“What happens tomorrow?”
“We head back to Corium.”
I don’t ask him if this makes us any less of enemies, but I want to. Good thing my eyes drift closed, and I fall asleep listening to the steady drumming of his heartbeat before I can.
4
QUINTON
My body is tired, but my brain won’t shut off. I’m consumed with the need to kill Matteo. Fifty different scenarios run through my mind of the ways I want to inflict pain until I snuff out his worthless life.
I should probably think about something else, but if I didn’t think about this, I would have to let reality sink in. And right now, reality is not looking too rosy.
We are trapped out in a storm in the middle of Alaska. Aspen’s leg is broken, and we don’t have heat or a way to get back to Corium. We’re also out of water and food. Looking down at Aspen’s face, none of those worries reflect back at me. Aspen is wrapped up in a blanket, sleeping peacefully, her cheek pressed against my bare chest.
The last time she slept in my arms like this was the night when I forced her to suck me off. Before, the memory would have my dick hard. Now, I’m riddled with guilt.
It’s not because of what I did to Aspen; it’s because Matteo was watching. Because I let him touch her that night. I want to break each of his fingers, then carve his eyeballs out and feed them to him… actually, I might still do that.
By the time the sun rises the next morning, the storm has settled completely, and the forest is back to its normal tranquil self. I want to let her sleep longer, but I know we need to get moving. It’s going to take me a while to carry her out of here, and we don’t want to get stuck at night.
“Aspen,” I whisper.
Her eyes flutter open, and a ghost of a smile graces her lips when she zeros in on me. As if she remembers where we are and who I am, the smile leaves her face before it can fully form.
“Hey,” she greets me sleepily. “We survived the night.”
“Yes, but we still have to make it back to Corium. We’re about five miles away, and I’ll have to carry you there.”
“You can leave me here and go back for help. You’ll be much faster without me on your back.”
She looks up at me, hopeful, and I don’t have the heart to tell her that no one else is going to come for her. It’s me or nothing. If I return to Corium without her, then I’ve signed her death sentence.
“I don’t know if I could find the way back here,” I lie. “Plus, you’re cold. I don’t think I can leave you here without the risk of you freezing to death. I didn’t come all the way out here to save your ass just to leave you behind today.”
“Okay.” She sighs, and I can hear the relief in it. She didn’t like the idea of being alone, either.
I pull our clothes from the front seat and start dressing myself first before helping Aspen into hers. They aren’t completely dry, but it’s better than they were last night.
“I guess we should get going then… I ahem… kinda have to go pee.” Even in the cold, her cheeks heat brighter red.
“All right then, let’s go pee together.” I smirk, making her blush even more.
Careful not to hurt her leg, I maneuver us out of the truck and into the frosty morning air. I carry her to the closest tree, where I put her down so she can lean against it. I make quick work of undoing her pants and pulling them down to her knees.
“Squat down as much as you can with one leg. I’ll hold you.” I grab both of her hands, and she does what I tell her. The embarrassed facial expression makes me smile. “You had my dick in your mouth, and my thumb up your ass, but pissing in front of me is too much?”
“Shut up. I can’t help it.” She looks everywhere but at me. She uses some tissues she pulls from her pocket to clean herself before awkwardly trying to pull her pants back up.
I help her get dressed before leaning her against the tree again, so I can go piss too. When we’re both done with our little morning routine, I lift Aspen back on my shoulders like I did yesterday.
She isn’t heavy but holding her up for a long period while hiking through the tundra has my muscles aching.
Sporadically, I take breaks to catch my breath and stretch out my tired limbs.
“I’m sorry… that you have to carry me, I mean.”
“I told you, I owe you, and I don’t like to be indebted to anyone. Bringing you back to Corium will make us even.”
My statement makes her flinch, as if the reminder that there’s nothing more between us hurt her feelings somehow. She quickly covers that sadness up with a joke.
“Well, if that’s so, then saddle up, horsey, and take me back in time for dinner. I’m starving.”
“Did you just call me horsey? Maybe I’ll leave you here after all,” I say, looking up at the sky. It’s right around noon. We’ve been walking for a few hours, so we shouldn’t be far from Corium.
“It was a joke. Don’t leave me here,” she says, all humor gone from her voice.
“I won’t leave you, but I might find something else to do with your smart mouth. Now, let’s go, the sun will set in a few hours.”
The days here in Alaska are much shorter than back home, and we do not want to be caught out here another night.
We continue walking toward Corium… or so I think.
It seems like the sun is setting faster with each step I take. Out here in these ungodly temperatures, the day flew by rapidly. I haven’t said it out loud, but I’m fairly certain we are lost.
“Don’t you want to take another break? We have been walking for a while without stopping.”
“No, we need to keep going. We have to get back before it gets dark or…” I trail off, not wanting to tell her what I’m thinking about.
“Quinton—”
“We’ll be fine. Just a little further.”
“Look over there.” She shifts her hold and points at something to our right.
I turn my head to scan that area and stop mid-step when my eyes catch sight of the small wooden structure. I immediately change directions and start walking toward it. The closer we get, the more apparent it becomes that we’ve stumbled upon a small hunting cabin. About twenty feet away, I stop and make Aspen sit on a nearby fallen log.
“Stay here for a minute. I’m going to check it out first to make sure it’s safe.”
She nods, wrapping her arms around herself.
Turning away from her, I carefully approach the cabin. I slide my hand down my cargo pocket and reach for the gun I stole from the guard. Lifting it, I hold it out in front of me, ready to shoot anything that could pose a danger.
I don’t hear anything inside, and the place looks like it was abandoned a while ago, but that could be a trap.
When I’m right in front of the door, I reach for the handle, realizing quickly that it doesn’t appear to be locked. The handle turns, and with one push, the door creaks open. There are no windows, and the inside is so dark I can’t make out a single thing.
Picking up a stick from the ground, I throw it inside, making sure it’s not booby-trapped. When nothing happens, I step through the door slowly. I give my eyes a moment to adjust, so I can take in the small space.