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“So, we’re going to keep her alive.” Travis never raised his voice, continuing to advance until he stood directly in front of her, his broad chest blocking her view of Kyle.
Her peripheral vision blurred as his arm swung toward her, and pain erupted through her jaw. She sucked in air as her gaze locked on his.Did he hit me?Confusion muddled his action with the pain and pretty lights, and for an instant, Jordan was indignant that Travis had punched her. A heartbeat later, her body crumpled, and blackness claimed her.
Chapter Six
Jordan fell headfirstthrough the mist surrounding her, but she sensed the darkness below. Continually bumped and jostled by things she couldn’t see, apprehension gripped her. Abruptly, something firm yet soft broke her fall, and air whooshed from her lungs. She scrambled to get her feet beneath her and stand, but the weight on her chest held her down.
“Lay still, or you’re going to lose your lunch.” The voice was low and close to her ear.
Holy crap, who is that?Instinctively, she tried to roll away, but a hand on her shoulder pressed her back. The movement started her head throbbing.
“I said lay still.”
Travis?Why was he here?
Like opening floodgates, memories bombarded her.I was lost, and three men gave me a ride. Stupid, stupid, stupid!She’d almost gotten away. One of them had pulled a gun, and she’d froze, sure he would kill her. But Travis had stepped in front of her. Relief had flooded her for a second, foolishly believing he would save her. Instead, he’dhither.
Her jaw throbbed where his blow had landed, but so did the rest of her body. She cracked her eyelids open and warily followed his movements as Travis spread a blanket over her and tucked in the edges as though she were an upside-down burrito. She stiffened at his touch and twisted around to knock his hands away, but her efforts were weak, and he ignored her. Waves of nausea engulfed her, and she curled into a fetal position, determined not to let him be right.
Gentle hands brushed the hair away from her face and pressed a cool rag to her brow. She shivered, and Travis pulled the blanket around her again. This time she didn’t protest.
Jordan squinted to focus on the man whose kindness seemed out of character. She hadn’t mistaken his broad shoulders moving toward her from the shadows, positioning himself between Kyle’s gun and her. Was he there to rescue her from Kyle again? She’d believed it was true for a heartbeat, but he’d proved her wrong.
He touched a tender spot on her jaw, and she winced. “Sorry about that, but at least it’s not broken.”
Jordan snorted derisively. “What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?”
Travis’s hesitation was barely noticeable, and he covered it so quickly that Jordan was left wondering if it had been her imagination. “I don’t want anything. Believe it or not, I’m trying to keep you alive and in one piece, and you’re not making it easy. What the hell were you doing out there?”
Was that regret in his sigh of frustration? She had to know, even at the risk of him confiding in Brody. “Will you help me?”
He started to say something but stopped at the sound of approaching footsteps. Kyle’s thin face appeared through the tent flap. “Hey man, how long does it take? Brody wants to see us.”
“Coming.” Travis held her gaze for a second longer, then rose and started toward the open tent flap. He turned back before ducking through the opening, a scowl masking his face. “Stay put, and don’t do anything stupid.” Any sign of gentleness or remorse had disappeared.
If Jordan could have reached something to throw, she would have flung it at his retreating backside. He’d done it again—making her think he was a good guy, but she wouldn’t fall for his act this time. Travis was no different than Brody or Kyle. He was one of them, whatever they were, and she had to remember that no matter what he said. The forcefulness of her anger teased her upset stomach, and she spent the next few minutes lying motionless with a wet washrag over her face.
Don’t do anything stupid? That ship’s already sailed.When she’d gotten in the pickup with Alex yesterday, it was as though she’d set her brain on standby. She should have returned to the pickup before he started tracking the wounded deer. What did she think was going to happen when he found the animal? And who wanders so far afield in the wilderness that they get turned around and can’t find their way back? But this—climbing in a vehicle with these three jackasses was the capper. She couldn’t top that if she tried.
Fear edged its way through her frustration. What were they going to do with her? They could kill her and leave her body up here in the mountains for the birds and wild animals, and no one would ever find her.Not that I have any family that would come looking.Alex and Liam were the only people who knew where she was, and, well...they didn’treallyknow...did they? She’d told her best friends, Katie and Liz, that she was going for an all-day drive in the Ochocos with Alex, but they wouldn’t realize she was missing until she didn’t show up for work on Monday. And the Ochoco Mountains encompassed over 1,800 square miles. Where would they even start to look for her?
This situation just keeps getting worse.
Jordan forced herself to a sitting position. No amount of self-flogging would change the decisions she’d already made. What happened next was the vital step, her priority being to get away from her kidnappers. She could identify them, and it would be naïve to believe they would simply let her go. If she wanted to survive, there could be no more dumb choices.
