Chapter 2
BARRETT
The sight that greets me as I try to make it home before the storm hits is an unbelievable one.
Curves, strands of honey brown hair that have pulled loose and curled around her pretty face.
Wide eyes stare at me, and I don't miss the way she flinches or how her fingers curl tighter around the object in her hand.
"That better be a phone." The woman winces at the low rumble of my voice and I stalk toward her.
She shrinks back against the tree, and I force myself to stop.
To approach her slowly. Like I would a wounded fawn.
Or a wolf caught in a trap. I hold my hands up and then point toward her. "Do you have a phone?"
This time I project my voice across the distance, hoping it sounds less like a growl and more like human speech. I don't have to interact with many people out here. And that's kind of the way I like it.
The woods don't care if I'm not in the mood for small talk. Or if I don't post pictures of the beauty I see on the internet. It exists. And so do I.
Simple.
But looking at the woman before me, I'm afraid simple has evaporated.
She's nodding now, and I have to remind myself of the question I asked. Her phone. "Does it work? Is there someone you can call?"
A crack of thunder erupts overhead, and the trees shake from its vibration. Things are about to get pretty bad. We're going to be stuck in the middle of a massive downpour on a slope that leads right down to the lake. We're not on high ground. That's never a good thing.
"It doesn't work. I think it broke when I fell. It won't turn on."
She holds out the piece of plastic, and I take it from her, turning it over in my hands. The screen is obviously cracked, and it doesn't power up no matter how many different times I try to spur it back to life.
"Can you walk?" I kneel down and level my gaze with hers. She's starting to shiver. The heat of the day has fled, the temperature dropping rapidly as it often does when these storms hit the ridge. "It's about to get very cold and very wet right here."
She shakes her head and points to her foot. It's encased in a tennis shoe, not a great choice for hiking, but better than other choices. I can see the swelling has started and reach toward it instinctively, before forcing myself to stop. Training is hard to override in the civilian world.
"I'm a trained medic. You've got a pretty bad sprain, by the looks of it. Can I help you with it?" She hesitates, then gives me a quick nod. "Good girl. I'll have to touch your leg and your foot. But I'll be gentle. If you want me to stop, just say so, and I will."
Some of the tension slips from her and she sinks back further against the tree. She's wearing a short sleeve t-shirt, and I can't imagine the bark feels good against her back, but we'll focus on the immediate problem first.
Getting her back on her feet.
I slip her shoe off, moving carefully and trying to minimize the pain. She bites her lip, her top teeth digging into the plump bottom, and I drop my attention back down to where it needs to be. "What's your name?"
"Sage." I look back up at her, and she gives me a lopsided, pained grin. "Yes. Like the herb. The one people burn bundles of to ward off bad spirits."
"People do that?" I tug the sock down over and frown. The swelling is progressing quickly and sitting here as the storm draws closer is going to make this even more difficult.
"Mm-hm."
I examine the ankle and press carefully, noting when Sage drags in a deep breath and tries to pull away. "We're going to have to do this the messy way, I think."
"What do you mean? The messy way?"
Pointing to her, I ask, "Do you have a med kit on you? Something we can use to wrap this ankle and get pressure on it? Because hiking out of here is about to get really difficult and we don't have a lot of time."
Sage shakes her head again, and I decide on the only course of action open to us. "Well, then, we'll do what we need to do."
I start unbuttoning my flannel and ignore her gasp. Stripping it off, I lean in, holding the arms out until she shifts her weight off the tree and I can help her pull it on. "That'll keep you warm for now. And I'll work on this."
Reaching up, I grab the back of the neck and tug it off over my head. The chill in the air is noticeable now, but I've been trained to function in the worst weather. This is survivable.
For me, at least.
"Why are you taking your clothes off?" Her voice is worried, but I don't look at her. I grip the cotton at the hem and pull, the sound of the material ripping exactly what I want to hear. I repeat the process until I have multiple strips laid out on my lap.
"Going to bind your ankle now, sweetheart." The pet name slips out, and I try to give her a reassuring look. "This will act like a bandage, help restrict the swelling, and give you some support. Hopefully it helps with the pain, too."
She nods her understanding and I get to work, carefully winding the strips around her foot and up the back of her heel, weaving them together until I'm satisfied it's enough. Lightning sizzles over the trees and there's a large crack above us. The storm breaks and rain begins pouring down.
"Staying at the resort?" I ask the question, already anticipating that I'm right.
Water starts rolling down the slope of the path, exactly as I expected it would, and I examine it.
Any chance of making it up that way and back to the resort is being quickly washed away.
Our options are limited. And we need shelter.
Soon.
"All right, Sage. We need to get going. So I'm going to pick you up and carry you on out of here." I meet her eyes and spot the flare of determination in the green depths. "Good with you?"
"Yes, please. Let's do this." She takes the hand I offer. "But I can walk now, I think."
I bite back the disagreement that I want to voice.
I've seen injuries in my career, more than I want to remember.
This is a sprain, which might not seem like a big deal in comparison to what I've encountered in the field.
But in reality, this isn't the kind of thing someone can instantly walk on, especially not fast.
Sage tries to stand but cries out when her foot touches the ground and she tries to put weight on it. She grimaces and leans against me, her fingers landing against my bare chest. Even with the rain and the rumble, I hear the sigh of defeat that escapes her.
"Okay, maybe you're right."
"All right then." I bend down and scoop her up into my arms. "Loop your arms around my neck and hold on."
She does as I say, settling herself against me, and I strike out, going the only way that's still open to us.
"Where are you taking me?" asks Sage, her eyes on the rapidly disappearing path I'm sure she tumbled down.
I grunt out the answer, pushing myself to move as fast as I can and still maintain my footing.
"Home. I'm taking you home."