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“You brought me into the cabin and saved me, didn’t you?” Denny asked Andy.

Andy massaged Monica’s feet. “We both did. You should be damned grateful.”

Monica moaned. “That feels so good.”

He was glad he could make her feel better.

“You had to have seen him. Unless he was gone when you found me lying in the snow. I was by the woodpile when I saw a trail in the snow. I thought a ton of people had been walking through there. I tried to loosen the log but couldn’t. Then hell, I saw the bear. I thought it was looking for food. I had left my guns in the house.”

A good thing for everyone concerned, Andy thought.

“Then the polar bear reared up and struck me.”

“If therewasone, he might have eaten parts of you,” Helen said.

“You don’t believe me? I thought at leastyouwould.” Denny sounded pissed off at her. “Maybe he’d just killed something nearby and thought I might want to steal his food.” Then he glowered at Andy. “You can’t keep us locked up like this forever. Who knows how long we’ll have to be here?”

“Yeah, I gotta pee.” Helen wiggled around as if she was a kid who couldn’t hold it in for another second.

“Okay, I got you,” Monica said.

“Are you okay with taking her? I can do it.” Andy wanted Monica to rest from her injuries.

“I would let you, but you can take him when he needs to go.” Monica groaned as she left the couch, and Andy walked over to release one of Helen’s handcuffs from the metal post.

“Don’t pull anything,” Andy warned her.

“Like I can go anywhere.” Helen stalked toward the bathroom.

Monica stayed with her.

When she was done, Monica told Andy, “Can you lock her up again? You can give her a couple of floor pillows she can sit on.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Helen whined.

“You aren’t. But you are in custody for the false kidnapping charges, and you can’t be allowed to roam the house freely,” Monica said.

Monica was right, even if Helen wasn’t as much of a threat as Denny. Who knew how she might react if she were free of restraints? She might try to free Denny when they weren’t watching.

Andy locked Helen back up and gave her a couple of large floor pillows to help her feel more comfortable.

“What about me?” Denny patted the hard wooden floor.

“What about you?” Andy suspected he wanted a more comfortable situation, too, but he might need to use the bathroom.

Monica flushed the toilet in the bathroom.

“I want some pillows, too, and I need a bathroom break,” Denny said.

“I’ll give you one in a minute.” After Andy took one! When he returned to the living room, he saw that Monica had given Denny a pillow.

“I want two pillows like Helen got.”

“Be lucky that you get one.” After all he’d put them through, Andy felt that he barely deserved a blanket for the night.

“I’ll make us some dinner,” Monica said.

“After I take Denny for a bathroom break.”