once he got his filthy boots off. He wouldn’t have a chance to take them off for a while, though. He needed to find a radio with enough signal to hit the secret channels that were monitored by the Shadow Force. The sooner they got off this mountain, the better.
The vehicle lurched forward, and they began the slow and bumpy descent down the mountain, first through a muddy mess of tracks and then onto a cleared driving trail lined with gravel. A particularly rough dip caused Maisie to lift out of her seat, and she banged against him on the way down. He reached out to steady her, and then—in a moment of weakness that shamed him—he grabbed her hand and held onto it.
He could feel her curious stare through the darkness. Instead of shaking off his hand, she turned her wrist and wiggled her fingers until they were interlaced with his. Unable to help himself, he looked at her, all the while wishing there was even a hint of moonlight. He wanted to see her eyes. He wanted to see her lush mouth and her high cheekbones. He wanted to be closer to her, closer than he had ever been allowed while captive in the mines.
As if reading his mind, she moved fractionally closer. Her gaze flicked to the front seat of the vehicle where Euphamie and Cotton sat in silence, the brother focused on the trail ahead and the huntress looking through the open window into the dark woods surrounding them. Assured they weren’t being watched, she moved even closer, scooting across the bench seat until their legs were touching. He could feel the heat of her through his damp tactical pants, and her other hand settled on top of his.
When she placed her head against his shoulder, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. She seemed perfectly content to rest against him and hold his hand. He stared down at her, wondering how she could unsettle him so easily with such an innocent gesture. He felt more alive with her right now than he had in years. His heart beat wildly in his chest, and his mouth went dry as he let himself imagine that what she wanted from him was more than comfort.
Stop.
You can’t.
You know what’s going to happen once she’s back on the Valiant.
Yes. He did. The same thing he had done to so many other assets-slash-prisoners.
The same thing he had done to Naya.
His stomach rolled with disgust as he finally truly understood how his actions had hurt others. He had done those things and made those decisions believing fully in the reasons behind them. He was doing his duty. He was protecting his people. He was advancing the war effort. He was chipping away at the Splinter cells and their command structure to finally end the war.
But this time it was more personal.
This time he actually cared.
Chapter Six
Groggy and stiff, Maisie sat on the stone hearth in front of a roaring fire to dry her still damp hair. After one of Fay’s brothers cut the cuffs off her wrists, she had had a chance to take a quick shower and get some medical treatment for her worst wounds. Feeling in the way, she had decided to sit by the fire and wait until she was needed.
Cotton, Fay’s blond brother, approached with a mug in each hand. He extended them to her and then dropped into a leather chair across from her. The bigger mug held a serving of stew and a spoon. The other was filled with tea. The spicy scent of the warm tea tickled her nose, and she gave it a tentative sip before signing her thanks. She set it aside and held the bigger mug, relishing the heat radiating through the ceramic and soothing her sore fingers. As a streak of lightning lit up a nearby window, she was glad to be safe inside the Ryderwood homestead.
“Your house is incredible,” she said before taking a bite of stew. “I’ve never been in a house this big.”
“Ryderwoods are like rabbits,” he replied. “We have big families and need lots of rooms.” He glanced around the open living area with vaulted ceilings and hand scraped floors. “This was the original building my great-great-great-granddad built. He and my great-great-great-grammy had eleven kids. Eleven! Can you imagine?” She shook her head. “The house has been added onto and renovated every generation.”