Grizz clutched Dani’s hand and pulled her forward. “We’ll be okay, Dani. We’re going to split up from the others. I know my way to the base.”
“These men must be stopped. I don’t want to constantly be checking over my shoulder, wondering if this is the day the senator shows up.”
Grizz maintained his fast pace. Dani’s legs screamed for relief from the hills and exhaustion. But she refused to slow down. When was the last time she’d had any rest in the past two days?
“We’re going to cut through the woods.” Grizz’s head swiveled, no doubt looking for signs of the gunmen ready to pick them off. “If we keep going down, we’ll come to the part where the road doubles back. It’s not much farther to the base from there.”
“Where is the peace, Grizz? From the song. With all of the bad things in the world, how will we ever find it? I thought I had it. I prayed for God to rescue me from Jeremiah. And He did—He sent you. But now we’re still being chased, and there’s no end in sight.”
Grizz slowed, giving Dani a chance to catch her breath. “When I saw that man with a gun to your head, I prayed too. And I have to believe things will work out in the end. But that requires trust…which you know isn’t my strong suit.”
His words rolled around in her head as she pushed forward. If Grizz could learn to trust, maybe she could let go of some of her need to be proven right.
If her career didn’t pan out, what if her second chance involved a guy like Grizz?
A truck rumbled in the distance. Dani shrank behind a tree, ready to hide from the enemy. But Grizz kept hold of her arm.
“It’s one of ours. Probably our team leader.”
The truck stopped next to them. “Need a ride?”
Dani looked at Grizz to make sure it was safe.
“Perfect timing. Dani, this is my team leader, Mitch Bronson. We’ve made it to safety.” Mitch didn’t look like the average firefighter, with his dark-brown hair a tad too long and cowboy boots on his feet.
“Pleased to meet you.” Dani took Mitch’s hand as he helped her hop into the truck. “How did you know where to find us?”
“Communications were finally restored, and Kane radioed in that you needed some help. I sent another car to pick up the rest of the crew. They ran when they saw what had happened to your vehicle. But everyone is safe and accounted for.”
Grizz jumped into the cabin of the truck and shot Dani a wide smile that sent her heart fluttering. Maybe it was leftover adrenaline lingering, because she refused to let her internal struggle win against her growing attraction to a rugged mountain man making her insides melt.
Dani squished in the middle, sandwiched between the two big guys. And she didn’t mind one bit.
Another five minutes and they were back to where she’d started two days ago. The base camp where she’d first encountered Grumpy Grizz. But now she’d seen a different side of him. One she liked.
Skye and Rio were already at the base after Mitch’s reinforcements had arrived to pick them up. Skye looped her arm around Dani’s. “Come on, I’ll show you around our home away from home.”
Base campdidn’t do this place justice. With a runway dividing the camp down the middle, the Midnight Sun base camp looked more like a winter lodge, complete with multiple cabins. Quonset huts and a mess hall dotted the right side of the runway, and what looked like office buildings and dormitories lined the left.
“This place is impressive.”
Skye escorted Dani to the medic’s office to get checked out. Aside from some bruises on her neck and throat, she was given the all clear.
“I’ll finish the tour,” Skye said. “I’ll show you my quarters so you can clean up a bit.”
The women’s cabin had a common living and kitchen area surrounded by multiple rooms. Skye offered Dani a change of clothes and let her freshen up before meeting Rio.
Dani and Skye walked toward the main office, a three-story building that would have fit in any city but contrasted with the Quonset huts and helipads of base camp. Modern yet rugged.
“I’ll leave you here,” Skye said. “I’m on duty tonight, and we’re down a helicopter.”
Skye left, and Dani turned around in the conference room. A long table with ten chairs divided the room. She walked to the window and stared at the snow-covered mountain peaks surrounding base camp. From her vantage point, she could see inside the airplane hangar and watched men and women checking their gear for the evening shift.
Where was Grizz? Would she be seeing him anytime soon? If only he could be with her during the interrogation…or ratherdebriefing. But she called them like she saw them.
Rio entered and handed Dani a hot cup of coffee, then motioned to an empty seat. “You look nervous. This is just a debrief. I need to hear your version of the story.”
She sat. “I’m just not used to answering questions. I’m always doing the asking.”
