Left for Wild - Harloe Rae Page 0,51
the belt, right? I might need to turn a blind eye.”
Halder swoops in and kisses my temple. “I’m not worthy of you.”
“That’s an unfavorable opinion.” I repeat his earlier conviction with a wink. Before we get into another boomerang without an agreeable outcome, a question pops into my inquisitive mind. “Will you tell me about prison?”
He stiffens against me. “What do you want to know?”
“Anything you’re willing to share. Did you have a bunkmate?”
“I did. A few, actually. They rotated our assignments throughout the years. I had a cell to myself for several months when numbers allowed for it.”
“How was that determined?”
When he shrugs, I’m jostled sideways. Halder tucks me into him before I can straighten myself. “Luck of the draw? Maybe they took good behavior into account. I tried to keep my nose clean and avoid the shady stuff.”
I widen my eyes. “Oooh, so all those rumors about drugs and the black market?”
“One hundred percent factual.”
“Are the guards aware?”
He tips his head back with a dry chuckle. “Fuck, yes. Many of them are the facilitators. They’d set up bargains and transactions without hesitation, especially if the deals benefit them.”
“That’s awful.”
“Welcome to learning about the underbelly of society. Prison isn’t meant to be a walk in the rose gardens.”
“Did they ever try to pin stuff on you?” A sour puddle gurgles in my stomach at the thought.
“Nah, there are plenty of inmates more than ready to join their dirty forces. They left me alone so long as I kept my mouth shut.”
“Did you make any friends while on the inside?” That question sounds lame, even to my own ears.
Halder makes a noncommittal noise. “Not really. Some guys were decent enough to carry conversations with. But I wouldn’t call them my buddies.”
I frown. “Were you lonely?”
He smiles, but the expression is heavy with sorrow. “That’s nothing new. I’ve spent the majority of my adult life isolated one way or another.”
“Well, that’s really depressing.” I flinch at the final word, sensitive to the overuse of that specific term. But there’s really no better option to describe that type of existence. For me, at least.
“Thinking about you kept me company most nights. Restored my sanity, too. I have you to thank for making those dark years bearable.” His confession is so quiet that I almost give credit to my imagination. Then he reaches for my hand, laces our gloved fingers together, and eliminates all uncertainty.
I part my lips on a breathy exhale. “Oh, wow. You’re an expert at hitting me right in the feels.”
He lifts our joined palms and presses his mouth to the exposed skin at my wrist. “I’ve never been much, but I want to be the best for you.”
I officially swoon at that. Yep, it’s official. This guy is going to make me a stage-five clinger before we get rescued. I let his sweet sentiment sink in, floating in this moment of sugary bliss. Every piece of me is lax and slack.
Before I can formulate an eloquent response, Halder stands with a groan. He dusts the stray ash off his clothes while studying my dazzled appearance. His chuckle only sends me into a deeper tailspin. “We need to make a few slabs for the lean-to. I didn’t cut enough for that.”
I clear the fog from my brain with a couple of rapid blinks. “What about Skipper?”
His smirk appears at that name. “The canoe will be a good alternative for one wall at the most. We still need at least two more. Three would be better.”
I bob my head, glad to follow his plan. “Should I gather makeshift twine?”
He gestures to a wiry thatch of bushes. “Anything you can find is great.”
After a quick stretch, I get off my butt and begin the search for bendable vines. It takes all of thirty seconds until I’m distracted by Halder’s grunts and rumbles from the opposite side of our clearing. The performance he’s putting on deserves a standing ovation. The least I can do is stop and stare to show my appreciation.
He rips into several trees like a man possessed by the need to prove his worth. Heaps of fallen branches scatter the snowy ground. The forest massacre he’s creating is highlighted by dancing flames skittering across each jagged surface. All I can do is gape at him and the sheer power he oozes with every swing of his hatchet.
Without me realizing, night has fallen. Darkness forms a barrier around us. Just beyond that shadowed wall, the storm rages. All I feel is