Nine Months Earlier
Day 31: Fake Relationship with a Real-Life Hero
Sunny came in from running the dogs the ten-mile trail with the four-wheeler. The long ride through the crisp autumn Alaskan air had helped her clear her head from the doubts and pain swirling there. If she wanted to stay sane, she couldn’t hope for a different reality like she was, especially not when the solitude of wintering in Chicken set in.
Marching to her old room in her parents’ place, she snatched her phone from the charger and turned it on. As the screen came alive, she promised herself this would be the last time that she checked her phone for a text from Davis. Her heart couldn’t take the hope that built only to crash when nothing was there.
She tapped on her messages, then opened the short text conversation they’d had. Nothing more from him besides his initial “Glad you made it home safe” text over a week and a half ago. Her heart crashed to the floor and eyes blurred. Heaving a sigh, she slumped onto her bed.
Obviously, she’d read more into their friendship than he had. The thought that it was all fake twisted her gut. She really was a bad judge of character.
She closed her eyes and shook her head against the memories that had taunted her all week.
Memories of the way Davis had looked at her.
Held her.
Kissed her.
They’d had so much fun together watching Carter that it hadn’t felt like it was pretend. The image of his expression the night they’d camped out in the backyard came to mind. It was like he’d had to rip those words of him leaving Stryker from his soul. As he’d opened that jar of fireflies, he’d looked so serious––so lost––she’d wanted to wrap him in her arms and tell him it’d be okay.
Well, the joke was on her.
He’d probably been faking that, too. Wasn’t that what a pretend relationship was all about? Real life wasn’t like in the movies or romance novels where the fake becomes true. If she didn’t always look at the positive side of people and situations, she’d know that.
It was good she was spending the winter with only her dogs and taciturn brother to keep her company. In fact, taking life solo for a while sounded like a smart plan.
No more guiding.
No more men.
Just her and whatever adventure nature threw at her. At least then, the only thing that could possibly get hurt was her body, not her heart. With a nod of determination, she went back to her text list, swiped Davis’s name and picture left, and hit the red trash icon.
Davis pulled Sunny closer as she shivered beneath his arm. He had to move, find a place safe for Sunny to wait, then circle back to the mine. He could make a call to Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks and have troops there in less than two hours. Then, he’d take them to the exploratory mining operation and find out what in this Alaskan wilderness caused the company to murder over. While he waited for reinforcements, he’d do some hunting of his own. He had two men that needed to get lost permanently to the wilds.
He squeezed his eyes tight and leaned his head back against the dirt wall. Sunny couldn’t see his struggle to keep the lid on his anger. She didn’t deserve the overflow. That display of rage with the rock was more than enough.
Wasn’t that why he’d come up to this God-forsaken area?
Because no matter how hard he tried to keep a handle on his emotions, those closest to him got hurt. He’d seen how his well-placed barbs could crumble his sister’s demeanor. Back at the Stryker complex, the more he picked at or grumped, the more the guys had stopped pulling their punches during training. He’d welcome it, thinking he’d needed the release the pain of a fist brought.
Now, he realized it had just been a temporary fix, like a piece of duct tape on a rusted radiator. Any minute and the tape would come loose and steam would shoot out. He needed true healing, a real handle on his reactions and emotions. Alaskan mining with Justin had been that place of moving on for him.
“We have to go,” Davis said gruffly, pushing away from Sunny as the thoughts of Justin’s death assaulted him and made Davis shake.
“Okay.”
She rubbed her hands together before tucking them under her armpits. Her chin quivered a second before she stifled it. He needed to get her warm. It might be summer, but hypothermia could still set in, especially with the drizzle not letting up.
“What’s the plan?” She shifted and reached for her pack.
He pushed her hand away and wrapped his hand around the straps. “First, we move up the hill. Try to keep your steps on the moss and leaves. We want to hide our tracks as much as we can. It’ll be hard with how wet it is.”
“Channel my Athabaskan stealth-hunting heritage. Got it.”
His lips twitched on one side. She had told him when they’d been in Kentucky that she wished she’d had more time with her mother’s grandma. Sunny had loved the stories of her ancestors and said she spent so much time outside because of how it made her feel closer to her great-grandma.
“Once we get some distance away from here, we’ll find a place for you to hole up while I circle back to the mine.” Davis crawled toward the entrance.
“Wait. What?” Sunny snagged his arm and pulled him back. “I’m not hiding.”
“It’s not safe.”
“Duh, Captain Commando.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s why you need me.”
His head shook before she even finished her sentence. “I’ve done this a thousand times. Special Forces, remember?”
“With back up, or do you not remember them?” Her voice snapped with sarcasm.
Man, even angry, she shined. He couldn’t risk her getting hurt or caught. Couldn’t trust himself with her safety, not with how his PTSD could make him snap in rage or freeze solid with fear.
“Sunny, I’ve been trained for exactly this. Spent years in the army doing nothing but sneaking around.”
“And what do you think all those years I’ve been bow hunting have been?” She pushed his shoulder. “Do you know how hard it is creeping within twenty feet of a thousand-pound bull moose and not be detected? Or what about a dall sheep on the open rocky mountainside or a full-grown grizzly? Darn near impossible, which is why most hunt with rifles.”
“Sunny—”
“No, don’t Sunny me.” She gripped his sleeve in her fingers. “You’re not leaving me, Davis.”
Her fingers trembled against his arm. If anything happened to her, he’d hate himself for agreeing to let her come.
He cupped her cheek in his hand. “Okay, Firefly. You win.”
Her smile almost blinded him, so he pulled his hand away and quickly continued in his sternest tone.
“You follow everything that I say. Everything.” He cocked his eyebrow at her.
“Yes, sir.” She saluted.
“I’m serious, Sunny. If I tell you to run, you run. No questions, and I promise I’ll be right behind you.”
“Follow orders. Got it.” She reached for her pack. “You might not believe this, but my dad ran a tight ship. Sure, I’m used to being the leader, but I know when to give the helm to someone more qualified.”
“I know. I’m just … scared.” There. He said it.
“Me too.” Her serious gaze stared at him over a trembling smile. “We’ve got this.”
She reached toward her pack, and he shook his head when she pulled her bag to her. “I’ll carry it until we get close to camp. Save your strength.”
“Fine. Let’s go.” She peered through the roots toward where the men disappeared. “No baddies this way.”
He eased out of the shelter and scanned the area for shadows that didn’t belong. When he saw none, he hoisted her pack over his shoulders and motioned her up the hill. When she made it halfway to the top, he followed.
As he crested the rise, he found her searching the area like a true soldier. All her bubbly personality had dissipated to intense focus. Maybe they could do this together.
He nodded at her, hiked her pack higher on his shoulders, and circled back toward the mine. No one could call her weak. Her pack weighed a ton. It reminded him of all those missions he’d had to haul gear for days on end.
As they walked within a quarter mile of Justin’s mine, a dark plume of smoke rose from the trees.
“Davis.” Sunny spoke his name low, almost inaudibly.
“I see it.” He looked back at her, not wanting her to go any closer. If whoever had caught the cabin on fire was still there, she’d be in even more danger.
“Don’t even think about it.” She pushed past him and disappeared into the willows.
He huffed a laugh and let his smile free. There really wasn’t anything worth grinning about. Yet, his Firefly still knew how to light up his darkness, even after he blew it with her the first time.