Brother in the army. Family slipping away, out of the mainstream. Into hiding. Ah hell, he could already guess at the deserter scenario about to unfold.
“He went AWOL the night before a deployment. He and his entire family haven’t been heard from since.”
Shock, then the bitter taste of bile hit him.
Her brother was a deserter. Her brother had abandoned his brothers in arms when they needed him in battle. Brothers and sisters in arms like his teammates… like his father…
Like his mother, who lived with nursing care round the clock because she couldn’t even dress herself anymore.
What a helluva time to learn the person Sunny had been protecting was the same sort of person who’d turned his back on everything Wade believed in, worked for, was willing to die for just as the pararescue motto declared.
That others may live.
And that very same brother had a lot more reasons for making sure no one left the mountain than the deputy ever had. That didn’t explain the deputy shooting at them, but then little about this had made sense from the beginning.
Charging across the lot, he shrugged his backpack more securely in place along with his resolve. “McCabe, can you do me a favor?”
“Sure. Anything. Ask and it’s yours.”
“Keep checking on Sunny’s dog. Make sure he’s okay. Sunny and I are going, uh, hiking. This could take longer than I expected—”
“No problem. That’s all I need to know. Besides, it’s not often that I get to hang out with a dog.”
Their jobs made having a pet virtually impossible.
“Thanks. I owe you.” He ended the call.
His resolve clicked into place faster than an icicle snapped under his boots as he charged toward the aircraft. He knew. Whether or not she was complicit in any of her brother’s dealings, he couldn’t just walk away. He was in for the long haul, following her to what many would label the ends of the earth, the place that God forgot. But he wasn’t going unarmed. He had a beacon in his boot. And inside his gear, he’d packed a military-level GPS tracker. She might hate him for it later, but her home wasn’t going to be a secret black hole any longer. He couldn’t risk it.
He couldn’t let her risk it.
Wade zipped his parka and tugged on his gloves, eyes homed in on the tiny airplane just visible through the haze.
With Sunny preparing to board.
Chapter 11
While the Cessna’s engines warmed up, Sunny buckled her seat belt in the back seat. Or at least she tried to, but her hands were shaking and she was totally about to lose her shit. All because a guy she’d known for a few days refused to follow her on what truly was a reckless trek.
To make matters worse, she was freaking out over not even having her dog beside her. Was the cosmos ganging up on her, telling her to turn back? She’d been taught for so long not to trust the outside, to trust only her judgment, lean only on her family.
Protect her family.
She pressed her hand to the window, staring at the mountains in the distance. The snowcapped peaks called to her. Would her sister delay leaving? God, she hoped so, but couldn’t count on it. Not any more than she could brush aside what had happened between her and Wade.
How would he react when she came back? Because she would come back, damn it. Even if that meant she couldn’t return home—oh God, her heart squeezed—she couldn’t abandon Chewie. To be honest with herself, she also couldn’t leave things the way they were with Wade.
She let her head sag back against the seat, staring at the back of the pilot’s head for a few seconds before closing her eyes.
“What the—” The pilot’s curse was cut short by the sound of the door opening.
Sunny bolted upright just as Wade filled the gaping portal.
“Got room for one more?” he asked simply.
Disbelief stunned her quiet, followed by a sunburst of joy. He was coming with her. She didn’t have to face this journey, the fears, alone.
The pilot cranked around in his seat, pushing the mic on his headset away from his mouth. “Sir, ma’am, do we have a problem?”