Chapter 24

24

Freya stared at Abe.

She hoped he could discern the challenge in her eyes because the idea that she would work with the men who were chasing them was abhorrent.

“That is the most ridiculous idea you’ve come up with yet.” She wiped the last of his blood from her hands. If she never had to pry a bullet out of someone’s arm ever again, it would be too soon.

Abe tugged his tattered shirt over the fresh dressing as he stood. The fabric, more holes than shirt, did little to hide the bandage. “Somehow they found us, even though Asta’s house was a goddamn Faraday box. They hunted us down like animals in the middle of nowhere. I want to know how.”

Freya’s exhausted mind struggled to keep up. “You took your phone out to call Fox,” she pointed out, fighting the urge to close her eyes. Just for a second.

“I hiked up the hill to use it.”

“They could have used it to triangulate. Ruled out all the possibilities.”

“I was speaking to Fox on a secure network.” Abe’s frustration was palpable. “I’ll admit it’s harder but not impossible to track a location, but they were fast in finding us. Too fast.”

Silence hummed between them.

“Abe.” She locked her hands on her hips. If only to stop herself from keeling over from tiredness. Living life on the run was more exhausting than Hollywood movies made it out to be. “Just what are you getting at?”

“We’ve been careful, but we’re missing something.”

“And?” A headache threatened behind her eyes.

“I’m saying they are tracking us somehow. It’s the only explanation.”

Freya’s mind raced despite her fatigue. The implication was clear if terrifying. If Abe was right, nowhere was safe. “How does this work?”

“We took clothes from your house. Raptor had already been there.”

Her eyes widened. “You think it was me?”

“Not you, but perhaps your clothes.” He looked uncomfortable, but she didn’t care.

She flapped her arms at her side, exasperated. “Just what do you expect me to do about that? Besides, I’m wearing Asta’s clothes right now.” She made a sweeping gesture at the cotton dungarees and long-sleeved top.

“Not everything you are wearing is Asta’s.” He scratched the back of his neck.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

My underwear?

“That’s ridiculous,” she said, her voice low. But his gaze never wavered.

He’s serious.

“We need to check everything.” He cleared his throat. “Every piece of clothing, every accessory.”

“Everything?” Heat rushed up her neck, flooding her cheeks.

Abe nodded as he showed her his palms. “I’ll turn around.”

“And you think that makes it okay?” She hugged herself, arms locked across her chest, her cheeks flaming. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.” She waved at the low bushes hunkering down in the wind. The bobbing poppies and endless black grit. “And it’s freezing.”

“Then there’s no one to see, is there?” Abe looked over his shoulder, his eyes intense. “I’m not asking you to take them off for long. Just a few moments so we can check things over.”

Her arms tightened, her fingers digging into her sides. “You first.”

“What?”

“You heard me.” Her voice gained strength, fueled by indignation. “If you expect me to strip out here because I might have a tracker, it’s only fair you do the same. Who knows, maybe someone bugged you?”

He faced her, muscles bunching in his jaw. “Raptor has had no opportunity to?—”

“You know that for sure, do you?” Freya raised a brow.

Something blipped in his cheek. “Okay. If it will make you happy.” He unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the ground. The white bandage on his arm stood out starkly against his skin. He reached behind his neck, grimacing as he pulled his ripped t-shirt over his head. Thick muscles flexed as he moved, the action accentuating the sculpted contours of his arms. The motion revealed a torso that could have been carved from stone—washboard abs etched deep, a dusting of dark hair emphasizing rather than concealing the defined planes of his chest.

Against her will, her heart picked up speed as he tossed his top on a nearby rock and unbuckled his belt. “Fair’s fair. You should turn around too.”

Her mouth was parched. Was it her imagination or had his voice dropped an octave, his gaze grown darker?

Mutely, she nodded and turned her back to him. The slide of leather against fabric, the soft shush of clothing being removed—her ears were hypersensitive, tingling with each sound.

“You want to check anything?” His voice carried a hint of challenge.

What! Her pulse almost exploded in her head. She mustered everything she had to sound indignant. “Of course not.”

A soft laugh reached her ears. “Okay then. I’m clean. You can look now I’m decent.”

She spun. “Thank God?—”

Oh. My. God.

When he said he was decent, he didn’t mean dressed . He stood before her wearing only a pair of tight-fitting shorts that clung to his body, leaving little to the imagination.

The chill in the air evaporated, replaced by a sudden, suffocating heat. She struggled to keep her eyes on his face, fighting the magnetic pull that threatened to drag her gaze lower. Just looking at him hit her bloodstream like Asta’s schnapps, leaving her giddy and off-balance.

Her resolve crumbled and she drank him in.

Every gorgeous inch of him.

Sculpted muscles flexed beneath his skin. She had never been with a man like this. He could overpower her with ease, and knowing that arrowed an inexplicable heat between her legs.

His broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist and a tantalizing trail of hair led down from his navel, disappearing beneath the waistband of his shorts above powerful thighs. Scars marked his skin here and there, silent stories of past battles. But rather than detracting from his appearance, they added to his raw, masculine appeal.

Goosebumps raced along her arms as the urge to trace those battle scars with her fingertips, to learn their histories through touch, almost overwhelmed her.

“Freya.” His soft throat-clearing snapped her attention back to his face. Humor danced in his eyes, but there was something else there too—something darker, more intense than she’d ever witnessed before.

Desire?

Freya swallowed hard, far too aware of the unaccustomed heat building low in her belly.

This man was dangerous in more ways than one, and she was in serious trouble

His smile ramped to solar. “Your turn.”