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“You’ve done this before.”
That didn’t mean it didn’t scare her, because it did. “I visit Roger in person out here every few weeks.”
“Did you rescue him from the campground?” Holt’s eyes narrowed. “Is that the big secret? Is that why someone up there wants to grab you?”
The reminder sent a tremble spinning through her. “Is now the right time for that discussion?”
“Probably not but it’s happening later.” He exhaled. “I don’t like this.”
“Because you insist on leading and hate not to be in charge?” But she knew that meant he agreed to go forward. Holt wasn’t the type to run away from a potentially dangerous situation. Neither was she. Not anymore.
He glared at her. “Add that to the list of things we’re going to argue about later.”
She had a feeling he wouldn’t forget that awful future conversation he kept referencing...unfortunately. “For the record, I’m not really looking forward to this discussion.”
“You drew the battle line when you left that note.” He scoffed. “You actually thought telling me not to worry would work?”
She couldn’t really argue with any of his anger or her bad choices. She’d operated this morning as she always did, head down and moving forward. She acted alone because that was what she knew.
Getting used to having him around would take time. But the bigger concern was that she’d get accustomed to him being around just as he decided it was time to go.
No question she stood on the edge of heartache. She knew and saw the warning signs and didn’t know how to avoid the danger.
“See those?” She pointed to the faded ribbons tied high up in the tree, then followed the nearly invisible line of wire toward the ground.
“Traps.”
It had taken her forever to understand Roger’s system. She talked tough, but Roger came out and walked her into the cabin almost every time she visited. “You recognize the setup?”
“Of course.”
Of course. “Normal people aren’t familiar with explosive devices.”
The tightness around Holt’s mouth finally eased. “I don’t think we know the same people.”
She started walking. “I don’t—”
“No.” He grabbed her back. Wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against his chest before she got more than a few feet away from him. “Do not put your foot down.”
She looked a few steps in front of her and saw the disturbance in the rocks and dirt. Squinting, she noticed the thin wire. Tiny, almost a line in the dirt, but she recognized it. Not in this fashion, maybe, but Roger had shown her examples. She’d almost shuffled her way over a trip wire.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she kept her death grip on his arm. “That wasn’t supposed to be there.”
As if she weighed less than a pillow, Holt tightened his hold and lifted her. He stepped back, taking them both out of the immediate danger of the wire.
The second those muscled arms enfolded her, the fear subsided. Her breath hiccupped out of her and she grabbed on. When he lowered her feet to the ground again, her knees buckled. All the strength left her muscles, and a sudden dizziness hit her. The mix of fear and relief had her leaning into him.
He glanced down at her with eyes filled with concern. “You okay?”
“Not really.” Not when her bones had turned to jelly.
“Looks like your friend changed the pattern.”
But that was the point. That didn’t happen. Roger wouldn’t put her at risk. He also wouldn’t impose a communication blackout. The longer she stood there, the more worried she grew. “He wouldn’t.”
Holt didn’t let go of her. Strong hands held on to her forearms, keeping her balanced. “This isn’t like in the movies, Lindsey. You step on that and it explodes. There’s no click or chance to defuse it. It will go off.”
“I both hate and am grateful that you know that.” And he seemed to know everything. When it came to fighting and surviving, he was the man she wanted by her side.
“We’re changing this.”
But he needed to understand she had an obligation to Roger. One she took seriously. She thought of him as a friend, though she wasn’t sure if Roger knew how to have those. At the very least, he worked with her and she cared about him. She had to know he was safe. “We can’t go back.”
“Agreed. We need to see this through now.” He stepped around her until she faced his back. “Follow behind me. Hook your finger through my belt loop and match your steps to mine. I lift my foot and you put yours in the exact same place.”
