Page 121 of You'll Be Sorry

But it’s already much too late for that.

He collapses into the snow, her limp body dragging him down. He tries to rise to standing. Tries to pull her up with him. In the end, exhaustion wins out, and he lies beside her, his form curled protectively around hers, as icy white flakes continue to pelt down, quickly covering the mound of their entwined bodies.

A man and woman.

A story of what might’ve been.

And the dog who saves them.

38

Mandy careened to a halt. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Bloodred snow, churned-up debris, and one lone figure, propped awkwardly against a dark fir tree, clutching his stomach.

“Adams!” She slid her way over as he groaned in response.

They were fifteen feet from the cave entrance. She glanced around quickly, also noting what she didn’t see—signs of other individuals, but even more troubling, Adams’s rifle.

“What happened?” She dropped to one knee beside him, Glock at the ready as she performed a quick assessment.

“That stuffy historian guy—”

“Mason Carhart?”

“Moves quick for an old dude. Shoots even faster.”

“I knew it! If I’d just figured it out sooner…” She unzipped Adams’s jacket to check out the damage beneath. Sure enough, red blossomed across his white thermal shirt. “How bad?”

Adams chuckled roughly. “Well, I have felt worse. But I don’t think they can amputate my torso, so, there’s that.”

“I’ve called for backup, but in these conditions, it’ll take a bit. Okay, we need to get you stabilized and out of this weather. Given I have absolutely no outdoor gear with me, I’m thinking cave. I’ll get you tucked inside—”

“No.” Adams grabbed her hand. “Mason…attacked Theo and Raquel. Both hurt. Only reason he didn’t finish me…was to go after them.”

“Where?”

“Down. Guy tagged me first, but I winged him. Fucker…took the rifle.” Another groan.

Mandy couldn’t help herself. “Isla told me everything. If what she’s saying is true, I’m sorry…William.”

“Makes it all kinda fitting, don’t you think?” He gave her a bleary look. “Back where it all started. Now I just gotta crawl a few feet and I can die with them as well. Maybe…maybe that’s the way it was always meant to be.”

“Don’t even think it.” She got busy in the snow. “Your family was close. Everyone knew that. That one of you survived would make the others happy.”

“Can’t think…can’t process. Not yet.”

“Hey, Adams, what’s your favorite color—”

“Why— Son of a bitch!”

Mandy slapped a packed snowball into his wound, then grabbed the scarf from her neck and wrapped it tight around his waist. “That’ll slow the bleeding. If I had to guess, Isla will appear shortly. Before you scream at her to go away, remember she already patched you up once. I’d accept a second round of assistance for old times’ sake.”

“I can’t believe…I just can’t believe…”

“And yet.” Mandy took his hand. “On some level, you didn’t need to hear the words to know they were true.”

He didn’t speak. She could see the answer in the first tear tracing down his cheek.

“Hold tight. I’ll be back.”