Chapter 14 #3
Laughter came bursting from my tummy. “I never said you were an ugly creep. Race ya!” I yelled and started running, giggling at Grayson’s surprised protest. He ran anyway and it didn’t take him long to catch up to me.
He grabbed me around my waist and lifted me off my feet.
I yelped in surprise. He twisted me around and threw me over his shoulder and the backpack.
“Put me down, you creep!” I giggled as he ran the last few metres to the cabin and up the porch. I was still laughing and squirming from being poked in the sides, when he walked through the front door with me.
Grayson stopped abruptly and I could feel the muscles in his back suddenly going stiff beneath my arms. I stopped laughing at once, feeling the sudden tension vibrating off him.
He lowered me slowly to the ground, and I caught a glimpse of his strained face, his eyes fixed on something behind me. I turned, not sure what to expect.
At the dining table sat Gemma and Hunter, smiling at us, but eyes wide with terror. Next to them sat a man in a green uniform. A park ranger. He had a cup of coffee in front of him, and he was smiling at me and Grayson.
“And who is this?” he asked Hunter, standing to greet us. He was an older man, his grey hair sticking out beneath his hat, but he still looked fit and energetic.
Grayson grabbed hold of my hand, squeezing it and tugging me behind him slightly as he moved forward to shake the man’s hand.
“This is John and Sarah, our friends,” Hunter introduced smoothly, staring at me murderously, while the man had his back to him.
Grayson shook his hand, and the man then shifted his attention to me, holding his hand out, waiting for me to take it. My heart was thundering in my chest.
“Nice to meet you two. I’m George. I’m a park ranger.” It took me a few seconds too long, but I finally shook his hand.
“What brings you all the way out here, George?” Grayson asked casually, sounding completely at ease. The only thing that proved otherwise was the way he was tightly gripping my hand.
The ranger’s eyes flicked to me briefly, before he answered. “I’m just doing my rounds, making sure everything’s still good in this neck of the woods. But I’m on my way home now. Two weeks in a tent is enough for me,” he grumbled, then his eyes flicked back to me. “Say, do I know you?”
Everyone stopped breathing, including myself.
I quickly glanced up at Grayson, but he was looking down at me with only a polite smile.
But his free hand disappeared into his pocket, where I knew his knife was.
I opened my mouth and glanced at Gemma and Hunter.
Gemma was shifting uncomfortably, and Hunter was staring at me as if he wanted nothing more than to kill me.
But neither said anything, only seeming to politely wait on my answer.
I had a choice to make. One that would determine my future. And also everyone else’s in this room. Grayson’s hand twitched around mine, a testament to the tension he was hiding so well.
“I don’t think so?” I answered with a puzzled smile.
Everyone released their breath. Hunter sprang into action, taking the rangers attention from me.
“Would you like some more coffee, George?”
“Just a quick one, thanks. I still have some ground to cover before it’s dark.”
Gemma started a conversation on poaching and instantly ensnared the ranger.
Grayson pulled out a chair from the dining table and ushered me to sit.
Our eyes met briefly, and he grasped my chin between his forefinger and thumb and squeezed lightly, before taking a seat next to me. He never let go of my hand.
The conversation seemed to flow effortlessly between my captors and the ranger.
I pretended to follow, gave a polite nod and smile here and there, but I couldn’t focus.
Had I made the right choice? I could be going home.
I peered at Grayson. He was talking to the ranger, but he noticed my stare and gave my hand a squeeze, rubbing his thumb over the back of it.
I didn’t know how to feel, the emotions roaring through me were too many to grasp.
“Thank you for your hospitality, but I have to get going now,” said the ranger as he stood. We followed suit. He shook everyone’s hands and stopped by me. “Are you sure I don’t know you? I’ve definitely seen you before.” His brow was creased as he contemplated my face.
He didn’t notice how everyone tensed up, yet again. Had I been on the news? Or maybe the police sent a picture of me around. I couldn’t tell if my sudden nerves were because I wanted him to recognise me or not. I looked to Gemma. She was looking at her shoes, chewing nervously on her lower lip.
I couldn’t do this to them.
“Maybe you have seen me before? I’ve come camping with my dad every summer since I was a little girl. How long have you been a ranger here?” I smiled politely.
He snapped his fingers, grinning broadly. “That must be it! I’ve worked in this forest for almost thirty years now. I must have seen you around sometime. My memory ain’t what it used to be.” He shook his head. “I’m usually stationed at the information desk during summers. Up at Cliff Station.”
I forced my smile to widen. “Yes, we’ve camped near there a few times. Maybe I’ll see you next summer then.” I had no idea where Cliff Station was.
He shook my hand, satisfied. He gathered his hiking things while exchanging pleasantries and was out the door as we waved him off on the porch.
When the ranger disappeared through the trees, Grayson turned to me and grasped my face between his hands, and lowered his forehead to mine, exhaling audibly. “Ava,” he mumbled, but didn’t say anything else.
I had a sinking feeling settling in my gut. I had a chance to go home and didn’t take it.
“You did the right thing,” Hunter uttered.
I stared at him. “The right thing for you. Not me.” I turned and walked inside, not stopping till I closed the bedroom door behind me. I climbed onto the bed, letting the tears fall. I had decided to stay kidnapped. It was outrageous.
My crow flew up to the window as if he’d sensed my distress. He sat with me, feathers puffed against the cold. I wished he would just fly home to his nest. He was free. There was no reason for him to sit here.
After a few minutes, the door opened silently.
I had my back to it, but I knew it was Grayson.
He laid down next to me but didn’t touch me.
So, I turned to him, pressing myself against him, resting my head on his chest, while he wrapped his arms tightly around me.
It was absurd to seek comfort from the person who was the reason I was in this mess, but here I was.
And it wasn’t the dumbest thing I had done today.
But I did find comfort in his arms, as he held me tightly, stroking my hair and kissing the top of my head as I cried silently. And I realised I wouldn’t want anyone else’s comfort but his.