Sabotaged Read Free Page A

firelight dancing along the dark, arched ceiling. They needed the fire to survive the night in these temps, but wouldn’t the man see the light? “Won’t the fire give away our position?”
    â€œWe’re too far in for this to be visible. Don’t worry. He won’t find us back here.”
    Nor, he worried, would anyone else. When the rest of SAR was launched in the morning upon finding them missing, they’d never be found back in a remote cave. How did she even find this place?
    â€œNow that I’ve got the fire started, let me take a look at that wound.” Unfortunately they’d had to leave what cold weather gear he’d grabbed with the snowmobile, which hewas betting was disabled at best, long gone at worst. Frank had said they were coming. How many more were on the way?
    Kirra scooted closer, reaching for him. “Let me take a look.”
    â€œIt’s not that bad. The pain is less.”
    â€œJust let me look.”
    â€œOkay.” If it made her feel better. He grabbed ahold of the right side of his jacket with his left hand and slowly inched it up. Kirra helped lift the additional layers he had on, her fingers cold to the touch but filling him with warmth all the same. Her skin was soft and delicate, just like her eyes had become. When they were in school, those eyes used to always be so vibrant, full of fire, but the light was not there when she came home from grad school. What had happened to vanquish it?
    He trembled as her fingers slid up his chest.
    â€œSorry.” She pulled her hands back and rubbed them together. “They haven’t fully warmed up yet.”
    â€œYou’re fine.” Better than fine .
    Worry filled her eyes, and he followed her concerned gaze down along his side, the light flickering off his pale skin covered with blood.
    Kirra carefully examined the wound and then sighed with relief. “The bullet just grazed you, thank God.”
    He’d been shot? He’d heard the gun’s report, felt a hit, but it hadn’t felt that bad. Had the cold and adrenaline combined to stall the pain? He closed his eyes. Thank you, Lord.
    â€œWe don’t have supplies to clean or bandage the wound, but . . . hold on.” She turned away.
    â€œWhat are you doing?”
    â€œTearing my shirt.” The fabric ripped.
    He kept his thoughts focused on the visual of the plaid fabric tearing and not on what the material covered. “You can use one of my shirts,” he said, wanting her to stay warm.
    â€œNo need. I’ve got plenty of layers.” Another rip.
    Maybe if they were back in the warm cabin with a heating stove, or even if they had decent sleeping bags . . . but with temps hardly breaking zero, even in the cave, she wouldn’t be warm enough. They wouldn’t be warm enough.
    â€œSeriously,” he said. “Let me use one of mine.”
    â€œAlready done.” She turned back, holding two jaggedly ripped flannel sleeves.
    She knotted two ends together and then reached carefully around Reef’s back, pulling the two open ends around his waist, moving gingerly as the fabric covered the wound.
    He watched her work, her lithe fingers smoothing the green-and-purple fabric against his bloodied skin.
    She shifted the open ends to his good side and knotted them, creating a sash to bind his injury. “There,” she said, lowering his shirt. “You should be okay until we get you back to Rainy Pass.”
    He grabbed her hand before she could move away. “Thank you.”
    She tilted her head, her gaze appraising him, searching. “You’re welcome.” She’d been looking at him like that a lot lately, and he wondered what she saw.
    Kirra stood, caught off guard by Reef’s sincerity. He just kept surprising her. “I found a good amount of debris. The fire should hold until morning, or close to it.” But it wasn’t enough to keep them warm. Not