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“You’re lucky this time, then.”
“Lucky to have you,” he muttered, his gaze fixed on the low ceiling of the cabin.
I ignored the heat rushing up my neck at his words and focused on dressing his wound. A silence fell upon us, filled only with the soft sounds of our breathing and a faint rustling of wind outside.
His wound cleaned and bandaged, I fetched him a glass of water along with a couple of painkillers. He nodded his thanks, swallowing them down without complaint. His eyes were growing heavier by the second, and I knew he needed to rest.
“What happened?” I asked him.
“Found the guy and had to shoot him in the chest. He wasn’t fast,” Tristan replied. “Only managed to get one shot off.”
I swallowed, my mouth dry. “We need to get you to a hospital,” I said firmly. His immediate protest didn’t surprise me.
“No hospitals,” he rasped out. “Can’t risk it.”
“But–” I started to argue, but he cut me off.
“Adriana,” he said, using my full name for the first time in what felt like forever. His voice was soft and raspy, but there was an intensity in his gaze that silenced me. “We can’t.”
His heated blue eyes held mine, reminding me of the danger we were in. The Rossi family was after us. A hospital visit would only draw attention. My heart sank. I had to admit he was right.
“Okay,” I murmured, my voice barely a whisper.
He gave me a small, encouraging smile and it was then that I felt a surge of admiration for Tristan. In spite of his pain, he was trying to reassure me.
“I need you to do something else for me,” he said, his voice growing more hoarse with each word.
“Anything,” I replied immediately.
“You need to get rid of your phone.”
“But…but you still have it, don’t you?” I murmured. “And what if we need to call for help?”
He yanked my phone out of his pocket and shoved it into my hands. It was turned off, the screen black. “That phone is more dangerous than helpful right now,” he said. “I already threw mine in the fucking river. You should do the same.”
I blinked at him in surprise. “What? Why?”
“It’s traceable,” he explained. “If they haven’t already, they’ll be able to find us through it. I’m worried that was why…why he found us in the first place.”
I felt my heart drop. All of this, because of a stupid phone? My grip tightened on the soft fabric of the blanket that covered him.
“I…okay. I’ll do it. And…and what about the man?”
The look in his eyes was one I hadn’t seen before. It was hard as stone, but there was a deep sadness that lay just beneath the surface.
“We’ll have to get rid of the body,” he said, his voice hollow.
I felt my stomach twist at the thought. Get rid of a body? But he was right. If we left it there, they would find it, and then they would find us. As if reading my mind, Tristan reached for my hand, gripping it firmly.
“Rest first,” I said. “I’ll get rid of my phone. You let your body have a minute.”
He sighed deeply, then nodded.
I left Tristan behind on the couch, planning to destroy the phone, bury it, and then leave this all behind.The small device seemed almost mocking in its normalcy; just a couple days ago, it was my lifeline to meet deadlines and keep track of my social life.
Now, it was a potential death sentence.
I took the phone apart, grimacing as I put it in the sink and watched the water slowly seep into the device. Once I was sure it was sufficiently damaged, I stuffed the pieces in my pockets and headed outside. Night had fallen and it cloaked me in darkness as I started to walk, my shoes kicking up leaves and twigs as I picked a secluded spot to bury the remains of my phone.
