Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
ADELE
The past catches up
Tension ripped through me, a jolt of fear locking my knees for a few beats. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.
I did not want to think about why that man was here. At all. I didn’t need him here to ruin the trip I’d been planning and looking forward to for months.
Just breathe. Ignore him. He’s not on this trip with you. He won’t even be hiking with you.
“Hey, how you doing?” Cole’s voice reached me from the side, and I glanced over, forcing myself to unclench my jaw. His tone was light, but his gaze was intent. “Everything okay?” he asked.
I cleared my throat. “Uh-huh. Everything’s fine.” My words came out rushed and sharp.
A woman in our group stopped beside us to check about her gear. I was relieved to have anything to focus on other than, well, that asshole, and maybe the fact that Cole had clearly noticed I was tense about something.
It’s fine, I told myself.
This was our last morning here before we headed out. For the most part, I managed to ignore Chad’s presence.
I knew he recognized me. I supposed I’d be memorable for him. The last time I saw him, I’d kicked him in the balls. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Unfortunately, one of the college girls on our trip, Ashley, had caught his eye, and he started flirting. At least, that’s how it looked.
“Everything okay, Adele?” This time it was Asher asking.
I glanced over. “It’s fine.” My tone was level.
Asher arched a brow, tipping his head to the side. “You sure about that?”
I’d grown to like Asher. He had a dry sense of humor, but it only came out on occasion. He was more subtle than his brothers. He was steady and easy to work with.
I liked all of the Silver brothers. I’d gotten to know them all, but Asher was often the most perceptive.
Too perceptive, unfortunately for me in this moment.
I hadn’t even realized my gaze had flicked over to Chad again, who was now full-on working Ashley.
I tried to ignore the way my adrenaline amped up.
“You know that guy?” Asher asked.
I wanted to lie. I really did. But I needed to play it cool. I just shrugged. “I’ve encountered him before. On the trail.”
“Okay. Should we be worried about him?”
I shrugged again. “I don’t think so. I’ll just say this—he’s in the hiking circuit in Alaska. He does some guiding on the side from what I understand. I don’t think he’s licensed. And this”—I gestured vaguely toward him and Ashley—“this is kind of his MO.”
We’d leave soon and hopefully not see him again.
Asher got pulled away by one of the guys in our group to help fit a pack.
In short order, we settled into the hike and we didn’t cross paths with Chad or whatever group he was part of again that day.
I didn’t really know if he was leading or along for the trip.
He was one of those guys who couldn’t be counted on to do the work it took to get officially licensed but still acted like he was a pro.
To this day, I hated that I’d been susceptible to his charms. That I hadn’t picked up on the blinking, blaring warning signs. I shoved those memories back into a locked compartment in my mind.
I had a sense both Cole and Asher knew I wasn’t telling the full story, but this wasn’t the time or place to worry about that. We’d left Chad behind and that was all that mattered.
Katmai was as glorious and breathtaking as every park I’d visited in Alaska. My heart—my scarred, stubborn heart—didn’t want to contemplate how much I loved seeing it for the first time with Cole.
Even though we were all busy making sure everyone on the trip had what they needed—checking gear, tending to a few minor scrapes, rerouting a section due to trail washout—Cole was still so present with me every step of the way.
He was protective, careful, kind. I didn’t want to think about how much I savored the sense of protectiveness from him.
Those two weeks passed in a glorious blur of everything I loved—the wilderness, the fresh air, the camaraderie of the group. And being with Cole.
I liked to be independent. I needed to feel strong.
But I always felt a little more grounded when I wasn’t out there solo.
With Cole, it felt like, day by day, the connection between us deepened.
The threads between us tightening like twine being braided stronger and stronger.
Maybe it was the wilderness—the clarity I always felt when I was out here in the elements—but I didn’t even try to keep my guard up. Not on this trip.
I didn’t have faith that it would last forever, because that just wasn’t how my brain worked. But I savored it. Every second.
There was only one hitch during those weeks.
It wasn’t until the last few days when we encountered Chad’s group.
It was brief, but left me unsettled. When you’re in the middle of the wilderness and see another group of hikers, it’s customary to be friendly, for obvious reasons.
In this case, Chad once again starting flirting with Ashley.
Even though I knew better, I approached.
“Hey, Ashley, you got a minute?” I asked.
She all but bounced toward me. “Of course!” When she rolled her eyes toward Chad, out of his line of sight, anger burned inside me.
I kept my tone casual. “Do you mind helping Asher with that blister tape? I think you’re the one carrying it.” Of course, I had no idea if she was, but she was happy to go along with my bullshit and skipped off.
Turning to Chad, I narrowed my eyes. “Leave her alone.”
“You’re not my keeper,” he replied, just as Cole appeared out of the corner of my eye.
“Just a reminder,” was all I said before turning away and walking straight to Cole.
“What’s up?” he asked a few minutes later.
“What do you mean?” I hedged.
He eyed me for a beat. “You just seem, I dunno, tense.”
I was relieved it seemed he hadn’t noticed anything else. “Just tired,” was all I offered. Entirely true, and he let it drop.
That first evening back at base camp, I stepped away for a quick bathroom break. The days were getting longer now, so there was still plenty of light.
As I walked past a group, I glanced over, my eyes landing on Chad. Tension jolted me. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.
After taking care of business in the trees, I heard a sharp scream. My nervous system recognized the fear in that sound. I scrambled through the brush, bursting into a clearing where Ashley stood, her eyes wide and her cheek red. Chad had ahold of her arm.
“You fucking asshole.” The next few minutes were a blur.
I walked straight up to Chad and kicked him in the balls.
Again. In all honesty, it was very satisfying.
But then, of course, we were within earshot of the rest of the main camp, and someone must’ve heard the sounds.
Lincoln arrived first, his gaze arcing over the tableau in front of him.
Asher, Cole, Haven, and Grady appeared in a cluster behind him a moment later.
“I don’t know what the hell happened,” Lincoln said, looking straight at Chad, “but you need to back the fuck off.”
Chad’s eyes were still watering from the ball kick, and he was wheezing. “I haven’t done anything,” he managed between gasps.
Ashley looked horrified, tears in her eyes. I walked over to her. “What happened?”
“He tried to tackle me. When I shoved back, he slapped me.” Her cheek was still red, but she appeared more angry than distressed.
Although I didn’t want to share my story in front of a group of people, I did. Everybody needed to know. “This guy tried to attack me once before. I kicked him in the balls then, and I just kicked him in the balls on her behalf again.”
Chad dropped his head, still clutching his balls, and glared at me when he lifted his gaze again. “You fucking bitch.”
“When it happened with me, there were witnesses. Just like there are now,” I said.
Cole’s gaze locked on me for a long beat. I could sense he was torn. I didn’t know how to interpret his expression, but Lincoln seemed to know. He began moving in Cole’s direction.
“You don’t need to do a thing,” Lincoln warned.
But Cole was already in front of Chad. “You fucking asshole.” He clutched Chad’s shirt, lifting him off the ground while Chad was still trying to protect his balls.
Haven and Lincoln surrounded the two of them, and Lincoln deftly tugged Cole back. “Not worth it, man. They’re fine.”
Cole shook his head sharply. “Fucking asshole. I knew you had done something.”
“Dude, I didn’t do anything to anybody!” Chad looked at Ashley. “Ashley, I—”
She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, you did. I was just here literally trying to go to the bathroom, and you tried to knock me over. Your pants are still undone, aren’t they?”
I hadn’t even caught that detail. Chad’s breath was heaving. Meanwhile, Haven and Lincoln were conferring all the while. They kept a firm grip on Cole, flanking him on each side.
Cole rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, not going to do anything. But what do we do in this situation?”
“There’s actually a state trooper here today,” someone offered.
“Fucking awesome,” Lincoln said.
The next hour was a jumble. The trooper actually arrested Chad for attempted assault of Ashley. When she laid out the whole story, he was even willing to interview me about my experience to add to the record.
When all was said and done—as far as the dust settling from the whole mess—my adrenaline was still pumping through my body so hard and fast, I was surprised I didn’t pass out from it.
I knew I needed to talk to Cole, though, and I couldn’t find him. “Where’s Cole?” I asked Lincoln.
“He’s over by the planes. You want me to go with you?”
“Is he upset with me?”
“No. Why would he be upset with you, Adele?”
“I don’t know. Because I guess he probably thought I would have told him everything that happened before. I just wanted to have this trip be okay.”
Lincoln studied me for a moment. “You know Cole’s in love with you, right?”
My stomach flipped, and my heart felt cracked open in my chest. “What?” I sputtered.
“Absolutely. I know this.” Lincoln nodded definitively.
“You can’t be serious.”
Lincoln tipped his head to the side. “I know my brother. He’s in love with you.”
“Oh, yeah, he is,” Haven said, hearing that part of the conversation. “He’s the joker in the family. Manages to play it cool most of the time. He can’t do that with you. Go easy on him.”
When I walked over to look for Cole by the planes, I only hoped he would understand.
“Cole?” I called.
As I approached, I noticed his boots on the far side of one of the planes.
“Yeah?” His tone was careful.