Chapter 12
12
Ani snuggled by the cast iron heater as Gil poked around in the trapper’s shelves. Maybe she should have packed more snacks before she impulsively decided to fly to Smoky Lake. She eyed her bag, which she’d dropped by the door. She probably had some chocolate in there, and maybe a pack of gum, but that was it.
“Dinty Moore beef stew.” Gil triumphantly raised a tin can in the air. “So old the label’s peeling off, but the tin is intact and not bulging. We also have canned corn and bamboo shoots. Old Bob had eclectic taste, I guess.”
Ani winced. “I’m afraid to ask what the expiration dates say.”
“If they’re so faded you can’t read them anymore, that can’t be good. But it’s worth checking out.”
He rummaged through a plastic tote filled with dishes and utensils. “Seriously, no can opener?”
“Maybe it’s for the best.” Even so, Ani’s stomach growled as she tried to remember when her last meal had been. Peanuts at The Fang?
Gil pulled a utility knife from his pocket and worked it into the can of corn until he’d made an opening. He presented it to her with a flourish and a bow.
“You weren’t lying about the MacGyver thing, were you?”
“To be honest, I would have been an inventor if I hadn’t joined the DSS. I love tinkering around with things.” He sniffed the contents of the can. “It smells fine, looks fine, but let’s boil it to make sure.”
He poured the corn kernels into a pot and set it on the camp stove. Getting it to ignite required more fiddling. When it finally did, Ani applauded.
“Well done, MacGyver. I think you’ve missed your calling.”
He grinned at her, his dimple a flash against his dark scruff. “If I don’t go back to the DSS, maybe that’s what I’ll do. Tinker and invent.”
Given how lighthearted he now looked, as compared to his serious protector mode, she thought he’d probably be happier doing that. But she also wondered if Gil put his own happiness first; something told her he didn’t.
“Are you considering not going back?”
“Lachlan thinks I should quit. He worries about me getting shot again. He says he felt it the moment it happened.”
“The twin bond. I’ve heard about that.”
“It’s real. We’re fraternal twins, but we still get inklings when something’s going on with the other.”
“Inklings?”
Gil spooned the steaming corn into two blue flecked enamel bowls. “It’s hard to describe. It probably sounds nuts.”
“No, it doesn’t.” He handed her a bowl and a spoon, but she was so fascinated by what he was saying that she barely noticed. “It’s just that you seem so…” Trying to find the right word, she tilted her head and gazed at him with narrowed eyes.
“Hard to read? That’s what women usually say.”
“No. Just…serious. Like you have real responsibilities and you take them seriously.”
His expression shifted, as if she’d just reminded him of the laws of gravity or something equally important. “Taking responsibility for the safety of others is very serious.”
“Yes, of course it is.”
He went silent. The fire crackled in the stove, and outside, she heard the chatter of a squirrel. Where had their easy conversation gone? She had the sense that he’d locked himself inside a room where she couldn’t follow.
He ate a spoonful of corn, testing. “The corn is fine for eating.”
“Official MacGyver seal of approval?” she said lightly.
No smile in response. “Listen. I’ve been thinking that while we’re stuck together like this, we should be careful with physical contact.”
She blinked in confusion. Was he upset that she’d rubbed his legs to get the blood going? She’d meant it as a strictly medical intervention, but maybe she’d intruded on his personal space.
“Understood,” she said, in a stiff tone that matched his.
They ate the rest of their makeshift dinner in silence. Ani’s thoughts wandered to Victor, to the mysterious drug, to the explosion, the soldiers, the state trooper. So many bizarre things had happened in the past few days, and now she was stranded in the wilderness with a human block of ice.
She missed her friends. She missed Indiana. She missed…no, she didn’t miss John. Not even a little bit. That was one advantage of pouring everything you had into saving a relationship. Once it was over, she’d had nothing left. The effort had drained every bit of affection for John from her heart.
They decided to spend the night in the cabin, then Gil would climb a ridge the next day in the hopes of picking up a cell signal. He’d call Sam, who was already planning to fly out in two days. If he couldn’t get a connection, they’d just wait another day and try out a can of bamboo shoots. Neither wanted to risk the beef stew.
Then came the big question. Where were they going to sleep?
Bob must have used that Army cot against the wall. It looked horribly uncomfortable and she imagined that old sleeping bag—the thick cloth kind, not the sub-zero North Face type—was musty and smelly.
“You can have the cot,” Gil said, clearly misinterpreting her reaction to it.
“No, thanks. It’s all yours.”
“I can sleep on the floor. I’ve slept on floors all over the world.”
“Then you deserve a nice comfy cot. I’ll take the floor.”
“I wouldn’t feel right about that.”
“Your feelings aren’t my problem.”
She held his gaze; he seemed surprised by her refusal to back down. Energy crackled between them, hot and bothersome. Right now he didn’t seem at all like a block of ice.
“You’re angry with me,” he finally said.
Yes, she was, weirdly. That whole line about physical contact had made her grouchy. Clearly he didn’t like her and wanted to draw a red line between them. It shouldn’t bother her; this was an unusual situation, after all. But for some reason it did. “It doesn’t matter,” she finally said. “Let’s just get through this situation in the most graceful way possible.”
Which, an hour later, ended up with both of them on the floor. The cot turned out to have mysterious stains they decided weren’t safe for either of them. Gil put together a nest of clothing—mostly his, since she hadn’t brought much.
MacGyver at work.
Even though it was just starting to get dark outside, they decided it would be important to get to sleep early so they could rise at first light. They only spoke of practical things as they readied themselves for bed. Their plan for the next day. How to brush their teeth. How to use the outhouse. Ani was exhausted by the drama and emotion of the day, and she could only imagine that Gil must be even more so. But he didn’t show it.
When it was finally time, they curled up with their backs to each other, several inches of space separating them. No physical contact, just as requested. Hyper-aware of the man next to her, Ani stared at the curved logs that made up the wall of the cabin. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until Gil had nodded off. But Gil seemed to be waiting for her to fall asleep.
“Can’t you sleep?” she whispered after what seemed like an eternity had passed.
“No, can’t you?”
“I’m trying, but it’s all so strange and different.”
“Yeah.”
The next thing she knew, there came a light touch on her head. He stroked her hair in a soothing rhythm, slow and gentle, like a lullaby in tactile form. Her eyelids drifted closed and the tension in her muscles eased. “You said no physical contact,” she murmured dreamily.
“There was a good reason for that. Now there’s a good reason to make an exception. Sleep now.” He smoothed his hand down her hair, a deliciously lingering touch that held nothing but comfort and care.
It brought tears to her eyes. Everything had been so difficult the past few years. She’d fought so hard, for her marriage, against her fears, against the part of her that wanted to give up. And it had all been for nothing. No need for struggle, no need for suffering, his caresses seemed to say. I’m here . You’re going to be okay.
Sleep must have taken her into soft arms, because when she came awake with a jolt, the cabin windows were dark with night. Gil was sound asleep next to her, his arm over her middle. Something had woken her up. A sound.
It came again. A gunshot, not close, but not far either. Immediately another gun fired back. Sweat sprang to her forehead. The sound of a gun always sent her into a state of dread.
She shook Gil’s shoulder. “Gil, wake up.”
He sat up with a jolt. “What, where, what…”
Deep sleeper, apparently.
“I heard guns firing.” The air in the cabin had gone cold since the fire in the stove had long ago gone out. She scooted closer to him, both for warmth and out of fear.
“Could be hunters,” he murmured. He put his arm around her, all worries about physical contact apparently forgotten. They waited in tense silence.
A moment later came another crack of gunfire, following quickly by several more rounds.
“That’s a gun battle.” Now wide awake, Gil scrambled onto his knees. “Two people, or parties, firing at each other.”
“Do you think they’re close?”
“It’s hard to tell, but they’re not far.”
Shivering, she climbed to her feet, only to have Gil pull her away from the window.
“Just in case,” he murmured. She was smack up against him, her back to his front. He was so warm and solid and strong. Without overthinking it, she leaned back against him. He held onto her, arms around her, as they waited for the next spurt of gunfire.
“What should we do?” she asked him, fearfully. “Should we go somewhere? Will we be safe in here?” She’d always been more of a “flight” than “fight” person, and right now the urge to run was strong. But where should they run to? And how many bears would they disturb along the way?
“Whoever they are, they’re shooting at each other, not us. There’s no sign that they know we’re here or that they care.”
“Do you think it’s connected to whoever blew up the Institute?”
She felt him nod. “It would be quite a coincidence if it wasn’t connected.”
“So there’s someone out there with missile launchers and guns, and we’re here in this tiny little cabin with nothing but a utility knife.”
“If it’s any comfort, Bob kept a hunting rifle. I saw it in the corner. It might even have bullets.”
Ani flinched at the thought of a rifle just hanging out in the cabin with them. She feared guns. The man who had nearly snatched her off the street at the age of twelve had wielded a gun. And then there was the track meet shooting she and her friends had missed thanks to Lila’s intuition. Guns haunted her.
“We’d still be outgunned, judging by all the shooting out there.” Her voice wavered. “But I guess it’s something. Do you think there’s any chance one of the people shooting is on our side?”
“Sure. There’s a twenty-five percent chance that neither are on our side, twenty-five percent that one is, or the other, and twenty-five percent that both are on our side. In other words, who the hell knows? We don’t even know who’s firing or what the sides are. There could be several different parties firing, and it could have nothing to do with us at all.”
Ani heard herself laugh, amazed that she had it in her. “You know, sometimes I think I stepped into an alternate universe when I stepped off that plane from Blackbear. Every day, things make less sense.”
His chest moved and she felt the vibration of his laughter. “That’s only because we don’t yet have enough information.”
“Now you sound like a scientist.”
“My brother would be so proud.”
She giggled, still nervous, but less so. He made a good point. They just had to figure this out. Until then, things were just going to seem strange.
“But you know what does make sense?” he murmured.
“Hm?”
He turned her in his arms and tilted her chin up so her eyes met his. “I’m going to protect you. That part makes sense.”
“Because you promised Victor?”
“Because that’s what I do.”
She breathed an internal sigh as her tension eased. Of course Gil would protect her. That was his nature.
“I like the smell of your hair, too. That makes sense.”
The smell of her hair? She gaped up at him. Against her thigh, she felt the swell of an erection forming.
And suddenly everything else made sense too. He hadn’t wanted physical contact because he was attracted to her.
She rose up on tiptoe and tilted her head to touch her lips to his. The barest contact, just a light brush of her mouth against his, but it transformed everything in one flash of an instant.
The next moment, the world changed again. The door of the cabin swung open and a dark figure burst through.
Gil spun her around so she was behind him, unable to see a thing, clinging to his strong form.