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“A g-gun?” Panic spiked anew as he tugged the offensive-looking weapon from its hiding place. “Why do you have a gun?”

“The forest is full of predators, Erin.” Lifting the gun, he released the safety gage, and instinctively, I edged away. “Especially as dusk falls. It’s sensible to keep a deterrent handy.”

“Oh.” I didn’t like the idea that he’d had a gun with him the entire time we’d been hiking, but Eli had given me few reasons to distrust him.

“It’s okay.” He sighed as though I was being ridiculous and turned toward the door. “It’s not going to hurt you. It’s going to get us inside.”

“Right.” I huddled my arms around my chest as he took aim. Glancing around as thoughIwas doing something naughty by allowing him to proceed, I imagined someone in authority charging out of the wilderness and hauling my ass to jail.

Stupid.Squeezing my eyes shut, I chastised myself.I’m being stu—

The sentence was halted as a single gunshot rang out around the desolate clearing. Some frightened birds flapped their wings and flew away at the abrupt noise, and watching them flee, I was envious of their freedom. However ‘noble’ Eli seemed, I was stuck there with him until the snowstorm had passed, and however scary that prospect seemed, I knew I should have been thankful for the sanctuary. Whatever his attempted reassurances about Chelle, I couldn’t see how anyone would survive out in the weather for long without assistance. I could only hope his guess was correct and that wherever she’d gone, she’d stumbled into help.

He moved toward the door again, and that time was able to barge it open with his shoulder. Staring into the gloom of the desolate cabin, my heart sprinted faster. From what I could make out, the place didn’t seem idyllic.

“Come on, Erin.” Holding the door open, he beckoned me toward him. “Let’s start a fire.”



















Chapter Seven

Ablaze

Eli

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“WHERE’S THE RANGERwho works here?” Erin peered around the gloomy space as I hauled our bags inside and slipped my gun into my back pocket.

Searching the interior, I found it much the same as the ones I’d worked in previously. Designed only for single occupancy, there was one small double bed, a table, chair, and basic provisions.

“They’re rarely manned anymore.” My gaze traveled to the corners of the place, searching for something to barricade the door closed with. Survival depended on our ability to block out the cold and find our own heat source.

“So, they’re just abandoned?”

She seemed perplexed by the answer, although I wasn’t sure why. Most wildlife parks weren’t government-funded, which meant whatever donations they received went to pay for conservation and repairs. There was no money for rangers—that was one of the reasons I no longer did the job.

“Look for some wood,” I instructed, bored of her unhelpful questions. There might be time for a q and a later, but the present moment required action. “It might be stored in a corner, or perhaps a box somewhere.”