I neglected to mention how one of my old bosses had subsequently tracked us down and foisted us away by helicopter.The tourist office was only staffed during the day, so neither Tom nor any of his colleagues would have been aware of Hawkins’ little trip to the area, and that was how I wanted it to stay.
“Are you all okay?”Tom looked me up and down as though he should have noticed an obvious injury.Fortunately, Owen’s handiwork and my tolerance for pain meant there was nothing for him to notice.
“A little worse for wear,” I replied, once again failing to elaborate about my most recent injuries.“But it’s nothing that rest and hot food hasn’t helped with.It’s taken until today for me to feel up to coming back, though.”
To face the music.
I didn’t vocalize the final four words, but they were there in my mind, taunting me with their accuracy.Whether I was legally culpable for what had happened to James, Miles, and Chelle or not, a part of me would still blame myself.I had been in charge that day, and I should have done better.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”Tom’s expression brightened.“I’ve missed you around here.”
“Thanks.”Mirroring his smile, my attention flitted to the exit and the woman I knew would be waiting for me.“And thanks for your help today.If any of the bosses want to speak to me, I’ll be available on my phone.”Just as soon as I’d found the damn thing and charged the device.“In the meantime, I’m going to head up and collect something I left in the ranger’s hut.”
“Okay.”Tom seemed surprised by the idea, but he didn’t press the point.“Take it easy this time, all right?”
“I think I’ll be okay.”My tone was droll as I turned for the door.“I’ve done this before, you know.”
Chapter Twenty
The Cabin
Erin
“Sir?”
I was on my feet the moment the door swung closed behind him, my heart racing as he neared.Frantically, I searched his face for any sign of an answer to the question that plagued me.Was Chelle alive, or was I going to have to live with her death on my conscience?
“Hey.”His voice was soft as he took me in his arms, his palm cradling the back of my head.Time stretched out around me as I waited for him to go on.“She’s alive, little girl.Chelle made it out of here.”
“Thank God.”The relief emanating from me was thunderous, shaking me to the core, and in that split second, I let go of all of the tension and emotion I’d been clinging to.All the days I’d grasped at the sense of not knowing her fate, all those long hours of trying to reconcile my part in her potential demise, and suddenly, I had a reprieve.“Where is she?”
Blinking past my tears, I glanced up at him, realizing his embrace was no longer only about moral support.He was the one keeping me upright.
“I don’t know.”
He tugged me closer until there was no choice but to cede to his wordless demand and rest my head against his chest.Glad for his warmth, I ceded, but even Eli’s touch couldn’t quiet the emotions warring inside me.The desperate anxiety that had been my constant companion collided with the happiness flooding my system, spiraling me into a new uncertainty.
“She was taken to hospital with hypothermia the day after the storm, but I have no details about whether she’s still there.”
“Oh, God.”My thoughts were unraveling as I tried to keep up.Hypothermia was serious, and we had no way of knowing how hercondition was.“So, we don’t know how she’s doing?She could still be there?What if she took a turn for the worse and we just don’t know?”
“Little girl.”He sounded exasperated as he tried to soothe me.“The doctors and nurses will have given her intravenous warm fluids and monitored her heart.I’m sure she’s received excellent care.”
“But how do you know?”
Once again, lingering doubt wormed its way into my head and refused to let me believe in the good news.Until I spoke to Chelle again, until I saw her and understood her health outcomes for myself, I’d always worry about the worst-case scenario.
“Trust me.”He smiled as he inched away, the loss of his heat leaving me oddly bereft.“Once you get to your phone and charge it, you’ll be able to call her and find out I’m right for yourself.”
***
Eli’s prophecy echoed in my head as we made the final climb toward the cabin.A numbness had settled over me since the news about Chelle; a sense that nothing that was happening was actually real, as though I was living in a willowy dream.Taking his hand as we neared the wooden lodge that had been both my prison and paradise, I recalled little of the hike that had delivered us there.
Twisting to peer back at the expanse of trees behind us, I could hardly believe it was the same location we’d been forced to cower in during the snowstorm.One facet of me recognized the place—the tall trees looming large into the sky—while another, larger part, couldn’t quite put my finger on where we were.Standing there, the scene looked like a rerun of a show I’d seen once.
“How are you feeling?”He lifted my hand to his lips and brushed a kiss over my knuckles.The touch of his lips stirred me, abruptly grounding me into the present.
“I don’t know.”Turning back, I offered him a meek smile.“Being here is like one giant flashback, and I can’t stop worrying about Chelle.”
