Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99399 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Wolfe seemed to understand what I was asking, and he shook his head. “N-no. No. But we argued. And he… he left me up there. I hurt my ankle. Slipped and tweaked it on the way down. Everything else is just…” He hiccuped. “Mud and stuff.”
Which was why he’d been fucking crawling down the trail.
I wanted to commit murder.
In fact, I wondered if it was possible to get away with it in this tiny town that didn’t even seem to have a law enforcement presence.
But I needed to focus on Wolfe. He was trembling, probably from a combination of cold and fear. I didn’t want to take the risk that it would turn into shock.
With the help of my first aid supplies and the headlamp, I assessed the ankle, deciding to keep it laced tightly in his boot rather than remove the boot and wrap it. Once he was ready to go, I quickly texted my SaR contacts with an update.
“Where’s Jake now?” Wolfe demanded. “Is his truck at the trailhead? Is he… is he coming back?”
“No. His truck is gone. He went home at some point and spoke to Shay, but I have no idea where he is right now.”
But given how terrified Wolfe sounded, I sincerely fucking hoped Jake didn’t appear in front of me anytime soon. I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions.
“Okay.” Wolfe nodded to himself. “Good.”
I was desperate to ask him what had happened, to pepper him with detailed questions until I knew every minute of his day up till now. But I forced myself to focus on getting him someplace warm and dry first. And safe.
“Let’s get you to the car so we can get you warmed up.” I texted Clay an update, then stood, pulling Wolfe up onto his one good leg. “We’ll try assisted walking. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.”
I explained how it worked, pulling his arm over my shoulders and wrapping mine around his waist.
“Good foot first,” I reminded him quietly. “Then bad. That’s it. Don’t rush it.”
After a tentative first few steps, Wolfe hissed when his boot slid against a rock, fingers tightening convulsively against my jacket.
I shifted closer automatically, taking more of his weight before Wolfe could even ask. “Easy. We’re not in a hurry.”
“It’s cold as fuck,” he snapped. “You might not be in a hurry, but I am.”
His angry tone was coming from his fear, so I did my best to remain patient as we picked our way down the slippery trail.
“Want to tell me what happened?” I asked after a few minutes of silence. “What you argued about?”
Wolfe blew out a breath. “Not really.”
I tried to be patient, but I understood why he’d responded that way. “What if I promise not to freak out?”
He huffed. “Would you mean it?”
“I’d try my best.” I lifted him over a small stream cutting across the trail, then set him back down carefully on the other side.
He sniffed and looked away, into the dark shadows of the surrounding forest. “I was an idiot.”
“Stop.” I turned to face him, yanking my headlamp up again so as not to blind him. “Having someone abuse your trust makes them an asshole. Doesn’t say anything about you.”
Wolfe nodded, unconvinced.
I used my thumb to wipe the rain off his cheeks. “You’re worrying me, baby,” I said softly. “What happened?”
He leaned forward and wrapped both arms around my neck again, clearly wanting a hug despite the sodden mess of muddy rain jackets and his daypack between us. I moved my hands from where they’d been steadying him by his hips until they banded around his back and squeezed tight.
“You’re okay,” I murmured again.
“He knows I’m Wolfe Marian, Jude’s son.”
I froze. From what Shay had said, I wondered if that wasn’t all Jake knew. But I had to remind myself not to push.
Not now, when Wolfe was already upset.
Not when I was still hoping Wolfe would tell me the truth about Fletcher Coe in his own time.
“You don’t seem surprised,” Wolfe mumbled.
“I’m not. Jake referred to you as Wolfe at the campfire the other night. I figured maybe you’d told him.”
He let out a shaky breath. “Not on purpose. He saw it on my credit card. I thought he was chill about it, you know? Like he might not ask for favors.” Wolfe glanced away again. “He wants me to help his sister get a music career.”
“Is that why you argued?”
He shrugged. “Partly. I told him I couldn’t, wouldn’t, do that. But I… I felt bad for him and Shay. They got a shitty deal with their parents and everything. It’s not fair that I grew up with everything while they grew up with nothing. Then Jake got angry, and he… Well. It got worse from there.”
He was babbling like he was still nervous, which made sense. He was probably going into shock. I needed to get him off this trail and into a warm shower.