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?”
Her heartbeat double-timing, Sunny held up her hand. “No problem at all. I mentioned there might be an extra passenger and he made it after all.”
The pilot—Brett—just shrugged and turned back to the control panel. “Fair enough. Come on board.”
Wade dropped into the seat beside her. His huge backpack thudded to the floor with what had to be an eighty-pound thump.
“What are you doing here?” Her voice came out breathier than she’d intended, but she was so damn glad to have a bright spot in this horrible day, to have someone to lean on.
“I’m taking you home.” He snapped his seat belt over his lap and tightened the strap. “I thought since I’d compromised you and all, it’s time to meet your family.”
A laugh lodged in her throat. “Thank you.”
“Good luck getting rid of me.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Maybe it was her imagination. Her emotions were in such a tangle. So much had changed so fast. Finding her dead friends, being shot at, leaving the mountain for the first time in fifteen years.
Then there was Wade. Here with her. Here for her.
The propellers spun, engines powering up louder just before the small plane lurched forward. She gripped her armrests nervously as the Cessna surged down the narrow runway, faster and faster until the nose lifted along with her stomach. She couldn’t help herself. She clutched Wade’s arm.
Warm awareness seeped in and tingled through her body. They were connected by her touch, by this journey. By the attraction that crackled between them even with layers of clothes between them.
And they were airborne.
The roar of engines eased as they flew out over the bay. How strange to be this afraid of a simple flight when she thought nothing of kayaking down icy rapids or hiking through a mountain blizzard. But those were familiar. Air travel? Not so much. During the helicopter ride, she’d been too stunned, too distracted, for nerves.
Now, it was just her and Wade, winging away from the rest of the world. “Are you okay with work, coming with me?”