13. Coming Down

CHAPTER 13

COMING DOWN

TRINITY

The sun tucked back behind the trees and the shadows grew longer. While it helped to keep us hidden, it also didn’t do us any favors. We lost sight of the goons following us from below and we never really knew if there were men above us again. With dusk settling around us, the temperatures started to drop as well. It would have been a welcome relief except the cooler air mixed with the sweat on my body and sent an uncomfortable shiver through me.

“Cold?”

“It’s going to get worse now that we lost the sun,” I mentioned to Trouble. “How are you doing?”

“Fine.” Like me, he had a few scrapes and scratches on his face, but he had on his leathers, since he’d been on his motorcycle. While they probably made him overheat and sweatier than I’d been, it would also help protect him from the cold once night really set in. “I thought I saw the road down there. We shouldn’t be far.”

“We need to be careful near the roads. We have no clue how close the goons were parked or how many of them are out here.”

“Who are they anyway?” I asked him.

“Fucking mafia from a Chicago outfit.”

“Chicago mafia?” I questioned. “What in the hell are they doing here?”

“That’s a good question, Trin. We can go back and ask them if you want.” I rolled my eyes. There was no point in calling him out on his sarcasm. We were both reaching the point of exhaustion and I was beyond thirsty. We still hadn’t reached the spring-fed stream Trouble thought was this way. I was tempted to stick my face into the next puddle we crossed and take my chances with getting diarrhea or worms or whatever. “We need to find some shelter.” We wouldn’t be able to light a fire or do anything about our comfort, but the truth was, we couldn’t see well enough to be traipsing through the woods. There were bears, snakes, and coyotes out here and I was fairly certain we were both short on bullets by then as well. “How many rounds do you have left?”

“Not sure. I lost count when I was coming down the mountain.” I tripped over a log, rock, or something on the ground that had been covered by leaves and barely caught myself from flipping ass over tea kettle down the rest of the mountainside. Trouble held onto my arms and I leaned back into his chest for a minute. “Look.” He pointed at what was left of the incline in front of us. “That is definitely the road. It’s a long void with no trees. If we get down there and manage to cross with no problems, I know where we can go. There’s a hunting shack down there a little ways and the stream isn’t too far from there.”

“Won’t they check the shack?”

He shrugged and I only knew because I felt the movement, since I was reluctant to give up the warmth he put off. “I think they’ve probably given up on finding us at this point.”

“Do you have your cell with you? I left mine in the Jeep when that bitch took off running.”

“It’s in my pocket, but that damn thing is probably dead by now.”

“We can try it.” There was a hint of desperation in my voice that I wasn’t proud of, but I had reached the end of my well of energy reserves. There was nothing left in my tank and we still had a ways to go before we would reach the cabin and that was only if Trouble wasn’t wrong about where we were. The minute the shadows started to creep in around us, I lost some of my bearings. Since the dark drew closer, it only made things that much worse.

“Too bad we don’t have flashlights and all the hiking gear one would normally bring along for a lengthy jaunt through the woods.”

“A lengthy jaunt?” He whispered against my ear and then chuckled. Each puff of air from his nearly silent laughter sent a shiver of awareness prickling over my skin. Trouble rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “Take my jacket,” He offered. I shook my head.

“No, you can help warm me up when we get there. I don’t know how much I have left in me, but if I get warm now, I won’t want to move.”

“Then let’s go before we don’t have a choice in where we end up tonight.”

It took thirty more minutes, give or take a few, to get to the cabin on the other side of the street. It was pushed well back into the woods on the other side of the road, and we didn’t need to find the stream because the cabin was also stocked with water, some jerky, and a blanket. I glanced longingly at the single cot and wished with all my might that I could take a load off and lie down for a bit, but I knew that wasn’t fair.

“Dead, like I thought,” Trouble said as he shook his phone in front of him. “Too bad this place doesn’t have electricity.”

“Yeah, but I’m not complaining.” I waved a bottle of water and then took another long drink of it.

“Eat some of that jerky. You need the salt after all the sweating you did. Cliff’s deer jerky is usually salty as fuck, so keep the water at the ready too.” He chuckled and I laughed quietly along with him. “After you get some of that in you, go get some rest.” Trouble nodded at the cot as I shook my head.

“There’s not enough room for both of us to sleep on that thing.”

“Not a problem, since I won’t be sleeping.”

“Okay, Mr. Macho, I know you have to be just as exhausted as I am.”

“Not about being macho, Trin. Someone has to keep watch. I’ll take the first shift. You get some sleep. We don’t know what tomorrow will hold. Hollywood knew where we were headed, so they will send the cavalry eventually.”

“Do you know if Tash is okay?” He shook his head and I didn’t want him to say anything else. I couldn’t handle it if she didn’t make it. I’d put the things Terry screamed in the back of my mind to sort through later, but it sounded like she was fairly certain she had killed someone. My heart hurt thinking about it. “She’s always been so good to me.”

“Good to you?”

I nodded. “I work at Paramour.” I turned back to see Trouble watching me as I climbed onto the cot and wrapped the blanket around me. Poor Cliff would have to wash this sucker before he was able to use it again. I’d probably owe him a whole cot too, considering how much red clay and mud I had painted all over my hair, body, and clothes. “You did know that, right?”

Trouble nodded. “You help manage the place.” He stared out the only window in the cabin and I closed my eyes rather than asking how he knew, or why it mattered. My eyes refused to stay open any longer.

A howl, and several responding yips and calls woke me from a sound sleep. It felt like I’d been asleep for a week and only five minutes all at the same time because I was so disoriented. “Coyotes are close,” I mumbled.

“They’ve been checking out the cabin for a few minutes.”

“Do you think they’re bold enough to try to get inside?” Trouble shook his head. “Before the coyotes, there were a couple young fawns munching on the blackberry bushes over there.” He tipped his head toward the forest somewhere in front of the window.

“I was so tired I didn’t even notice the blackberries.”

“How are you feeling?” He asked. I glanced up to see his eyes were trained on me. I stood and walked over to where he stood.

“Better,” I whispered. “Sore everywhere. Still tired, but not drop dead exhausted like before. Why don’t you go get some sleep?” Trouble shook his head. “When morning comes, we’re going to have to find our way back to civilization without our vehicles, because they probably have someone watching them. You’re going to need your strength.”

“Shit, don’t like leaving you up to guard over me.”

“Let’s be honest. A bunch of city boys probably shit themselves when they heard coyotes howling. That’s if they hadn’t already given up because it’s dark.”

“You’re probably right.” Trouble pulled the cot over so that it was butted up across the door and he closed the curtains all the way. “Come on, we are both going to get some sleep.”

“I already took my turn.”

“You were only out for a little less than two hours, Trin. Come on.” He laid down and held his arms out for me to crawl as close to him as possible. Then he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into position so that I was lying mostly across his chest with one of my legs straight down between his two. My other leg dangled over Trouble’s thigh as he tucked the blanket in around us. Not once did it even occur to me to complain about our position. I was still too tired to fight anything and if I was honest with myself, lying in his arms was a dream come true. It wasn’t one I ever thought would come true, and these certainly weren’t the circumstances I’d pictured, but damn if I was going to wish the moment away.