Chapter 12
As they moved up the hill, the vegetation thickened.
Ren was damn glad the helicopter hadn’t come back. His jaw tightened. There was no way to know who the occupants had been, but he hoped to hell it wasn’t whoever was after the fuel cell.
That really didn’t matter, though. He knew they’d be coming.
He needed to call for help. And they needed that help to get here fast.
He wouldn’t have time to describe the situation to the local authorities. It would be best to call someone who’d get it straight away, and then immediately send in the cavalry.
He needed to call Sawyer and Vander.
As a deputy sheriff, Sawyer would know the local law enforcement. And Vander could contact the right people at the Navy.
Ren just needed to find a phone.
He glanced back, and realized that Halle had fallen behind. She was moving slowly, her hands gripping tree trunks for support as she walked.
“Halle?” He hurried back down toward her.
“I am…okay,” she wheezed.
But her face was pale, and her breathing was fast. He watched her chest rise and fall rapidly, and realized her breathing was labored.
She’d been fine earlier, even though she was tired.
“Sit,” he urged her.
“Ren, we can’t—” Her next breath sounded bad.
He eased her to the ground. “What’s wrong?”
“Asthma…”
Shit. He sat behind her, and smoothed her hair off her sweaty forehead. “All right, just relax.” His chest tightened. “Your inhaler’s on the ship, right?”
She grimaced. “Right.”
He looked around the jungle. Something here in the vegetation had to be triggering the attack. The stress of their situation wouldn’t be helping, either.
Panic slipped through his veins like razor blades. If she had a full-blown attack right now, she could die.
“Take it easy,” he said, trying to keep his tone calm. “Just relax and breathe.”
She leaned back against him, and he stroked his hands down her arms.
Her eyes closed. “This is nice.”
The minutes ticked by. Ren’s jaw was clenched so tight it hurt. He hated this. He hated having an enemy he couldn’t fight.
Her breathing eased a little, but he knew she needed medication or medical attention.
Resolve filled him.
Halle was the best damn thing in his life. He wasn’t going to let her suffer.
He rose, then bent down to help her up. “You’re getting a ride on my back for the next leg of this trip.”
Her brow creased. “Ren, no—”
“I’m going to get help for you. Whatever it takes.”
She stared at his face, obviously hearing the resolve in his voice. “You aren’t going to let me walk?”
“Nope.”
She sighed. “Fine, Mr. Stubborn.”
He turned around and crouched down. She awkwardly climbed on. She wasn’t moving with her usual grace.
He picked up the backpack, rose, and set off through the trees with Halle clinging to his back.
“I’m too heavy,” she said.
“I’ll carry you anywhere, Halle. Any time, any distance.”
Her arms tightened around him. Her harsh breathing echoed in his ear. She needed a rescue inhaler.
And they were in the middle of the jungle, on one of the least populated islands in Hawaii.
He gritted his teeth. He would get her what she needed, one way or another. Whatever it took.
Before long, the land flattened out, and the trees thinned. A moment later, he stepped into a cleared area.
He paused and scrutinized the land around them.
The green grass was dotted with pretty purple flowers. It was cleared all the way down the hill.
“A farm?” she wheezed.
He spotted a long, wooden building in the distance, near a line of trees. There were also several small, wooden cabins dotting the land nearby.
He broke into a jog. “Hold on, Ariel.”
As he got closer to the buildings, disappointment punched his gut. The structures looked like they weren’t in use. There was no one around. His only hope rested on the fact that these buildings weren’t in terrible disrepair, like the old cabin they’d found in the jungle.
He jogged up the steps of the main building, and spotted a chain and padlock on the double doors. He circled around the veranda. Halle was lolling on his back, and he thought her breathing sounded a little worse.
He tightened his hold on her legs. He wasn’t losing her.
“It looks like a guest ranch,” he said.
He found a side door, then used his elbow to smash the windowpane. He reached in and unlocked it.
He hurried inside. The door led to the kitchen. The room was empty, and had an air of disuse. He strode out into a dining room filled with wooden tables, the chairs all turned upside down and resting on top of the tables.
Continuing on, they entered a large, lobby area. There was a reception desk, and some low chairs—the fabric on them covered in colorful, hibiscus flowers.
He hurried to the desk and set Halle down on the floor. She leaned back against the desk, each breath labored and her face a frightening shade of gray.
Ren strode to the cabinets behind the reception desk and started yanking the doors open. It didn’t look like this place had closed down that long ago. If they’d taken guests, they had to have some decent first aid supplies.
The shelves were filled with all kinds of things—towels, keys, books, candles, binders, office supplies.
“Come on.” He yanked open the next cabinet, and finally saw something that made his pulse jump. A huge, red first aid kit.
Thank fuck. He grabbed it and swiveled. He knelt beside Halle, and opened the kit. He pulled items out, tearing through everything inside. He prayed there was a rescue inhaler in here.
Then he saw it. An inhaler.
He grabbed it. It was a rescue inhaler, and it hadn’t expired.
He cupped Halle’s cheek. “Halle. Here you go.” He shook it, then held it to her lips.
With a shaky hand, she grabbed the inhaler and depressed the button. She inhaled, breathing slowly and deeply.
Ren pulled her onto his lap, holding her close. Finally, he heard the wheezing ease.
“I’m all right,” she said quietly.
He pressed his face to her hair. Thank God.
“I’m all right because of you.” She tangled her fingers with his.
“I’ll always take care of you, baby. No matter what.”
Halle was feeling much better,although still a little wobbly.
She watched Ren shove some things from the first aid kit into his backpack.
“Let’s take a look around,” he said. “If you’re feeling up to it.”
“I’m feeling all right, Ren.” She’d reassured him numerous times that she was fine, but he clearly wasn’t buying it quite yet.
They explored the rooms of the ranch lodge, with Ren sticking very close to her.
“Phones don’t work.” He smashed the phone back down onto the desk. He strode out of the office, his gaze running over her.
She lifted a folder with a laminated picture of the ranch on the front of it. “This was the Hill of Birds ranch. They grew all kinds of organic fruits and vegetables, and Hawaiian ‘awa root, and farmed honey. They also offered cabins for people to stay on the ranch. A rustic retreat, kind of thing.”
“They must have gone bust.”
She looked out the windows. The sun was heading for the horizon. It would get dark soon.
“Let’s check out the cabins,” he said. “You need to rest.”
“We both need to rest.”
They headed outside. Ren picked the most distant cabin, that lay close to the tree line. He broke another window to get in.
Halle stepped inside. “This is lovely.”
The walls were painted white, and the floor was a rich, red wood. A large bed was situated to take in the beautiful, lush view out the large, picture window. In the distance, the ocean glittered.
The bed had been stripped, but when she opened the nearby cupboard, she found some folded blankets.
Ren came out of the bathroom. “The water works, and it’s warm.”
Her brows rose. “How?”
“I did see a solar-panel system back near the main lodge. There’s no electricity though.” He flicked a light switch off and on. Then he opened some drawers and found some candles. “But these will do the job.” Then he went and pulled all the curtains closed. “I don’t want anyone to notice we’re here.” He eyed her. “I think you should take a bath next, while I see if I can find us some food.”
A bath sounded like heaven, and she nearly trembled at the idea. She watched him head into the bathroom and then heard water running.
She followed him, and her mouth dropped open. There was a gorgeous free-standing tub in front of another window. He’d already closed the blinds, and was lighting a candle.
He turned to face her. “You’ll be okay while I’m gone?”
She nodded. “Don’t be long, though.”
He ran a thumb across her cheek. “I won’t. I’m going to head back to the lodge and check out the main kitchen.”
Then he was gone. She nudged the curtain aside, watching him disappear into the growing darkness like a ghost.
When the bath was full, Halle stripped off her clothes and climbed in. The warm water made her whimper. She leaned back, the water lapping at her skin, but when she tried to relax, she was too restless.
She didn’t like Ren being out of sight.
“He’s a badass. He’ll be back.” She closed her eyes.
“Hey, sleeping beauty.”
Her eyes popped open, and she saw Ren kneeling beside the tub. The candlelight flickered over his handsome face.
“Hi.” She blinked. “God, did I fall asleep?”
“Yes,” he said, amused. “Time to get out before you drown.”
She nodded. “Any luck with food?”
“I found a few canned goods, and things. I’ll set it out.” He disappeared out of the bathroom.
Halle dried off, and saw that he’d left her a thick, white robe. She pulled it on.
Okay, they weren’t safe yet, but they were safe-ish. She tugged on the lapels of the robe. She needed to recharge while she had the chance, because tomorrow, they’d be hiking again to find help.
When she came out of the bathroom, Ren had set out a feast of sorts. There were crackers, jarred pickles, beef jerky, and a large variety of dried fruit. She guessed the ranch had done a lot of the dehydrating themselves.
“Well, this is gourmet,” she said with a smile.
He smiled back. “I’ve eaten a lot worse.”
She sat on the bed beside him, and picked up some slices of dried banana. They ate in companionable silence, and she was grateful they had somewhere warm and comfortable to rest.
“What’s our plan?” she asked. She had no doubt he’d have one.
“We’ll rest here tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll set off first thing to find a road. See if we can flag someone down to take us to the nearest town.”
She chewed on a cracker, and soon her eyes started to droop.
Ren took the rest of the food and set it on the nightstand. Then he gently eased her back onto the pillows.
“It’s too early to sleep,” she said, voice slurred.
“We did get woken up in the middle of the night, then had to swim and hike. You’re exhausted.” He smoothed a hand over her hair. “Time to rest.”
She grabbed his hand. “I’m glad you’re with me, Ren. I’m glad we’re together.”
“Me too, baby. Sleep. I’ll be here.” He kissed her forehead.
Halle drifted off to sleep. As she did, she heard him murmur again.
“I won’t let them touch you. Whatever it takes.”