Something Wilder

To Lily, it seemed like magic. She didn’t understand how his brain worked without the help of his hands, but she didn’t need to understand. She’d seen it, and right now she needed that brain.

“You can’t leave me behind,” Bradley said.

“You don’t make the decisions here. And to be honest, I don’t trust you under pressure. You’ve already pointed a gun at our heads and gotten us into a high-speed car chase.”

“Technically, Leo got us into the high-speed car chase,” Bradley grumbled.

Leo watched her, his hands gripping the straps of his backpack. Lily knew it was the only way forward, but her heart stuttered with adrenaline at the thought of being alone with him and trying to keep her head on straight. “You guys take Walter back. Leo and I need two days,” she told Nicole meaningfully. “Tell the rangers that Terry wanted to try different routes and wandered off on his own, and Leo and I went to look for him.”

Nic nodded, eyes intense.

“Wait for our call,” Lily said. “Let us worry about getting within service range.”

“What if you don’t call?” Walter asked.

“We will.” None of them voiced it, but they were all thinking the same thing: they’d call… unless they ended up like Terry.

Chapter Eighteen

BY THE TIME they got Walter back to the Jeep, his ankle was about twice its normal size and turning a sickly blue. Bradley was definitely not happy about the change in plans, but despite his guilt and need for adventure, Walter seemed somewhat relieved to be heading back.

Honestly, Leo wasn’t sure how he felt. The distance between the safety of his cubicle and the spot where he stood could be measured in galaxies, not miles. The danger they faced was real. Terry was dead. Walter more than likely had a broken foot. Leo and Lily could easily drown or be crushed to death out there and never be heard from again. His mind drifted briefly to Cora, wondering what she was doing, how she’d handle it if anything happened to him.

And yet, the hum in his blood was anticipation, not fear. The adrenaline of adventure and the prospect of being with Lily again coursed through him. He could sense the war inside her—the attraction, the fear—and knew that this had to be her choice. Nearly everything in her life had been forced on her. He wanted her to choose him.

They unpacked the bags, reevaluating what they truly needed in order to consolidate supplies down into two packs. Terry’s pack was some kind of high-tech, expensive mountain-man thing, so Lily took it from Bradley, loading it up. Leo saw her hesitate when she pulled out the Ziploc bag with the journal, phones, and gun.

“I’d still take it,” he said. “They won’t need it.”

With a resigned sigh, she shoved it all in the center of her change of clothes.

When everything was ready, Leo helped get Walter settled in the back seat.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Bradley asked him with a mixture of concern and envy.

“I think I know what I’m doing,” Leo said warily. “But even if I don’t, Lily does.” He glanced back to where she and Nicole were talking quietly a few feet away. “Let’s just be glad she’s willing to keep going.”

“You are in so deep,” Walter said with a pained laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s adorable, but come on,” Bradley said. “If I have to go back with Mom and you get to keep playing, you’d better keep your head in the game.” He motioned between the three of them. “We’re splitting this, right? So don’t get distracted because you’re busy getting your dick wet.”

Leo pulled back, feeling his temper slam down, a heavy pulse right in his temples. “Bradley, what the fuck?”

“I’m sorry to be crass, but this is serious!” Bradley stepped away from the Jeep, shoving a frustrated hand through his hair. “Walt and I need to know that you’ve got this.”

“I know what I’ve got to do,” Leo said. “Do you?” He ticked the instructions off on his fingers. “Get Walt to the hospital. Go to the police and tell them that Terry took off and we’re looking for him. If we find the money, we’ll get whatever we can carry, and call you the second we have a signal.” Leo held his gaze and then braced his hands on Bradley’s shoulders. “You’ve got to trust me. Okay?”

Reluctantly, Bradley nodded.

They all straightened when Lily and Nicole joined them again.

Nicole adjusted the ice pack around Walter’s ankle. “How’re you doing?”

“Okay,” he said. “Sorry again for messing everything up.”

“No need to be sorry,” Lily said. “It could have been worse.” Her words echoed for a beat. “Obviously.” She squeezed her eyes closed and took a deep, steadying breath. “Y’all were real cowboys this week,” she said, looking carefully at each of them, and a tender filament in Leo’s chest burned at how good she was at being a host, even now. “You aced your do-over. You should be proud.”