Page 4 of Her Protector (Ember Heart Ridge Search and Rescue #4)

Chapter Four

MARCUS

I'm at Abby's cabin bright and early the next morning. Josh's truck is gone. I need to keep things light, even if every instinct in my body is telling me to whisk her away from potential danger.

She’s in the kitchen, dressed in hiking shorts that highlight her curvy hips. It sends a bolt of heat to my cock and I stand still, staring at her like an idiot. When she looks up at me, her gorgeous smile is bright enough to make my chest tight.

“You're early. And who’s this cute big guy?” She stretches out her arms and the dog bounds joyfully up to greet her. Abby always loved animals.

“This is Risky. Mom’s latest rescue dog. We all take turns looking after him. He’s good on the mountain.”

“I bet he is. He looks strong.”

“Smart, too. He has a thing for riding in helicopters. Hasn’t learned to fly one yet, though.”

Abby laughs and I hold up the cups. “Coffee? How's the knee?”

“Much better.” She does a little demonstration walk that draws my attention to the sway of her hips. When she catches me looking, her cheeks flush pink, but she doesn't look away.

“Let’s take it slowly to start. You ready to find some treasure, Trouble?”

Risky barks. Abby laughs again and traces a finger along the route marked on Jasper's map. “The next marker should be near that old mining shaft.”

I lean over her shoulder to look, and immediately regret the decision. This close, I can smell her lemon-scented shampoo, can feel the warmth radiating from her body. When she tilts her head to look at me, our faces are inches apart.

She clears her throat and steps back. “Um…we should get going.”

“I did some research. The voices we heard? I’m guessing one of them is Darrell Varjek. He's a professional treasure hunter, and not the respectable kind. This guy is dangerous.”

Her smile disappears. “Then we'd better find it first.”

Guilt twists in my stomach. I know a lot more about this than I’m telling her. I've been keeping Varjek away from the mountain by feeding him false leads. But somehow he's figured out my misdirection and gotten closer to the truth than I ever wanted him to.

“Is there a ticking clock I need to be aware of?” I ask.

She shakes her head, then wraps her arms around her body and averts her gaze.

“Trouble, what aren't you telling me?”

Her shoulders sag. “My mom. She got sick just after Grandpa died. She needs an experimental treatment that insurance won't cover. Two hundred thousand dollars, maybe more. Josh and I... we don't have that kind of money.”

Abby’s words make my gut clench. No wonder she's desperate.

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Because I didn't need to. Josh told me he’d spoken to the doctor yesterday. It just makes finding the treasure even more important. And I didn’t want you to think I was being reckless.”

“Aren't you?”

She meets my eyes, steel in her gaze. “Maybe. But what's the alternative? Watch her die while I play it safe?”

I step closer. “Okay, if the treasure exists, we’ll find it. But we do it the smart way. If I say we need to get out, we get out. Your mom needs you alive more than she needs the money.”

She nods. “I promise.”

The hike to the mining shaft takes two hours. Risky bounds ahead. The woods are quiet except for birdsong and the rushing water from the stream.

“There,” Abby says, pointing to a dark opening in the rock face, partially hidden by brush.

We find the second marker after ten minutes of searching; stones arranged in an arrow pointing deeper into the forest.

“Your grandfather was thorough,” I observe.

“The next marker is close.”

We follow a faint deer trail through ancient pines. The canopy is so thick that the forest floor is carpeted in perpetual twilight.

“Can I ask you a question?” Abby says.

“Shoot.”

“Why didn't you ask me to prom?”

I suck in my breath. “What?”

“Senior year. I waited until the last minute… and you never did. I thought we were friends.”

My throat feels tight. “I was going to. But I saw you talking to Danny Morrison by your locker. You were laughing, and I convinced myself you were laughing about me. About the idea of going to prom with the nerdy Blake twin.”

She stops walking and turns to face me, expression stunned. “You thought I was laughing at you ?”

I nod.

Abby takes a step closer. “I had my dress picked out and everything. Purple, because I knew it was your favorite color.”

“It still is.”

We're standing way too close to each other.

“Marcus,” she whispers.

I reach up to touch her face, my thumb tracing her cheekbone. “I should have asked you. I should have been brave enough to take the chance.”

“You're being brave now.”

“I think you're dangerous,” I admit, my voice rough. “For my sanity. For my self-control.”

Her breath catches and for a moment, we stand gazing into each other’s eyes. My heart hammers in my chest. Then I incline my head and press my lips on hers.

Her lips are soft and warm. I pull her closer, one hand tangling in her hair, the other at the small of her back. She makes a soft sound against my mouth and I deepen the kiss. Her curves press against the hard lines of my body, my cock straining against my zipper.

When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard.

“I've wanted that for so long…” She smiles, and I'm about to kiss her again when the sound of voices echoes through the trees. Male voices, getting closer.

We spring apart, reaching for our packs.

“How many?” Abby whispers. I motion to Risky not to bark as I listen.

“At least two, maybe three. Following the same route we are. They might just be following the trail, or they might be following us.”

We gather our gear and set off through the trees. For the next hour, we play cat and mouse through the forest. Every time we think we've lost them, we hear voices again.

The trail leads us to the mouth of a cave.

Abby pulls out a flashlight. “Can we hide in here?”

“It might lead to a dead end. There was a big storm earlier this year that caused a landslide in this area.”

She looks at me with determined eyes. “Risk the cave, or risk the men with guns?”

“Cave it is. But I'll go first.”

The passage is narrow and low, forcing us to duck. After a few minutes, it opens into a larger chamber. I sweep my flashlight around the space.

There, carved into the far wall, is a symbol from Jasper's journal: a heart with an arrow through it, pointing down at the floor of the cave.

Abby gasps. “The third marker! We found it.”

But voices echo faintly from the entrance.

“We need to find another way out. Now!”

Abby points to a narrow opening near the floor. “There.”

The new passage is even smaller as we crawl toward a faint glow ahead.

The tunnel emerges onto a narrow ledge high up on the mountain face. Below us, forest stretches out, an endless carpet of green.

“We made it.” she says, sitting to catch her breath.

I sit beside her. Despite our situation, I notice how perfectly she fits against my shoulder when she leans into me.

“Marcus?” she says softly.

“Yeah?”

“If we don't make it out of this, I want you to know that I'm glad you're here with me.”

“Abby,” I start, then stop. Risky barks, then growls and rushes back down the narrow passage.

“Risky, no!” I shout.

“Marcus, look!” Abby points at the side of the ledge. Blending seamlessly into the mountain, invisible at first glance, are carved steps leading down from the ledge.

I’ve got to get her out of here before Varjek and his men arrive. But what about Risky?