24. Noah
Chapter twenty-four
Noah
M y mind races with the need to keep Mia safe. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig, sets my nerves on edge. The night had been long and treacherous, but now, I feel like there are a million eyes. I keep expecting to hear the crack of a rifle shot followed by blinding pain or seeing Mia drop. The trees are sparse along the stream, not providing much cover.
I glance back at Mia. I know she’s miserable. To think right now that she could be pregnant with my baby has blown my mind. My heart clenches with the weight of the responsibility. I don’t know how I’m going to navigate that situation. First, I have to make sure she’s safe. There is more reason than ever to keep her alive.
“Soon, we’ll see the edge of town,” I tell her, hoping to uplift her spirits.
The stream curves to the left and widens. It is deeper here, with the water bubbling over rocks and fallen branches at the edges .
“How are you holding up?” I ask, trying to keep my voice steady.
She looks up at me, her eyes weary but purposeful. “I’m okay. Just...tired.”
“We’re close,” I reassure her, squeezing her hand. “Just a little further.”
Suddenly, we hear voices and freeze. I drag her down low, pulling her against me in an attempt to shield her. We barely breathe, both of us listening. The voices sound cheerful, like people having a good time. That throws me off. One of the voices is female, and I swear I can hear a dog barking. At first, I wonder if my frozen brain is playing tricks on me.
I look at Mia. She looks just as confused. “Did they have a dog?” she whispers.
I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”
My heart races. I don’t think it’s the bad guys, but we can’t be sure. I motion for Mia to stay low. We creep closer, peering through the underbrush. I see a man petting a dog. A woman, probably in her fifties, wearing waders, is standing nearby with a fishing pole in hand. It all looks so ordinary, but I can’t trust anything .
“Stay hidden,” I whisper to Mia. “I’m going to feel out the situation.”
“What if it’s them?”
“I don’t think it is. Can you see the man’s face? Is there any chance it’s your ex?”
She squints and leans forward. “No. It’s not him.”
“Stay here. And again, no matter what happens, don’t come out. Stay hidden.”
She nods, her eyes wide with fear. I crawl away, staying low before I stand up and casually walk toward the couple.
“Hello,” I call out.
The woman nearly drops her fishing pole. “You scared me,” she laughs. “We didn’t know anyone was out here.”
The dog runs toward me. I pray the thing doesn’t want to kill me because I don’t think I can fight him off. Thankfully, he sniffs me and immediately rolls over to give me his belly. I bend forward and give it a good scratch.
“Are you okay?” The man asks, concern evident in his voice. “You don’t look too good.”
“I need to get to McGrath,” I tell him. “I’ve been out all night. ”
“Did you get lost?” The woman reels in her line and puts her pole down. “Honey, you look like you’re half-frozen.”
My gut is telling me this is safe. This is the help we need. “I am, but my girlfriend…she needs to get out of the cold.”
They both look around, probably thinking I’m batshit crazy. “Mia, it’s safe,” I call out.
A minute later, she moves to stand beside me. The couple is shocked. The woman immediately goes to the pack on the back of her snowmobile. She pulls out a red thermos and brings it over. “Here, drink this.”
Mia takes the first sip, her hands shaking as she holds the thermos. She hands it to me. “Thank you,” she says with a half-smile.
I sip the hot coffee, not caring that it’s scalding my tongue. The liquid heat feels so good.
“Can we get a ride into town?” I ask.
“Of course,” the man nods.
The woman returns with hand warmers. She slaps them against her thigh a few times and hands one to Mia and one to me. The heat hurts my frozen hands, but I squeeze the pack between them, putting it against my face. Mia does the same .
“I’m Don, and this is my wife, Tracy,” the man says. “Can you drive?”
I nod. “I can.”
“I think it’ll be a better weight balance to pair couples.”
I nod again, hoping I can hold onto the handles.
“I’ll pack up,” Tracy says.
I pull Mia into my arms, hugging her close and rubbing my hand up and down her back to try and warm her.
“Thank you so much,” I managed to get out, my throat feeling raw from the cold.
“We’re glad to help, son,” Don replies, patting me on the shoulder. “Let’s get you two bundled up and on those snowmobiles.”
We climb onto the snowmobile. Mia settles in behind me, her arms going around my waist. Her shivering subsides a little. I feel a wave of relief washing over me. We’re safe. We’re so close to getting out of this nightmare. Now that the end is close, I can feel my body trying to shut down.
Not yet .
The ride is a blur of cold wind and snow. It takes every ounce of strength to hold on to the machine, my hands not wanting to cooperate.
Our rescuers lead the way to the town hall, which is the hub of this remote and isolated town. We climb off the snowmobile, and neither of us moves very quickly.
“Thank you,” I say and shake Don’s hand. “You guys are lifesavers in every meaning of the word. We really appreciate it.”
“You two take care,” Tracy smiles. “The lodge will have a nice warm bed and a hot meal for the two of you.”
“Thank you,” Mia smiles.
They take off, and Mia and I go inside. “Ready for this?” I ask her.
“What are we going to do?”
“I have the number for the agent I was working with. I’m going to call him and let him know what’s going on.”
“Is that safe?” she asks. “They said they had someone on the inside.”
“I have to hope he isn’t going to screw us over,” I shrug. “I don’t know what else to do. We’re stuck here. I don’t have my wallet. To get out of here, it takes someone like me to fly us out, except I don’t have a plane.”
“Okay,” she sighs. “I wonder if they smashed my camera.”
“I’m sorry. I know how important that is to you.”
She shrugs. “It is, but I guess it doesn’t do me much good if I’m dead.”
I smile, brushing the pad of my thumb across a cheek. “Good point.”
After speaking with a couple of the staff, Mia is given a warm blanket and more hot coffee while I’m shown to the phone. It rings twice before a familiar voice answers.
“Agent Fields,” he says, his voice brisk and professional.
“It’s Noah. We’ve got a situation,” I say, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Noah? What’s going on?” he asks, concern creeping into his tone.
I fill him in on what’s happened, explaining about the men who had captured us and the dead biologist back at the cabin. “We need help. They’re still out there, and we’re not safe. You told me I was in the clear. You said you had these guys locked down.”
“I’m not sure what happened.”
“They told me they had someone in the agency,” I tell him, biting anger in my tone.
“Sit tight and lay low,” Fields instructs. “I’ll get a team together and get to you. Don’t make any moves until we arrive.”
“I need you to get me a room at the lodge,” I tell him. “My stuff is at the cabin. Book it under a fake name. If they come to my door, I’ll know you’re on the wrong side of this, and I will make sure you are exposed.”
“Understood,” Fields responds, his voice now steady. The sound of keys clicking in the background tells me he’s taking action immediately and booking that room, “I’ll do everything in my power to get you both safe.”
After finishing the call with Fields, I return to the main hall and find her tucked in a chair, her eyes looking emptier than ever. The warmth has returned some color to her cheeks, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. The woman is running on empty. I get it. I am in the same boat .
“Help is on the way. We just need to stay here and keep a low profile. I’ve got him booking us a room.”
She nods, relief mingling with her exhaustion. “What about the state police to handle the other situation?”
“Other situation?”
“Eric. Carter. We need to tell them about Carter murdering Eric. I need to call Eric’s wife. I’ve been thinking…what if she was with him? Carter might have her, or her body is buried under snow.”
“You’re right. I’ll call them right now. They’ll get here a lot faster than the Feds.”
I quickly make the call. The conversation is brief, but I make sure they understand the urgency of the situation. They promise to send someone out to investigate.
“You okay?” I ask Mia.
“I’ll be fine,” she says, managing a weak smile. “Thank you, Noah. For everything.”
“We’ll get through this. Let’s see if we’ve got a room. I want to get out of these wet clothes.”
Nodding, she stands and follows me outside. The lodge isn’t too far away, but it feels like a hundred miles. We drag ourselves down the block and walk in. I ask the woman at the desk if there is a room reserved for us.
I can’t imagine there are many people walking off the streets, given where we are. “Ah, yes,” the older woman says. She has a friendly smile, and I give her the name Fields provided. Her fingers dance over the keyboard.
“Your room is ready,” she says, handing us a pair of keys. “You look cold.”
“We are.”
“Let me get you some extra blankets, you poor things.”
“Thank you,” I tell her as I accept the keys, and Mia takes the blankets. We make our way down a long, quiet hallway to our room.
I open the door to the tidy room. It’s not luxurious, but it’s better than a breezy shack or hanging out under a pine tree. “Let’s get you into a hot shower,” I tell her. “You need to get warm.”
“So, do you.”
“I want to get you some food,” I tell her, pulling the blanket from her shoulders.
She grabs my face in her hands and looks me in the eyes. “Noah, you’ve nearly killed yourself trying to take care of me. We both need to warm up. Right now.”
“All right,” I agree reluctantly. “Go ahead, I’ll stay here and wait for the police.”
“I have a feeling there won’t be endless hot water in this place. We can shower together—save water.”
I look at her with a lopsided grin. “Oh yeah.”
“Stop it,” she laughs. “You and I both know neither of us has the energy to do anything.”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t look,” I tease.
We strip out of our damp clothes. I turn up the heat in the room while she starts the water in the shower. She’s already standing under the spray when I return to the bathroom. I step in behind her, the heat seeping into my very cold bones. The hot shower feels like heaven. As we take turns under the spray, we stay silent, both lost in our own thoughts.