“Don’t go far,” Zoey called out when he was about to disappear into the forest around them.
He stopped and came back to her. He put his hands on the rock next to her hips and leaned in. Zoey could only stare at him in surprise.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“O-Okay,” she stammered.
“I’m not leaving you out here by yourself,” he said.
“I know. But…shit happens.”
“I swear on my life, I’ll be back.”
Zoey’s throat closed up with unshed tears, and she nodded. She couldn’t talk without Mark realizing how close to the edge she was.
As if he knew anyway, he brushed her hair out of her face and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. Then he rested his sweaty forehead against her own and put a hand behind her neck.
The position was intimate and personal. Neither of them smelled all that great anymore, and Zoey knew her hair was probably a rat’s nest on her head, but at the moment, none of that seemed to matter. It was as if they were the only two people in the world.
“I haven’t survived being captured by the Taliban, two helicopter crashes, and countless assholes trying to shoot me and blow me up to be taken out by a bear in the middle of Alaska, leaving my girl to fend for herself. I. Will. Be. Back. If you believe nothing else I say, believe that. All right?”
Zoey wanted to hear all about the Taliban and the helicopter crashes, but figured she was probably better off not knowing. Besides, he probably couldn’t talk about them anyway. So she simply nodded once more.
“I know it’s not exactly comfortable, but if you can take a nap, feel free. At least close your eyes and try to relax. I’ll be back soon with something to eat and we’ll be on our way again.”
“Be careful,” she whispered when he finally stood.
“I will.”
And with that, he turned and headed out into the dense forest around them. One second he was there, and the next she was alone. She couldn’t even hear Mark walking around. It was scary, and she forced herself not to call out for him. He said he’d be back, so he’d be back.
Taking a deep breath, Zoey did as Mark suggested. She closed her eyes and did her best to relax.
Bubba hated the wild look in Zoey’s eyes. He hated that she was scared. She’d done an amazing job so far. She was more than pulling her weight, and he hated like hell they were in this situation in the first place. He didn’t like thinking about who in his father’s circle might’ve arranged for their demise, but it wasn’t something he could ignore. Someone had hired Eve Dane to fly them into the wilderness and leave them stranded.
He supposed it could be worse. Whoever was behind this could’ve sabotaged the plane so they’d crashed for real.
The whole situation was so bizarre. Why just leave them stranded if murder was the objective? Whoever had hired Eve had no way of knowing if he and Zoey would die after being left in the wilderness. The possibility that they’d come waltzing out of the wilderness weeks from now might be slim, but it was still possible.
Zoey wasn’t a SEAL, of course, and she was right when she’d said she was slowing him down. But the fact of the matter was, he didn’t care. He’d rather have her with him than not. Bubba didn’t know if they had ten miles to walk or a thousand. He was hoping that Rocco and Tex would work their magic and actually fly to their rescue sooner rather than later. In the meantime, they just had to keep moving, find enough to eat, and stay as dry and warm as possible. He could probably last for weeks out here on his own, but he wasn’t sure Zoey could, although she’d held up well so far.
Spying what he’d been looking for, Bubba kneeled by a tree and carefully pulled up the mushrooms growing at the base. His dad had taught him long ago which fungi were safe to eat and which weren’t. His pop had taught him a hell of a lot, and for just a moment, Bubba let his head drop as the reality of his father’s death washed over him.
He’d never again hear Pop’s laugh.
Never hear him talk excitedly about some new plastic.
Would never read another email from him, asking if he’d found a girlfriend yet.
Never hear him tease Bubba about wanting to be a grandfather.
It wasn’t fair.
Taking a deep breath, Bubba stood with the mushrooms in his hand. He couldn’t dwell on the past or his grief would consume him. Like he’d told Zoey, he had to keep going forward. But he made a vow right then and there to make sure the most important people in his life knew how much he appreciated and loved them.
As he retraced his steps back to Zoey, he thought about all the signs of trouble he’d ignored. How Kenneth had insisted on the charter flight when taking a commercial one to Juneau would’ve been just as fast. The way Eve, the pilot, wouldn’t look him in the eyes as she shook his hand when they were introduced. How she hadn’t immediately put out a mayday call. How calm she’d been when they were presumably going down.
Even the sound of the engine sputtering, now that he’d thought about it, hadn’t sounded right. He wasn’t a pilot, but he’d heard enough plane and helicopter engines failing to know what it sounded like.
Yeah, there had been plenty of things to make him take extra precautions, but he’d been worried about Zoey and focused on making sure she was all right.
He regretted ignoring the signs, but he didn’t regret being with Zoey here and now. If he’d stayed on the plane and Zoey had gotten out, would Eve have left her there by herself? If he’d protested in any way, would Eve have pulled out a gun and simply shot them both?
Shaking his head, Bubba forced himself to quit thinking about the what-ifs. He couldn’t change anything that he’d done now, and he had to focus on the present. On surviving and getting both him and Zoey back home.
When he remembered the fear on Zoey’s face when he’d left, anger filled him. He knew what humans were capable of doing to each other. He’d seen it up close and personal. But he hated that Zoey had to experience it. She was good down to her core. He knew she’d stayed in Juneau mostly because of his dad. Because he’d needed her.
Her being scared was unacceptable. He’d find out who was behind this half-baked plan to get them out of the picture and make sure they paid. They’d fucked up by not outright killing him. Whoever it was must’ve assumed both he and Zoey would perish in the backwaters of Alaska, but the joke was on them.
“I’m going to find out who you are and make you wish you were never born,” Bubba said between clenched teeth. As if by saying it out loud, it would make it more true.
Taking a deep breath to try to control his anger, Bubba walked faster. Zoey would be worried about him, and he needed to get back. He had to feed her, make sure she had enough water, and maybe even warm her up a bit before they started walking. He’d never met a woman who was always cold like she was.
She probably had blankets all over the house that she could snuggle under. Maybe even an electric blanket on the bed. She’d love Riverton. It wasn’t too hot or cold. She could go to the many beaches and lay out on the sand and soak in the rays of the sun. He knew without a doubt that she’d get along perfectly with Caite, Piper, and Sidney. In fact, Zoey reminded him a lot of Piper. When they’d been fleeing the rebels in Timor-Leste, Piper had been amazingly resilient.