AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I growl in a way I never have before. Maybe I learned it from Colt. Maybe these mountains really are starting to rub off on me.
All the more reason to get the hell out of here.
I spin and reach down to the floor, plucking Colt’s tiny little bag that he showed me the other day. I hold his stare, my eyes shaking as I dive my hand in and retrieve the pocketknife from the bottom of the bag.
I point it at him and with nothing less than fierce determination, I say, “Move. Now.”
“Hannah, come on. You’re being ridicu-”
“NOW!”
Colt shakes his head and slowly, steps out of the doorway. I burst past him, quickly grabbing some old tinned fruit from the shelf beside the fridge. I throw the jars in my bag and storm towards the front door.
Colt stomps behind me. “I have an old four-wheeler in the shed. Give me today and I can get it going again…”
My heart is exploding when I open the cabin door and the cold air meets my nose, Colt’s voice somewhere in the distance behind me.
“It won’t make it down the mountain, but you might find the closest cabin nearby. I’ll show you the way. Please, Hannah.Please.”
I’m huffing, desperate for breath already. Shit. I haven’t even started the descent down the mountain. I step outside, the slam of the door caught by a large hand that stops it.
I keep going, stomping ahead.
“What’s your plan then?” Colt asks from behind me.
I throw the bag over my shoulder and tread down the steps. The white glow of the car catches my eye and just the sight of it makes my nose twist with disgust.
How could I be so stupid? Why didn’t I check it? Why did I just take his word that he was trying to help me?
“I’m going home.”
I pace forward, reaching the gate and unhooking it, Colt strutting behind me. “You’ll die out there, you know that, right?”
I swallow. “I can look after myself.” I spin on the spot, aiming the deep, dark scowl imprinted on my face directly at Colt. “And unless everything you taught me up at the springs was also a big fucking lie, then I think I can survive a little hike back down the mountain.” A shaky hand raises and I point a firm finger directly at his chest. “Don’t follow me, Colt. Don’t even think about it.”
Colt grunts, a giant hand scruffing his hair. “Hannah, please don’t do this.”
I tighten the strap over my shoulder. “Goodbye, Colt.”
My legs are wobbly down the dirt road, but by the time I allow myself to look back, Colt’s just a tiny man standing at the top of the hill. I feel my heart snapping, but I fight down the bile trying to rise up my throat and go over the plan one more time.
Stick to the roads. Take rest. Drink water.
And whatever I do, don’t ever fucking fall in love again.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Colt
IcanonlywatchHannah disappear, her beautiful silhouette slowly fading down the mountain until her bright, glowing hair escapes my sight. The enormous trees are a scary reflection of the task ahead for the woman who’s claimed my heart. A dark green canopy of swaying branches, closing over the rocky road that descends miles and miles down the steep, dangerous incline.
My heart beats for what feels like the final time as I choke back the tears.
I want to chase her. Scruff her and hold her against my chest. I want to clutch her body, tell her how much of a fool I am and drag her back to the cabin.
But I can’t.
That’s what got me here in the first place.
