The silence was unfortunate because more than ever Charity wanted to talk to Enzo about their relationship. What were they now? He didn’t still plan on annulling their marriage, did he? She hadn’t asked those questions last night—other things had been occupying her mind, mostly all the dreams she had of the two of them together. Last night, she’d been sure she loved him, he loved her, and they would grow old and have many chosen-one children.
This morning, he’d been so businesslike. She would’ve been happy to stay at the cabin longer, to curl up with him in bed.
He’d woken her before dawn and rushed her through breakfast so they could be out the door at first light. And now the silence. She couldn’t even walk beside him. He insisted on walking in front of her, tense and alert, with his gun in hand, in case they ran into bears, mountain lions, or raiders.
He’d said he was protecting her. It felt more like he was ignoring her, and as the day went on, she became more cross.
Did he regret last night? She’d given herself to him, laid her heart bare, and she had no guarantee he wouldn’t get an annulment. What would she do in the city by herself, alone and heartbroken?
Mile after mile of silence.
They snacked while they hiked but didn’t sit down to eat dinner until the sun sank so low over the trees that it forced them to make camp. They’d hoped to find a cave or some other secure shelter. Nothing like that was around. They would have to stay out in the open, vulnerable to man, beast, and weather.
“We’ll sleep in shifts,” he whispered to her. “Can you fall asleep right now?”
“No.” Not at seven o’clock.
“Okay. I’ll sleep first.” He handed her the Ruger. “Wake me at midnight. And don’t do anything that will keep you from paying attention to the surroundings—like reading on your phone.”
And then, maddeningly, he got into his sleeping bag and dozed off.
She perched on a small boulder, scanned the area, and listened to the forest growing quieter. The birds had finally stopped chiding each other, and the wind made a shushing sound as it slid through the trees. The stars came out, bright and dazzling without any other light for competition. Only the moon shone brighter, hanging there with its lopsided smile.
By nine-thirty, she was so bored that she felt drowsy after all. At ten, her head began nodding. She couldn’t let that happen. She got up and took slow steps around the area. Her boots crunched across leaves and twigs. The noise covered the sound of the wind. That was, until a louder shuffling noise came from the forest. An animal?
She gripped the gun, turned on her flashlight, and shined it in the direction of the sound. The noise stopped. The light revealed nothing except gray tree trunks. She increased the flashlight beam.
Still nothing.
The sound couldn’t have been a person, could it? If people roamed through the forest, they’d have some sort of light she could see. The noise had likely been some nocturnal animal. Mountain lions were nocturnal, weren’t they?
The shuffling noise came again. Same place. She flicked her flashlight beam in that direction. Nothing there.
She gripped the gun and considered waking Enzo. But what would she tell him—that she’d heard a noise in the forest? The forest always made noises. He’d think she was skittish. Besides, he needed his sleep. They would each only get five hours tonight and had another full day of hiking tomorrow.
She could handle this. She was armed.
When the noise came a third time, her flashlight caught a dark shadow darting away, a shape smaller than a mountain lion. Maybe a wolf. Whatever it was, it had fled.
For several long minutes, she heard no other abnormal sounds. She began to relax. She was glad she hadn’t wakened Enzo. She sat back down again, the gun in one hand, her phone in the other.
Half an hour later, another noise sounded in front of her, this time louder. As she stood up, she realized it was the sound of footsteps coming toward them from several directions.
She barely had the time to call, “Enzo!” before four soldiers emerged from behind the trees, dressed in battle gear and wearing night vision goggles. They held rifles, drawn and pointed at her.
Footsteps tromping behind her told her that she was surrounded.
Soldiers.
A man in front of her yelled, “Drop the gun!”
She hesitated. If the government captured her, they could give her truth serum and find out information about her father. Maybe it was better to let them shoot her rather than reveal his secrets.
Off to her side, Enzo called, “Thank goodness you found us!”
He thought this was a good thing? She dropped the gun and raised her hands. No point dying to protect information that Enzo could give them. Even though he’d promised not to tell the government about her family, he wouldn’t take a bullet to avoid truth serum.
He climbed out of his sleeping bag, the picture of relief. “I was afraid we would die out here. You can give us a ride to civilization, can’t you?”