned happen. That I would have thought maybe I deserved whatever he was going to do to me.
He doesn’t get to come into my life and make me think that maybe I’m worth something, maybe I’m worth saving…
Honestly, it’s his fault that I back away from the bedroom door and his conversation, my mind swirling and my body moving almost of its own volition.
My heart is hammering in my chest, and I don’t think when I grab my phone off the counter. It’s only had a few minutes to charge, but that should be more than enough. While Streeter is still in the other room, I slip outside and punch in Quill’s number. He’s the only person I can think to call.
“Shit, Remi. I’ve been trying to call you for days.
Are you okay?” The concern in his voice makes tears spring into my eyes, because logically I should tell him no, I’m not okay.
I’m on a mountain with someone who killed a bunch of people, and I might have fallen in love…
and now he’s talking about getting rid of the evidence and taking care of me and I…
“I’m fine.” The lie comes out, and at least I think it sounds smooth. “I just… it’s a long story. Trevor is an asshole.” That sounds more honest. “Can you… can you maybe come get me?”
I’m still not willing to go fish the keys out of Trevor’s pocket, cliff or no cliff. I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to think about the pile of dead bodies under the snow.
I just need to get away from this cabin, because I realize something with absolute certainty…
It doesn’t matter if Streeter was talking about killing me or not, and it doesn’t matter if his friend told him he needed to make sure that all the witnesses were taken care of.
I don’t want him to get into trouble.
I don’t want him to get hurt.
I want…
“Remi?” Quill’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “I can’t come anywhere if you don’t tell me where you are. I know that asshole was taking you to the mountains, but that’s about it. I swear to fuck if he hurt you, I’m going to throw him off a cliff.”
A sharp laugh tears from my chest, and it breaks off on a choked little sob as I start walking through the snow, shivering, aware that I only have on a thin sweater and it’s still fucking freezing out here even though the snow is starting to melt. “I’m fine.”
“Remi—” The concern in his voice is too much. If I have to hear Quill asking me what’s wrong, I’m going to end up spilling my guts.
“I promise, I’m okay.” I cut him off. “I’ll text you the address, okay?”
I hang up as he starts to call me out on my obvious lie and let out a small, shuddery breath.
My eyes flick back to the cabin, to the boarded-up window… and I wonder how long it’s going to take Streeter to notice I’m missing.
Hopefully long enough that I can get to one of the other cabins—I need to give Quill an address that won’t lead him straight to the murderer I’m running from. I need to give Streeter all the space he needs to clean up after everything that happened.
As I start trudging through the snow, I let out a soft sigh.
Third act breakup bullshit. That’s exactly what this is. When I asked Streeter to reenact a book with me, this wasn’t what I had in mind… but I realize as I half slide down the driveway that those usually have a way of working out.
And even though I’m pretty sure he was just listening to his friend talking about killing and dismembering me, I’m already thinking of a way I can see him again.
I know where he works.
I know that he lives in this town.
Maybe…
Well, shit. Maybe if I run into him in public…
Maybe if I find him again at his job…
My stomach clenches, and I shiver as the wind whips through my hair, sending dark strands into my gaze and reminding me again that I’m really not dressed for this weather.
It doesn’t matter—my eyes are hot with unshed tears and my heart is pounding hard enough to keep me warm while I think.
I’ll go a few cabins down and wait for Quill to come get me, and I’ll talk to the people we rented the cabin from so they don’t send anyone up here to see if we’re squatting.
That should give Streeter time to get things cleaned up.
I have no idea what I’m going to say when people realize Trevor is missing, but I can figure it out. I…
I want to protect Streeter. If I do, I can figure out how to see him again. Maybe if I wait a few weeks, he’ll realize that he’s safe with me.
That I would never tell anyone what he did. That as ridiculous as it is, the time we spent in the cabin, in the snow…
Well shit, it’s probably been the best few days of my life.