Chapter 11 #2
She laughed. “Aside from the heart attack, sure.”
“Can’t sleep?”
She hoped it was too dark for him to see her expression. “Just thought I’d check the perimeter. Make sure a bear didn’t infiltrate the privy.”
She could make out his smile in the darkness. “Haven’t seen any bears. Heard the wolves though. They’re howling at the moon.”
She shivered and clouds of frosted breath drifted around her. He had a blanket and wore his snow gear, but he was sitting here and not moving… “You must be frozen.”
“Nah. I’m hot-blooded on my Brazilian side.”
For some reason, that made her shiver in a way that had nothing to do with the temperature. “Must come in handy at times like this.”
He grunted.
God. She felt like an idiot. Nora Deacon, queen of casual conversation.
“I’m just gonna…” She headed down the steps, mortified when he followed her.
“Might as well take a walk.”
They were in the wild now, and when nature called, you needed to leave any sense of modesty behind.
She’d been a ranger and an avid hiker for years, so she was surprised she was in the least bit self-conscious as she headed along the well-trodden path to the small hut with its frigid wooden seat and breezy accommodations.
Earlier, she’d swept the place out as best as she was able.
Added toilet tissue—an unexpected luxury from the cabin’s supplies—and some sanitizer that was basically seventy-five percent alcohol, which she’d also used to clean the seat.
Before joining law enforcement, she’d spent two summers working in the park concessions and had often had to clean the restrooms. It was often gross—why did people do the things they did?
—but also not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.
Thankfully, the spiders were doing whatever spiders did in the depths of winter—as were the flies.
The smell was minimal. It was as fancy as you could get in the middle of this stark and inaccessible wilderness.
She heard Sebastian speak quietly to Chance as the dog raced through the snow in a quick burst of zoomies. She couldn’t make out the words, but she smiled.
The glow of the moon turned the valley into an idyllic scene with the slopes of the mountains meeting the valley floor.
Conifers covered the lower hills and ice-carved rocks rose above it in jagged majestic peaks.
She’d seen this view in summer, a meadow filled with glorious wildflowers with a shallow river flowing through it.
She’d never seen it in early spring at night under a bright, silver moon.
It brought a whole new dimension to its savage beauty.
Sebastian laughed at something Chance did, and the sound was rich and vibrant and caught her off guard. He sounded happy and relaxed playing with her dog. So different from his usual serious persona, his intense watchfulness as if he expected her to screw up at any moment.
There was no time for dillydallying at below zero in an outhouse at night. She hiked up her pants and squirted her hands with alcohol, making sure they were dry before she stuffed them back into her pockets.
They headed back to the cabin in silence, but she was too restless to return to bed straightaway. They stood together and stared out at the beautiful, treacherous landscape as Chance continued to snuffle at the base of the steps.
Sebastian reached for a thermos, poured a cup, and handed it to her.
The aroma that rose to meet her nose was a surprise. “Mint tea?”
“Works better for keeping me awake and is easier in general to pack.” He shrugged a little awkwardly. “I’m also a coffee snob.”
She sipped the hot brew, grateful for the way it warmed her hands and settled her stomach. “Thank you.” She passed it across, and he took a sip, then passed it back.
Her breath formed clouds of white mist in the otherwise clear air. “So, how do you normally spend a Thursday night?”
He shook his head. “There is no normal in this job.” He turned to face her, a slight smile curving his full lower lip. “Last week I helped a teammate choose an engagement ring and the week before that, I was on a two-day High Altitude, High Opening parachute course to work on my certification.”
“You actually like throwing yourself out of a perfectly functional aircraft?” She kept her voice low, keenly aware of the others asleep inside. The idea of skydiving made her shudder.
“Define like.” His eyes sparkled with wry amusement.
“Not so much then, which makes you a very smart cookie in my book.” She rubbed her hands together, wished she’d brought her gloves. “You do it anyway. Is it a job requirement?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” He dipped his chin and lowered his gaze. “And if you ever reveal my secret hatred of jumping to the others, I will arrange appropriate punishment—perhaps being strapped to me during a free-fall?”
“Oh, hell no, thank you very much. Your secret is safe with me.” She crossed her fingers over her heart. “It would take a lot to get me to do anything as crazy as that.”
He laughed softly before taking another sip of the warm tea. “As opposed to traipsing through a blizzard, searching for missing people.”
The cold air seemed to sink into her chest. “Chance likes the work.”
“And you?”
“Depends how you define like.” She smiled reluctantly. Her teeth started to chatter. This time when he passed her the tea, he also tried to give her his gloves.
“No, you need them more than I do. I’m going inside soon.” Still, she didn’t move.
It felt strangely intimate to share a drink out here in the middle of the frozen Rockies, as if no one else in the world existed. The feeling was peaceful and soothing. A balm to her battered soul. Until she remembered why they were here.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” she asked.
For a long time, he didn’t answer. Then, “I’m not a profiler, but I read what the BAU had to say about Eastman.”
“Which was?”
“He doesn’t have all the classic traits of a family annihilator, but he does seem to be devolving into paranoia that might make him think Summer is better off dead than alive without him to guide her.
Especially if he’s cornered and believes there is no viable way out.
A man like that would see prison as a death sentence. ”
“And he’d take that little girl with him?” Hatred rose up inside Nora. Hatred and bone-deep resentment. “Because he gets to decide her fate as if she’s a piece of furniture and not a human being with her own thoughts and wishes.”
God.
Sebastian didn’t speak. Perhaps he sensed nothing he said could improve her mood.
John Kingston had treated her that way. As an object that he controlled. As a vessel and a subject. A slave to his whims. He’d been evil. The world was a safer place without him.
Was Eastman evil? Or broken?
Someone else could figure that out when the authorities caught up with the man. She just cared about Summer.
They continued to stare out into a night that was crystal sharp without a single cloud overhead.
The Milky Way sparkled with a billion different stars.
A meteor blazed across the inky sky in a streak of white light, and she wished on it with all her insignificant might, even though she knew it wasn’t really a star.
Please let them find Summer, safe and sound…
Despite everything, it was hard not to appreciate the stunning scenery. Her job might be stressful, dangerous, and often heartbreaking, but the view from the office window was breathtaking.
Life was short. She’d be a fool not to appreciate it when she could.
She glanced around and found Sebastian watching her curiously, but he didn’t speak. Didn’t appear to judge. This moment wasn’t about the mission, for once. They were simply two people appreciating the moment.
Finally, peacefulness lulled her into drowsiness that made her eyes and limbs feel heavy. Chance was done exploring and ready for another nap. She handed Sebastian the empty cup and ignored the little spark that pinged her fingers as their hands connected.
Static. Probably.
The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself by building it into something it wasn’t. She stuffed her hands in her pockets, hunched her shoulders. “I should go see if I can get a few more hours’ rest.”
He nodded without speaking, and she headed inside, aware of his gaze following her in the darkness.