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“What, you think I didn’t notice how you totally changed around her when we showed up? All this time you’ve been miserable and sour and a pain in the ass.”
“I’m sure it couldn’t have had anything to do with being relieved that we tracked her down,” I mutter as we climb over a fallen tree in our path. There are bits of bark littering the ground on the other side, like someone scrambled over the surface recently.
“Are you sure that’s all it was?” he asks once we clear the obstacle.
All at once, my chest goes tight. “Still acting like a child.”
“That’s fine. Play it that way if you want to.”
It’s safer to bite my tongue, so I do, brooding silently. No, my relationship with Natalie wasn’t anything as common as a fling, the way he described theirs. The only reason I don’t take him down right now is the certainty that what Natalie and I share goes beyond basic biological needs. We understand each other. There’s a connection I neither sought nor encouraged. It simply exists. He may have known her body in the past, but he doesn’t know her heart. Not the way I do.
A flash of blue in the trees ahead makes my heart stutter. “There!” I breathe, taking hold of Griffin’s shoulder to stop him before pointing.
“Gotcha.” He drops to one knee, and I do the same, leaving us hidden in the shadow of a towering pine. She’s not moving, but it’s her. She’s crouched behind a row of rocks up ahead, maybe taking a breather while she considers her next steps. Shemust have left after thinking things through all night, but there’s a difference between going through a journey in your head and experiencing it for real. The cold is enough to make my face burn like it’s on fire, and I can only imagine she’s feeling the effects as well. Small puffs of vapor rise from her hiding spot, a sign of her rapid breathing. Does she know we’re here? Does she know she’s been spotted? Or is she simply catching her breath?
All at once her head pops up, moving from side to side as she scans the area. I hold my breath and so does Griffin, both of us trying to conceal our presence in any way possible. When she takes off toward the river, we follow, moving quickly but quietly through the terrain. I guess she’s planning on following the river east, though why she would travel on foot is anybody’s guess. She is that determined to get away. Why? What is compelling her?
“Shit!” With Griffin in front of me, there’s no way of seeing what made him drop into a crouch seemingly out of nowhere. Once my view is clear, I understand.
She turned around to look behind her and spotted him—and now she stares straight at me, standing here like a smacked ass. I may as well be wearing a clown wig. That’s how it feels, anyway.
“Natalie, stop this!” Needless to say, she pays no heed to my pleas, giving us no choice but to run when she takes off. We crash through the brush, stumbling over exposed roots. I’m now the lead, and I thrust my right arm outward to signal for Griffin to take that route while I veer left, intending to pin her between us and the river ahead. It’s so close now, the roar is deafening. She can only run so far.
I see her head up there, bouncing as she runs. Suddenly, she stops, and I take advantage, quickly catching up to her while Griffin does the same. She whirls around and scowls at the sightof me, then turns to find Griffin blocking her in the opposite direction.
“There’s nowhere to go,” I point out, eyeing the cliff at her back. She kicks a few stones down the cliff face when she shifts her weight, eyeing the two of us warily while calculating her next move. “Let’s not make this more difficult than it has to be, okay? You know you have to come back with us. This is only delaying the inevitable.”
I hate watching her fight with herself the way she clearly is now, hate knowing there’s a reason for her to stay away and wishing I knew what that was. I open my mouth, prepared to offer help, when all at once the ground shifts behind her.
I see it all unfolding before it happens. The skittering, sliding rocks. The way her boots slip as the ground gives way. The river rushes in my ears and would drown out the sound of her scream if she had time to make a sound.
There is no time. Her eyes go round and her mouth opens, but nothing comes out. I lunge forward, my hand outstretched to take hold of her, but it’s too late. She’s gone.
5
NATALIE
Every single fiber in my body hurts. From the crown of my head all the way down to my pinky toe, everything is in tremendous pain. Every tiny movement is a struggle. My clothes pulling me down deeper into the dark river. I force my limbs to push on, to push past the thousand needles sticking in my skin.
Another wave of freezing water pulls me under. I hold my breath and paddle back to the surface as fast as I can. I have to get to the shore. Now. I won’t be able to do this much longer. I have to push past the pain, the fear, the shock, and swim my ass back to land.
When my lungs finally fill with air again, my chest hurts so badly I can barely suck in enough oxygen that I desperately need.
Fight, Natalie, fight!
Every muscle in my body aches, but I push through, fighting my way to the shore. My vision starts to go black. I fight against that too. Using the very last strength I can muster up, I paddle to the edge of the river until I finally feel gravel beneath my feet. I’m so exhausted. All I want to do is go to sleep. My mind is already halfway there, dancing on the edge of unconsciousness.
My eyes close as I drag my heavy body onto a rock. My fingers dig into the mud, and my mind goes numb. I’m barely aware of the water rushing past me, the wind howling around my ears, and two male voices screaming my name in the distance.
“Natalie!” Griffins sounds worried, almost frantic and heavy footfalls follow his voice. My whole body shakes, and my teeth are rattling together painfully.
“Nat!” Dallas yells. I think they’re closer now or maybe further away. Hell, I don’t know anything other than I’m about to pass out.
“Nat!” Someone touches my limp arms and starts pulling me out of the freezing water.
I want to open my eyes, but the ten-pound weights on my eyelids refuse to budge. More hands tug on me, pulling on my clothes and feeling around my neck.
“She’s breathing, but we need to get her somewhere warm,” Griffin’s voice meets my ear, his warm hands are on me as if to check for injuries. I want to tell him I’m fine, but honestly, I don’t know what I am. Not that it matters since I’m still shaking so badly I can’t talk.
