Beyond the Breaking Point - Lori Sjoberg Page 0,34
indifference he didn’t feel. “What do you want for dinner tonight?”
“What are my choices?”
“Meal bar, jerky, granola…I think we have some dried fruit left.”
Her mouth pursed into a pout. “I was hoping you’d changed your mind about cooking dinner.”
It was tempting, especially when she looked at him like that, but he still needed to smooth things over with Austin, and who knew how long that would take. “I’ll cook something tomorrow.”
“Promise?”
“I never promise anything.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Hector walk into the clearing. His hair was wet, his face scrubbed clean. The scrape on his forehead was bleeding again. “Why don’t you check on Hector while I clear the air with Austin? When you’re finished, you can let me know what you want to eat.”
Not waiting for her response, he headed for the tents, where Austin sat on the ground, his long legs crossed in front of him and his overloaded pack by his side. He was a few months shy of turning forty, but the stress and fatigue lining his face made him appear a few years older.
“Hungry?” Austin asked.
“A little.” That was a lie; he was starving.
His brother rooted through his pack, took out two energy bars, and tossed one to Wade.
“Thanks.” It was one of those bars that weightlifters used to pack on size, heavy in calories and protein but light on taste. Not that it mattered; all he wanted was something to keep his gut from grumbling for a few hours.
He tore the wrapper and took a big bite. A little chalky, with a hint of something that passed for chocolate, but it didn’t taste as bad as he’d expected.
“You need to call Larissa,” Austin said after swallowing a bite of his bar. “She’s been worried sick ever since we found your care package in the loft.”
Wade mentally cringed. The fact she was worried didn’t come as a surprise, though it still made him feel like an asshole. Not sure he’d come back alive, he’d left a manilla envelope on the bed in his loft with a copy of his will, power of attorney, life insurance policy, and a list of log-ins and passwords for all of his financial accounts, along with a short note advising his siblings not to come searching for him.
So much for following instructions.
Deep down, he knew they’d try to find him, but he’d hoped to avoid detection by going off the grid once his flight landed in Mexico. He’d ditched his cell phone and replaced it with a cheap burner phone, only used cash, and adopted the alias that matched his fake ID.
“You brought a sat phone?” Wade asked, though he already knew the answer. His brother was one of those guys who planned things down to the very last detail, as well as for every imaginable contingency in case things went off the rails, which explained why his pack was straining at the seams.
The pair of lines between Austin’s eyebrows grew deeper. “I wouldn’t be telling you to call Larissa if I didn’t.”
“Could you let Hope use it? She’s been missing for months. She’s got an uncle back home who’s got to be worried sick about her.”
Austin cast him a sideways glance as he chewed another bite of food. “I’m surprised you give a rat’s ass.”
“Just trying to be considerate. It’s the least I can do after dragging her into this shit.” That was his story and he was sticking to it, even though it sounded like bullshit to his own ears.
Truth be told, she’d sort of grown on him despite the fact she was stubborn, pushy, bossy, and had a habit of stomping on his last nerve. But he’d also come to appreciate her tenacity, intelligence, spirit, and, yes, her sense of empathy. He even liked the fact she didn’t put up with his shit. What could he say; he had a soft spot for strong women, though that probably made him a masochist.
Austin grunted. “She can use it later. I don’t want to drain the battery.”
A spark of temper thinned Wade’s eyes, but he kept it in check. For now. “You were okay with draining it for Larissa.”
“That’s different.” Austin didn’t specify how it was different, but his attitude made it perfectly clear that the subject wasn’t up for discussion.
Not that it mattered to Wade. He wasn’t ready to let that shit go. Switching tactics, he asked, “If I contact Larissa, will you let Hope contact her uncle?”