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She gave him a smile. “Don’t take too long. I’m sure the RMCP guy will be pissed I’m sending you out, but it’s not like we can risk our equipment.”
“Yup, we’d be as useless as tits on a boar.”
Em groaned and rolled her eyes.
Eric popped a salute to Maddie, turned on his heel, and headed straight for Perry, who quickly rose from the couch and followed him out into the mudroom.
Maddie looked at Gunn. “As soon as the helicopter departs, I’ll give you a tour, although if they don’t leave before nightfall, we’ll have to wait until morning. We get around in the dark okay, but you should see it in the light the first time.”
“How long do we have daylight up here?”
“Right now, we have just over eight hours a day. As soon as the sun’s up, we hustle out to the platforms, which aren’t really platforms. We have tripods set up above deep holes we’ve drilled in the ice to get to the ocean below.”
“Why not drill closer to the edge? Wouldn’t the ice be thinner?”
“Yeah, but it’s also the least stable. You don’t want to be standing on an edge when it breaks off. You’d be stranded out in the middle of the ocean.”
“That happen to anyone here?”
She arched an eyebrow. “No—because we drill closer to the center. Part of what Hanna does is monitor the condition of the ice, both on top of the floe and beneath it.”
Nate stepped into the common area and headed to Hanna. “You’re next,” he said loud enough for everyone to hear, then leaned closer to Hanna.
Hanna nodded and headed down the hallway.
“Wonder what that was about?” Gunn said.
“They’re sleeping together,” Maddie said. “They think the rest of us don’t know.”
“So, he’s got an alibi,” Gunn said.
“Or maybe he needs one?” Maddie shook her head. “Now, I’m the one dreaming up conspiracies.”
“You’re on edge. You probably haven’t rested much since it happened.”
Maddie met his pale blue gaze. “I am tired. Two days ago, I thought we’d be packing up to leave. No one should want to be this isolated and face this kind of threat. We’re on our own.”
“I’ll make it a goal to see that you rest easier,” Gunn said, his lips curving into a soft smile.
Her gaze went to the patch of mottled skin on his right cheek. Something she hadn’t noticed before. When she flicked back to his gaze, his expression was more remote. Had she somehow offended him by noticing the scar?
“Would you like some coffee?” she asked. “I should’ve offered you something.”
“I’d like a cup. Yeah.”
She turned toward the kitchen, and he walked beside her. “We have coed latrines and showers. Two separate rooms. Two stalls in each. Not very luxurious. They’re at the end of the corridor where our quarters are. If you need to use the facilities…” She felt her cheeks warm when she could discuss latrines and showers with anyone else in the facility without a hint of embarrassment. She wasn’t sure she liked the fact she was intensely aware of his masculinity, to the point that he flustered her.
He cleared his throat, drawing her attention to his face. “I’m fine for now. Though I would like coffee.”
There was a hint of laughter in his eyes, and she felt her mouth curve as she turned toward the kitchen.
When she reached the kitchen, she immediately wondered how old the coffee was in the large urn they used to brew their coffee. They usually had to make coffee twice a day since it was the beverage of choice for everyone except Em, who preferred tea.
“I can’t swear how good the coffee will be,” she said, grimacing. “If you don’t get a cup first thing in the morning, you’re likely drinking sludge.”
“I’ve had my share of sludge.”
“Cups are in the cabinet,” she said, pointing toward the cabinet to the left of the sink.
