She looked up at me and wagged her tail.
“Yeah, I know we need to get a move on.”I turned to check Kayla’s progress.She had left a pile of her belongings on the ground and had the remainder slung cross-body.Good.She was still thinking somewhat clearly.“We don’t have any signal down here, so I’m gonna try to navigate us to a place where we can at least get in touch with Barrett and Bellamy.”
She cocked a brow.“Are you sure the signal hasn’t been cut?That accident…was no accident.”
“Fuck.I should’ve thought of that.”But I wasn’t willing to admit the gash on my head was anything more serious than a cut.“You’re right.No matter what, we can’t stay here.We’ll head north.This range doesn’t stay high altitude for long.The road is more flat and open.We’ll head north, stay hidden as much as possible.Look for shelter.If I’m remembering correctly, there should be an old fire watch post near here.If anything happens, shift.”
I started walking.My mind raced with all the possible scenarios.The top priority was getting to a place where we could contact backup.If Kayla was right and the signal had been jammed, there was only so long it could last.Unless it had been targeted to this spot—to force us to do exactly what we were doing.They already knew we were headed north.So it was possible we were playing into their hands beautifully and walking toward a trap.We could go south, back toward town, but the terrain was too treacherous, and there would be too many hikers.One could argue safety in numbers, but I didn’t want to put innocent humans in the line of fire.
“This is our territory for the volunteer fire department,” I said, talking for the sake of talking to keep both of us in the game.Kayla was too quiet for my liking.After spending twenty-four-seven with this woman for weeks, I knew Kayla Mitchell was a fighter.
I needed her to keep fighting.
“In fire season, we take turns in the watch cabins,” I continued.“Not all of them are in commission anymore, since technology can do a lot of the work so we can do the things it can’t.Some of them have some old comm equipment that should be able to get a signal out.”
“What kind of equipment?”Kayla asked.
“Old ham radios.It’s amazing that they still work after all these years.”I chuckled, hoping it covered up the grimace.Bolts of pain ran down my leg.
It’s only a matter of time before you can shift…
“Would Barrett and Bellamy be able to receive a message from that old tech?”It was an excellent question.
“Fuck.”I had to say, Kayla was thinking more clearly than I was.At least one of us had their wits about them.“They’d have to have it on, which they might if they realized we’re missing, and tuned to the right frequency.”
“So the odds aren’t zero,” she said.
“Pretty close.”The sun was starting to go down.We still had time before dark, but we had to focus, and I had no room for any more mistakes, under the best circumstances.The light had softened, and the air had cooled.The nights got surprisingly chilly this deep into the mountains, even in July it could dip pretty close to freezing, depending on the elevation.We weren’t prepared for those kinds of temperatures, but the cabin should have what we need.“I promise you, I’ll get us out of this, Kayla.”
Her lips parted.“You mean, you think there’s a scenario where we don’t get out of this?”
Shit.The last thing I wanted to do was scare her.But I had to find a way to be honest about the situation without making her think I’d lost control.“I’m not sure what we’re up against right now.”
ChapterTwenty-One
Kayla
To be honest, I thought these fire watch cabins that Beau had told me all about were little more than a figment of his imagination.My bear had hit his head hard in the crash, and he was definitely not himself.There was no chance of getting medical care this far out until we could pick up a signal.Our equipment had been down for too long.I knew next to nothing about what went into jamming communications, but it didn’t seem like a permanent solution, especially when we had a world-class tech team working on the front lines for us.
Beau needed to shift, but the bear was being stubborn.For some reason, he insisted on staying human.My wolf was begging to come out, but I was staying human for him, even though it was painful.My justification was if something happened, I needed to be able to communicate as a human.We didn’t put together an off-the-grid with an injured bear playbook with the rest of Sawtooth Security.
I knew Barrett and Bellamy had a plan—they had to.Problem was, I had no idea what it could be.I was trying not to get frustrated with these planning gaps.There was no way to have a contingency for getting unexpectedly run off the road.
The relief I felt when this fabled cabin finally came into sight was immense.Not just because I was exhausted and sore and every animal noise we heard as the light faded had me almost jumping out of my skin.They weren’t close enough for me to pick up a scent, but that didn’t provide any comfort.
“This one isn’t too bad,” Beau rasped as he turned the doorknob on the old cabin.It had definitely seen better days.“Everything’s still intact.Some of them have succumbed to the elements.”
It was a far cry from the cute and cozy cabin we’d spent the last few weeks in, but like Beau said, it was intact, and I was thankful.Everything ached, my head pounded, and my mouth was completely dry.I’d been keeping Beau talking, trying to keep him alert and focused, which had become increasingly more difficult.He most likely had a concussion, and I was happy to see the ham radio.Now, to figure out how to make it work so I could get him some medical attention.
The cabin had one cot, and some bedding folded at the end.I was more than grateful for a sink with running water and a rudimentary bathroom.
Beau reclined on the cot.“So tired.”
“You can’t fall asleep.”I wasn’t sure if it was still protocol to keep someone with a concussion awake, but letting him fall into unconsciousness felt scary.
Gigi gingerly hopped onto the cot.She’d been favoring her right front paw over her left, and once I got everything settled, I’d check it out.Beau alarmingly hadn’t noticed her limp, but he did wrap his arm around her, and murmured something.Gigi would help me take care of him.All the time we’d been together, he’d been taking care of me, and now I had the opportunity to return the favor.
I wished for so many things right now.I got Gigi water, and I took a long sip from a glass that hadn’t been washed since last fire season.Beau’s eyes were closed, and my heart sank.
