My eyes fell to the still unconscious guy on the ground.
"He tried to ambush another one of the kids," Matthew said, jumping in. No doubt he was confused about this tension between Dylan and me. If he even had the slightest clue of the history here, he'd run in the opposite direction. "With a knife. We don't allow weapons, and we don't encourage survival that way."
"So Dylan had to teach him a lesson," I said with a snort of laughter. "Looks like it worked."
Dylan shrugged, his broad shoulders extra-emphasized by the long-sleeved, tightly fitted black shirt he wore. "He's not dead, so he can count himself lucky."
Most people would think that was a joke, but I knew better. Dangerous men were all the same when you crossed them. The only reason I felt myself to be reasonably safe was that Dylan had no reason to hurt me, but that might all change when he pushed for more answers.
“So, what’s the plan now?” I asked as more of the guys stumbled into the clearing. There were at least half a dozen still missing, but most had figured out how to get here. “Are we sleeping here for the night?”
Please be distracted. Please be distracted.
Ben chose that very moment to saunter over, face relaxed. “If it isn’t my savior,” he said, wrapping an arm around me. Dylan’s face settled into cold, hard lines—the face of a killer who would feel not an ounce of remorse for stealing your life in one swift strike.
Matthew, smarter than he looked, took the opportunity to disappear, and I didn’t blame him. If anything, I was envious.
Ben, meanwhile, quickly removed his arm. “Sorry, boss, didn’t mean to get too friendly. I know that we’re here to teach and nothing else.” He winked at me though, and I sensed this one was going to be trouble, which was the absolute last thing I needed.
This camp was already turning out to be a much bigger pain in the ass than I’d anticipated with my secret worlds colliding, and I had a sense that I’d be the one left in pieces when it was all over.
“Dylan! We need to get these assholes organized,” one of the other guides shouted. “Want them to set up camp?”
He was still watching me, and did he fucking blink? “Yes. Snow is coming, so tell them to huddle close.”
I fully expected him to drag me off somewhere and demand answers, so my whole body jerked with surprise when he just turned his back on me and stalked away. He barked for Matthew as he disappeared into the trees, and anxiety washed through me in sickening waves.
Was he just going to ignore me? I would deserve it. We hadn't spoken in almost six weeks, not since that night I’d left the hotel room without so much as a word of goodbye, then blocked his number. Had he tried to contact me?
My heart pounded so hard I thought I might pass out, and when someone shoved past me, I almost screamed. Fuck. Fuck. I needed to talk to him or something. Maybe if I could explain things...
"Pull your weight, Lawson," one of the guides snapped, and I refocused just in time to catch the roll of tent fabric he threw at me. "No special dispensations just 'cause you have tits." He sauntered closer, rubbing a hand over his rough stubble and giving my tits a good, long look. "On second thought, maybe I can be convinced to let you slack off."
"Boss will have your balls as a necklace if he catches you trying to fuck the campers, Jeffries," Ben observed casually, rolling out some thin, foam sleeping mats a few paces away.
The guide who'd just propositioned me narrowed his eyes, then shot Ben an annoyed glance and shrugged. "Boss won't be here for the whole season." He gave me a wink of promise that sent shudders of fear rolling through me. "In the meantime, I'll be keeping an eye on you, Lawson."
I forced a tight smile to my lips, but when he finally stalked away, my hands were shaking. I recognized that predatory look in his eyes. It was the same one that Jonnie had. The same one Blake got when he'd had a few drinks.
"Here, I'll help." Ben took the wad of rolled-up tent fabric from my trembling hands and deftly unpicked the knots holding it closed. "Grab that end; we need to suspend it over this section of the clearing to protect