me.”
“Too bad I can’t drop in some hugs and kisses. Those would keep you warm.”
A chill bites at the back of my neck, regardless of the thermostat being set at sixty-seven. “Your heat is all I need.”
“If only that was true, then we wouldn’t have left the woods. Can you imagine being caught in another blizzard?”
“With your ass pressing against my dick? It’s hard for me to think of much else when we’re apart.” We haven’t resorted to phone sex, but I’m seconds away from suggesting it. All I need is a spark to get the fire roaring in my veins. I adjust the bulge preparing to set up camp in my jeans.
She chatters her teeth. “I bet it’s about to get really cold in the Northwestern Territories. We’d have to cuddle so close. Think of how buried Skipper must be.”
And there goes my semi. I grind my molars to trap a petulant bellow. “That damn canoe deserves a proper retirement, but someone else will scoop him up.”
Her breath hitches. “You think so?”
I chuckle at her fond attachment to that hunk of rust. “Nah, but maybe we’ll go back and visit.”
“That no longer frightens me. I’d pack a bag right now if they’d let you leave.”
I plop onto the saggy couch with a whoosh. “Are you home?”
“Safe and sound. How about you?”
“Under lock and key.”
“That’s really lame, boss. I don’t understand the point. For how long?”
“Good question. I’m hoping for more answers today.” I scratch at the beard covering half of my face. It’s one souvenir I haven’t washed away. Whenever I consider shaving, the reminder of her nails raking across my scruff stops me.
Blakely huffs, sending a crackle of static into my ear. “I have to meet with that detective again. He was busy leaving me another message before my coffee was done brewing.”
“I’m so damn sorry you gotta deal with that hassle, sweetheart.” The guilt has been threatening to buckle my knees on countless occasions.
“Not your fault, Halder. Just like how I was captured to begin with. The blame game isn’t yours to play.”
“Still feel responsible,” I mutter. Those fucking assholes better be rotting in a cell as we speak.
A knock on the door slices into my unwavering focus. I glare at the sound, flipping through possible suspects for this interruption. Another rap of knuckles calls out while I remain silent.
“Halder? Did you hear me?” Blakely’s sweet voice doesn’t belong with the tension now clogging this space.
“Hey, sweetheart? Let me call you back. Someone’s here.”
“Is everything okay?” I hate the tinge of worry in her tone.
“Yeah, Lee. It’s all good. Probably just my favorite detective.”
“If I don’t hear from you in an hour, I’ll come searching for answers.”
“I have no doubt. You’d be the one to start a search and rescue.”
She giggles. “Um, duh. This guy in the wilderness taught me well.”
“Damn straight I did.” I force a harsh exhale, draining some of the strain pulling at my taut form. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Okay, boss. If it’s Detective Wyllis, tell him he better not be late for our meeting. I won’t sit around waiting for him.”
I stand and turn to the pitiful excuse for a foyer. “Yeah, okay. I’ll give him hell if he does.”
After a few more reassurances, Blakely hangs up. I slide the phone into my pocket while edging toward the door. Each step I take is heavy with warning, yet soundless in execution. For all I know, a bomb could be planted in the hallway. My damn hands are clammy from the vision, metaphorical or not. An unexpected visitor is cause for alarm as of late. The one time I let my guard down, forgot to be aware of who lurks in the shadows, is when that punk got the best of me. That’s a mistake I won’t make twice. Fool me once and all that. But the consequences weren’t all bad. Little did they know that delivering me to Blakely would strengthen my resolve to survive. That’s the sort of luck that isn’t meant for the likes of me. She’s the sort of surprise I’d accept a drug-induced unconsciousness for.
A glance in the peephole shows Paul’s smiling face. The pressure in my stomach deflates with a hiss. Not much of a threat, but still abnormal. My lawyer is the type to call first. He holds up two travel cups for me to see.
“I have a peace offering to take the edge off,” he calls through the barrier between us.
“Are you alone?”
His snort echoes