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My legs still wobbly, I headed to the bathroom, shocked at the way I looked. But seeing Maverick had placed my clothes over the top rail of the shower to dry gave me an additional level of comfort. After using the bathroom, I washed my face, hating the look of the girl in the mirror. I wasn’t a sight for sore eyes, disheveled, scratches on my face. But I had to keep reminding myself that at least I was alive.
Steadying myself, I headed for the kitchen for water or something else to drink, stopping short when I noticed a set of keys on the table. I swung my head over my shoulder, half expecting him to be standing there. Everything was quiet, too much so.
You can’t steal his truck.
No, my inner voice was right. That would be a terrible thing to do. What if I left my keys in replacement? No. No. That was crazy. I didn’t know my way down the mountain. After staring at them for a few seconds, I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, laughing off the ridiculous thought. I was no mountain girl.
A couple of minutes later, I headed for the bedroom, flicking on the light. The room was small but tidy, the furniture simple and elegant. I wanted to relax, but I knew that in doing so, I ran the risk of losing the money. If the asshole on the mountain had been sent, he’d check in town at crappy motels first. The creeper wouldn’t have any issue describing me, even showing off the picture he’d taken. Oh, God. This was a nightmare that I wasn’t certain I’d ever wake up from.
I took a swig of water, placing it on the nightstand, determined to get some sleep.
As soon as I sat down, I managed to take a deep breath. Then I fretted, trying to relax, even lying down and allowing several minutes to pass. Then I knew what I had to do. I’d find a way to apologize to Maverick. Maybe. I’d definitely leave his truck. Or maybe I wouldn’t. Things were muddled, but I knew something for certain.
I had to get the hell out of here.
As I walked into the hallway, I listened for any signs that he was still awake. A solid twenty minutes must have passed. After taking a deep breath, I headed for the kitchen, grabbing my things, replacing my keys with his. Then I returned to the bathroom, struggling into the still damp shirt and jerking on my stiff jeans, thankful I had brought a dry pair of socks with me. After dressing, I padded into the living room, glancing at the stairs one more time. He was likely snoring away.
I fumbled to slide my feet into the boots, waiting a few seconds before I pulled my coat off the rack, easing into it as quietly as possible. Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I took my time opening the door, praying there were no creaking sounds. Once outside, I was disoriented immediately from the darkness, but shuffled my feet, almost tumbling down the set of stairs. The truck had to be around here somewhere. I hadn’t gone two yards when a bright light permeated my retinas, the harsh flash making me wince.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I let out a shrill yelp, immediately turning and trying to run away from the source. But a couple of seconds later, a hand was wrapped around my arm, yanking me back. I yelled and fought like a warrior, kicking the assailant in the shin, breaking free then tumbling face first into the snow.
The light was suddenly over me, the person straddling my legs.
“Where the fuck did you think you were going, princess?”
Maverick. I’d recognize his gruff voice anywhere. That’s when Sam barked, jumping back and forth in front of me, another deterrent to keep me where I was. A moan escaped my throat from the icy chill as well as the rush of adrenaline that had kickstarted my nervous system.
He wasted no time yanking me to my feet, whipping me around to face him then pulling me closer. Close enough I could feel the extreme heat resonating through my body.
“Well?” he demanded.
“I was… I was just…”
The growl he emitted was one of frustration, his cold eyes staring back at me a clear indication I wasn’t going to get off easy.
“Let me finish that for you. I was just going to steal your truck and try and make it off this mountain, crashing less than a hundred yards away since I don’t know the area. Then I’ll come crawling for more help from the man I stole the truck from. Is that about right?”
The dark edge to his voice penetrated my eardrums, adding to the heightened terror. When I didn’t say anything, he shook his head, cursing under his breath.
“I guess you’re going to need to learn a hard lesson.”
That prompted me. “What the hell does that mean?” I tried to jerk away, almost successful until he used one muscular arm, pitching me over his shoulder, turning and trudging back inside. After Sam trotted by, he kicked the door shut, still carrying me further into the room.
“Let me go this instant!” My demand was met with a laugh.
“Oh, I will, princess. At some point. But not until I’m good and ready.” He tugged my bag away, tossing it onto the couch then proceeded to walk down the hallway, returning to the bedroom he’d assigned me. Once inside, he dumped me on the bed.
I refused to take his wrath, scrambling to the end and jumping off. He was right there, easily pushing me down again. He pointed his finger, narrowing his eyes as he glared at me. “Stay right there or else.”
“Or else what?”
“Or else your punishment is going to be much worse.”
“You are not going to punish me.”
He leered at me in such a way I wanted to punch his face. “You really want to challenge me?”
