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“O-okay,” she stammered, “B-but what about the guys on the s-snowm-mobiles?”
They were a problem no doubt. “The storm is getting worse. Say a prayer they’ll give up tonight and start again in the morning. With any luck the people who live here can give us a lift into town and we can be on our way.” He didn’t want to tell her that if it was a hit squad, there would be very little downtime, if any, for them and they’d be back out at first light at the latest.
“D-do you think they’ll be okay with helping us? The people in the cabin?” she asked.
“Honestly? I think it’s abandoned.” Her whole face froze and then relaxed. He thought she might actually cry for a moment but then she blinked and her expression went neutral.
“We’re gonna have to walk out of the woods and over to the house just in case I’m wrong. I’m going to go along parallel for a bit and then see if I can get closer to the driveway. I’ll get us as close as I can while still keeping the snowmobile hidden. We might sink in the snow as soon as we get off. It’s not going to be fun.” His words were fair warning. He wanted her to be prepared.
She just nodded but didn’t speak. Her teeth were chattering. Her shoulders slumped. She closed her eyes and the fine lines around them stood out in stark contrast to the pale tone of her skin. Her blond hair had snow in it and the flakes weren’t melting as fast as they should.Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.He wasn’t going to lose her now.
Xavier restarted the machine and went as fast as he dared. The driveway was on his right. The snowbanks from where it had been plowed multiple times rose up. He went another fifty yards and then turned off the machine.
“Okay,” he said as he got off. “Be careful and follow in my footsteps. It will be easier that way.” He helped her off the machine and noticed her legs once again as her skirt rode up. Definitely one fine looking woman. He took the backpack from her and started walking toward the snowbank. They were fifty feet into the trees. He went at a slow and steady pace so Allegra could keep up. The way she was shivering was a gigantic clue she was near frozen and reaching the end of her rope. They reached the backside of the snowbank, which was about three feet above the level of snow on this side but he wouldn’t know until he got to the top how tall it was from the driveway.
“Wait here. I need to check something.”
Allegra sagged against a nearby tree.
He slung the gun behind him and climbed quickly but sunk into the snow. He managed to get to the top and jump down on the other side. It was about five feet from the top. Not the best but if she didn’t fall, she’d be fine. “Okay Allegra,” he called keeping his voice fairly soft. There was no buzzing of another snowmobile nearby, but he didn’t want to risk calling attention to them. He had no clue why they were being hunted so until he and his client had a nice long chat, it was better not to do anything to call attention to themselves.
Her head popped over the top of the snowbank. She sort of threw herself onto her belly on the crest and tried to swing her legs over, but lost her balance. She let out a little scream as she started to slip. Xavier dropped the backpack and quickly moved forward to catch her against his chest.
“Are you okay?” he demanded, his heart beating just a little faster.
“Y-yes,” she said.
He frowned as he set her down. Was she injured or just that cold? “Can you walk?”
She clung to him but nodded as she met his gaze. He waited a beat and was about to ask her again if she needed help when she seemed to snap out of whatever state she’d been in and righted herself. She took a tentative step and then another. “I’m fine.”
He let her get a few steps ahead while he fought to regain his own equilibrium. Those eyes of hers were the deepest green he’d ever seen, and they touched something in him, something he’d thought had died in the helicopter crash. The wave of desire took him off guard but the rush of protectiveness toward her shook him to his core.
Xavier let out a breath, grabbed the backpack and started walking, catching up to her in a few strides. He took the gun off his body and carried it perpendicular to the ground. Hopefully, if there was anyone in the cottage, they wouldn’t notice it.And maybe freakin’ pigs will fly.
The new snow was about a foot deep so the walk wasn’t too hard but Allegra was struggling. Her legs. He’d forgotten they were exposed.Fuck. He wanted to scoop her up and carry her but he wasn’t sure how she would like that or if it was a wise thing to do with his arm. The limb was completely numb. Extending it in front of him, he tried to loosen the muscles in his shoulder. Allegra glanced at him but said nothing.
Keeping one eye trained on their surroundings, he led her toward the house. It was similar to the one he rented. Wood construction in a chalet style, a porch off the front door and a balcony above that. If it was like his cabin, the balcony led to the main bedroom. His sense was the place was empty but not abandoned. A snow-covered porch swing moved in the breeze, and the planters had dried plants under a blanket of white. The whole place looked as if the owners had just gone to town for groceries or something. He hoped that was the case and there was food and a heat source inside the cabin.
He looked around and decided that putting the gun next to the stairs was the best option. He’d have to make the leap if he needed it in a hurry, but he didn’t want to scare the hell out of the owners if he didn’t have to.
Tentatively he walked up the stairs keeping his head on a swivel, and then knocked on the front door. No answer. He tried again just to be sure, but still no noise came from inside. He examined the lock. It was a heavy-duty variety, which suggested to him that the owners left it empty for long periods of time.
“I’m going to take a quick walk around. I’d rather not break down the front door if I don’t have to.”
“O-okay. S-should I come with you?” she asked.
Her eyes said she was willing but the rest of her said she was done. The drooping shoulders, the chattering teeth. She should stay within a couple feet of him but he just couldn’t make her go around the cabin. Snow drifts would hamper them. “You stay here. Take a seat on the porch swing. I’ll see what I can find.” He handed her the backpack.
She nodded and trudged up the steps, swiped a layer of snow from a section of the seat and crashed down on it with a loud sigh. Part of him was glad she was sitting down, the other part wished she hadn’t cleaned the seat off. A dead giveaway that someone had sat there. He’d try to remember to erase that little trace before they left.
He went down the steps and grabbed the gun Then he made his way through the snow as quickly as he could, keeping the gun up and ready in case he encountered anything or anyone unexpected. As he rounded the corner of the cabin, he came to an abrupt halt. “Shit.” A large evergreen tree had fallen against the house. It had dented the roof, and the snow was now falling inside what he assumed was the attic. He hadn’t seen it from the front because the tree wasn’t sticking up over the rooftop.
This changed things. He glanced around. There was a shed they could use but it was tiny and chances were good it wasn’t insulated. He looked back at the cabin. It was made of large wooden logs and he didn’t think the walls would cave but he wasn’t sure about the roof. With the added weight of the tree and the snow, it might collapse. “Fuck.”
He scooted around the tree and then continued to the back of the cabin. There was a back deck with a door, and windows similar to the front. He went up and checked the lock, double bolted like the front. He checked the window. It was locked. Going to the other side of the door, he checked that one and it was locked as well, but the window was old and the lock wasn’t tight. He dug inside his coat pocket and pulled out his knife. Sliding the blade into the space between the windows by the sill, he flicked the lock with the tip until he had it unlocked.
Tucking his knife back in his pocket, he lifted the window and looked inside to discover it was the window above the counter. He slung the gun around to his back and lifted himself up to slip inside. After a short drop from the counter to the floor, he headed toward the front door, pausing only to leave his flashlight on the table shining upward to illuminate the room. The sooner he got Allegra inside, the sooner she’d be warm again.
