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She hesitated before closing her hand around the weapon, impressed that the man trusted her enough to hand her a loaded gun. Was it a trick? “You just happened to have the right ammo?”
“Just luck that you stole a 38 Special exactly like the spare I carry in my ankle holster.”
“Well, aren’t you the model Boy Scout?”
A grin tugged at his mouth. “No, ma’am. Navy SEAL. Fifteen years.”
“Right.” Jordan started to laugh but stopped when his expression told her he wasn’t joking. That would explain the confidence he wore like a cape, the muscles on top of muscles, and the bravery she’d mistaken for foolishness when he stole her away from Alex. Her dad taught her to appreciate the men and women who guarded their country with their lives, which gave her an entirely different perspective on Travis.
He pointed toward the rising sun. “Brody’s camp is east. I’m headed west toward Mitchell. I told you the truth last night, but you’ll have to decide what you believe. Leaving you out here alone is a bad idea, but I will if that’s what you want. I can help you if you come with me. Otherwise, you’ll have to help yourself, so keep that gun handy and don’t be afraid to pull the trigger.”
Fear tingled up her spine. She was officially out of options. Returning to Brody’s camp wasn’t one of them, even if she could find his hidden cult again. That only left one, and he stood in front of her, larger-than-life, solid, and willing to help despite her suspicions. Words stuck in her throat until he took a couple of steps backward and started to turn away.
“What happens when we get to Mitchell?” Jordan hurried to speak her query before he broke eye contact.
Something like relief flickered through his expression, but he answered without hesitation. “That depends. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll make a call, and my partner will pick us up.” He studied her as though wanting an answer to his own question, but he didn’t ask.
“And if the plan doesn’t go well?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Alex and Brody might be waiting for us, and it could get ugly. At that point, if you’re not one hundred percent with me, you better get out of my way.” His warning was matter-of-fact and chilled her to the bone. He made it clear that she’d get no special treatment if she were still on the fence when he faced Alex.
“Fair enough.” Once they arrived in Mitchell, he wouldn’t have to worry about her. She could find her way home from there.
“Ready?” A muscle in his jaw ticked as though he’d read her mind and wasn’t happy.
Jordan lifted the revolver she still held, releasing the cylinder and ejecting the five shells into her hand. She ran her fingers over the copper-tipped hollow points for a moment, then dropped one into her shirt pocket and reloaded the remaining four. Shoving the cylinder back into place, she carefully aligned the empty chamber to the right of the barrel.
At Travis’s curious glance, she smiled. “Safety first,” she said and tucked the gun into her coat pocket.
*****
JORDAN SANK TO THEground within the shade of a thicket of young trees. Since daybreak, she’d been walking, stopping only to quench her thirst before resuming the strenuous pace Travis had set for them. Shortly after sunrise, they’d left behind the thick vegetation and dense underbrush of the Bridge Creek Wilderness Area. Clearings covered with dry grass and sagebrush made walking less difficult, but Travis lengthened his stride.
She’d matched his gait for the better part of the morning but was soon exhausted and struggled to keep up. Stubbornly determined, she refused to quit, though it was all she could do to put one foot in front of the other. The sun was well on its way toward the western skyline before Travis finally stopped.
Jordan leaned her head against a tree trunk and tried to catch her breath, willing her heart rate to settle within her chest. The breeze rustled the needled branches overhead and cooled her sweat-drenched skin. A chill in the air promised a change in weather. She shivered and glanced toward the north, where dark clouds gathered. Travis studied them, too, his brow furrowing.
“How much farther?” Jordan put her legs together and bent over, stretching until she felt the burn.
“Not far. Maybe half a mile. We’ll go in after dark.” Travis dropped down a few feet away and considered her. “Are you okay? I pushed you hard today. I wanted to get close before the sun goes down.”
“I’ll make it.” Jordan understood his reasoning. The closer they were to town, the less ground they’d have to cover in the dark, and the fewer people would view their arrival.
Travis leaned back on one elbow. “I thought I might have to carry you, but you just soldiered on.”
“Carryme?” She chuffed a laugh. “Not in this lifetime.”
He chuckled softly, raising his eyebrows. “Are you always so bullheaded?”
“I’mnotbullheaded! What does that even mean?” Her protest amused him further, and Jordan liked this Travis better than the angry, brooding man he’d been since she’d seen him leaning against Brody’s Jeep. She smiled. “A little inflexible, maybe.”
Travis rolled his eyes and laughed. Jordan couldn’t hide her grin, and for a moment, she forgot why she was in the middle of nowhere, laughing with a total stranger and the circumstances that had brought them together. A bond of trust had grown between them, and, for some reason, that pleased her. Jordan wanted to tell him she appreciated his concern for her safety and searched for words, but none came, and the moment passed.
He unhooked the canteen from his belt and handed it to her. “You hungry?”
“I’m starving, but I can’t even look at another piece of jerky. I’m saving myself for real food.” Mitchell wasn’t a big community. Did they even have a restaurant the last time she’d been there with her dad? “There will be real food where we’re going, right?”
He laughed again. “There might be if they haven’t rolled up the streets by the time we get there.”
