Page 27 of Shadow of Hope
Micha laughed, and just like that, peace was restored between the men. Micha made eye contact with her. “When you get back to the campsite, leave your tent for Ryan to pack out. I’ll leave mine too. I want to make it seem like we really are coming back. Take only what you absolutely must.”
Like my cosmetics.
“Hey, thanks for the added weight in my pack,” Ryan said.
“You going soft on me now that you got a dad bod and can’t handle it?” Micha laughed.
“No dad bod yet.” Ryan pounded his abs. “I can still handle everything you can, but doesn’t mean I want to.” He laughed and looked at Ava.
“Sorry,” she said. “You already came all this way on short notice, leaving your son and all, and I hate that I’m even more of an imposition.”
“Don’t worry about it. Your tent won’t weigh much, and I didn’t bring one for myself as I can use Micha’s. So no biggie. Just giving this dufus a hard time.” He punched Micha in the arm.
Micha shook his head, but a fond smile for his teammate had found his face. “After you. I’ll tell the group we’re leaving. You grab your backpack while I do. Make sure to fill your water.”
She nodded and hurried back to the trail and into her tent. She shouldered her pack and heard Micha tell the others that Ryan was taking over. Fritz complained, which was seeming to be his go-to thing, but the others didn’t say much.
She lifted the flap of her tent and mentally prepared herself for the hike. Not only the physical exertion it would bring but the hours alone with Micha in the wilderness.
Ava and Micha had come straight back to the compound, stopping twice for a break, and Reid was waiting on the wide, wraparound porch of the lodge to greet them. Seriously, how did he know exactly when they would arrive? Micha hadn’t called him, that she knew of. She did take a bathroom break twice so maybe then, but she’d thought he was doing the same thing.
Reid stood tall and in charge but was still dwarfed by the large log structure set at the end of the compound driveway. His dark hair was even darker in the shadows on the porch, and he wore an intense expression on a face with a wide jaw. Tall fir trees towered over the building, and smoke whispered up from the chimney, the smell of burning wood comforting her.
He jogged down the steps and ran that intense gaze so like his brother Ryan’s over her, head to toe. “I have to say you seem more like an Ava than a Kari.”
Micha had said the same thing, but she really didn’t get it. “I’m sorry to mislead you. It’s not my nature to lie, but I…” She ended with a lift of her shoulder as she couldn’t really explain the innate desire to remain free. Alive, yes. Most everyone would understand that, but unless a person faced incarceration, she didn’t think they could fully understand that flight urge.
“The team’s waiting in the conference room,” he said. “We should head straight over there.”
“Oh, wow,” Ava said. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Not if I can help it.”
“You tracking my phone?” Micha asked as he set off.
Ava fell into step beside him, nearly running to keep up with both guys’ long strides.
Reid took her other side. “I was. Wanted to get this going as soon as possible since Ava’s life might depend on our actions.”
“I appreciate that.” Micha glanced at her and slowed his speed, heading down the driveway toward the guest and staff cabins.
Maybe he slowed because he’d seen her struggling to keep up. After the long hike, she didn’t mind slowing the pace down. And a shower. How she craved a shower.
The cabins were located near the building where she’d run into the team the night she’d foolishly tried to flirt with Micha. If she thought about that failed attempt, her face would burn bright. Better not to try the flirting route ever again in her life and simply be herself.
“Are you worried we’re not safe here in the compound?” she asked and didn’t care which guy answered.
“I’d like to believe that our fencing and cameras don’t leave any blind spots,” Reid said. “We’ve never had a break-in we didn’t know about right away, but you never know how cunning this guy is.”
“Technology like the cameras are good, but no system is foolproof.” Micha glanced at her. “Which means you still have to be aware of your surroundings, and we won’t ever leave you alone.” Micha looked at Reid. “Or at least I figured the team would agree.”
“Roger that,” Reid said. “But I have some ideas about it to discuss, too.”
Micha got moving faster again, his long legs taking him the last distance to the building. Was he so eager to resolve this? Or was he desperate to have help with her protection so he didn’t have to spend twenty-four/seven with her?
He opened the door for her, and she entered the large building and went straight to the conference room where Micha had held orientation the night they had all arrived for the training. It was just a few days ago but felt like a lifetime.
Colin and his brother Devan, who she’d also met that night, had kicked back by the table. Cheese, crackers, and pepperoni sat on a plate near them, along with bottled water and a bowl of mixed nuts. The guys were laughing, but when they saw her, they both came forward in their chairs and watched her.
