The cold burned the inside of her nose every time she inhaled, so she forced her breaths shallower.
He walked ahead of her. Steady pace, no wasted movement, scanning the lattice of pale birch between the darker conifers, the taiga closing around them in every direction.
Pav hadn’t looked back once. He knew she was there. He adjusted his pace when she fell behind, slowing without turning. She gritted her teeth. The man was a walking operations manual with a pulse.
He climbed over a snowbank, protecting his left side. Perhaps he’d sustained an injury in the crash? She studied his walk. His ribs?
But he hadn’t said a word.
Of course, he hadn’t. Admitting pain would make him human, and that was against his damn operating protocol.
She caught up with him and fell into step. “You’re guarding your ribs.”
He didn’t look at her. “I’m fine.”
She clenched her teeth.Stubborn man. Stay calm. Treat him like any other obstinate man who’d rolled into her ER. “That’s not what I said.”
He tramped around a scatter of boulders, moonlight silvering the snow. “Not relevant.”
“You’re injured?—”
“Can you fix them?” He tossed her a look.
“What?”
“Right now. Here. Can you fix them?”
“No, but?—”
He shrugged. “Then it’s not relevant.”
The urge to shake him was so strong her fingers curled inside his too-long sleeves, nails digging into her palms. “You’re unbelievable?—”
He stopped suddenly, pivoted and held up a hand.Stop.
Her hands hit her hips. “Just what?—”
He moved like lightning, sealing his hand over her mouth, his fingers spanning her jaw. His palm was warm, the heat shocking against her frozen lips.
“Quiet.” His breath tickled her ear.
She froze, heart hammering with fury and something sharper.
What the hell?—
Distant but unmistakable. The deep, percussive thud of helicopter rotors cutting through the storm.
God. What now?
He was listening. Head tilted slightly, eyes tracking the sky through the canopy of snow-heavy trees. She couldn’t see anything—just endless snow, trees, and rock.
The sound grew. Louder. Coming from the direction of the crash site. Coming toward them. His hand relaxed and released her mouth. “We need to hurry.”
Pav pulled her off the trail they’d been cutting through the snow. Into the trees. He moved fast now, his injury apparently optional. Ahead, a searchlight swept across the frozen ground. Snow crystals glittered and vanished again, blinding for a split second.
Pav veered away from the light, leading her deeper into the trees, his hold on her arm rock-solid.
“Pav. Where?—”
