Love Inspired Suspense April 2015 #2 (26 page)

FIVE

T
hea huddled against Ronin, fighting the feelings of despair that sought to overtake her. She was cold. Every part of her body hurt. She'd really had about all she could take tonight. So many times through the years she'd thought she'd come to the end of her rope, but God had always given her strength to keep moving forward. She feared more than the men who were trying to kill her. She feared fear itself. There was really only one option available to her other than letting the fear take over.

She prayed and relaxed back into Ronin's warmth.

She wiggled her fingers free from her glove just long enough to find the medallion buried in her pocket. Her father had given it to her. It was all she had left of him. Her fingers rubbed over the smooth metal, filling her mind with the memories she'd held dear for such a long time.

Seconds passed. The sounds of the wind and Ronin's breathing against her ear were all she heard. He held her against his chest. The blanket covered her and gave her much-needed warmth but also left her in total darkness. It was easy to imagine she was invisible. If the men did come this way, they'd walk right on by without seeing them.

She huddled closer.

In the darkness she could only imagine. She imagined the men who were after them growing closer. Rustling sounds of branches creaking as the wind blew surrounded her. A large crack ripped through the night air as a branch, weighted with the heavy snow, broke. Suddenly sounds were all around her. But it was what she couldn't hear that scared her the most.

Thea tried to shake the fear away. She focused on her faith and the prayers she knew had been heard. She focused on Ronin's strong arms around her. He'd protect her. That only gave her more reason to fear. Visions of the man who had died for her just last week flashed in her mind. After her shift at the diner, she'd returned to the safe house to find his body on the ground. He'd used his last ounce of strength to order her to run.

She'd run. She'd run and left him to die.

She would not run again. If she had to, she'd jump out and pummel the men herself with whatever she could find.

Despite her newfound determination, her body shook with a mixture of fear and cold. The temperature at least gave her something to focus on. Her toes had gone numb. She shuffled slightly, trying to get to a position where she could rub her feet, possibly bringing some circulation back.

“Be still,” Ronin whispered, his breath warm against her ear.

Seconds later she heard voices. At first she thought she'd only imagined the sound. The wind howling through the trees had an uncanny voice-like quality.

The crunching sound of footsteps through the snow accompanied the voices. She ducked as low as she could inside the confines of Ronin's arms and froze in place. She barely dared breathe as the voices drew closer. Gone was all the fearlessness she'd felt only moments before.

“Do you still have it?” a low voice asked. The sound was so close it startled her and she flinched. Ronin motioned above them to the ledge she'd fallen from.

“No.” The single word was followed by barely coherent swearing. “This storm isn't helping.”

“It's not supposed to help you. You do know what you're doing, don't you?” The first voice grew more and more impatient.

For a brief moment there was only rustling sounds of clothing to indicate they were still near. Then the second voice spoke again. “I've lost it. I think it was coming from over in that direction.”

There were more crunching and rustling sounds. Thea held very still, hoping they weren't pointing toward them.

“Think?” the first man said with an indignant pitch. “We're not getting paid to think. We're getting paid to bring her back. Dead or alive.”

“I know, I know,” the other man replied in a younger, whiny tone. “But there's no way anyone can survive the night out here. If she's not dead already, she will be by morning.”

“Agreed. We're supposed to bring back a body, though. Not just leave her lying around where someone might find her. There can be no proof that she was alive.”

The younger man let out a few more choice words. “Maybe we can get a body somewhere else?”

Thea cringed. That they were capable of that sort of thought and action both shocked and terrified her.

“Don't be stupid.” Her heart pounded in her chest and for a moment she worried the sound would give her away. “We're going to do this right.”

Snow crunched as they shuffled around on the ledge above them. They were so close she could hear their heavy breathing.

“What about him?”

“No one cares.”

“But he's one of us.”

“He
was
one of us,” the older man shouted out loudly as the wind picked up in howling blasts again. “He chose his side.”

“If she's dead out here, no one is finding the body anytime soon. I say we head back.”

“You're probably right. Make sure you have the coordinates and we'll come back when the snow melts if we have to. This is ridiculous and I need a doctor. I think I broke my arm.”

The voices were already sounding more distant, either from the wind or movement. Thea was glad she'd no longer have to listen to such wickedness.

Even after the sounds of them leaving had subsided, Thea sat perfectly still. She played each word she'd heard over and over again in her mind. With each passing moment the blanket over her head grew heavier as the snow accumulated on it. She focused on every breath, keeping it as slow and quiet as possible. She resisted the urge to throw the blanket off and run, forgetting her earlier vow to never run again. Fighting seemed so futile. Everyone wanted her dead. Would she even be safe when she returned home?

Ronin's arms tightened around her as if sensing her fear and uncertainty.

For so many years she'd lived with the knowledge that someone wanted her dead. Even in that knowledge she'd somehow felt distanced, as if it wasn't really happening to her, as if it was only a memory or a possibility. Since the death of her father and younger sister, she'd lived in a bubble of protection. She and her brother had been kept safe until a time when they would be old enough to handle the responsibility of the throne. To learn now that those who meant to harm her might have known where she was all along only opened up more questions.

There had to be a reason why the danger had become real these past few days. Ronin knew the answers. She was sure of it. The men had said Ronin had been one of them. Her mind raced with the possible meaning of their words and with the fear the men might return. As proud as she was that she had learned to protect herself, she was no match for anyone now. She had no silly brick-filled bag with her. She had only Ronin. The men's hateful words reminded her she didn't even know who he was.

Thea pushed back the hopelessness that threatened to fill her. Through all the years, she'd never allowed herself to feel sorry for herself and she wasn't about to start now. God hadn't brought her this far to leave her to freeze in the middle of nowhere. Some people trusted their gut. Thea trusted her heart. Despite the words she'd overheard, she knew in her heart Ronin was a good man. He was a little rough around the edges, but a good man nonetheless.

Thea whispered a prayer, more to herself than aloud, but she knew without a doubt it had been heard as a sense of peace flooded her. Ronin had been sent to her for a reason. She would get through this.

Thea felt around for something she could use to protect herself with, should the need arise. Her gloved fingers moved over the snow-covered ground slowly and rubbed up against a small branch. Her fingers wrapped around it tightly and she listened to the sounds around her. She strained her ears, searching for any indication of the men's return. There was only the howling of the wind and her and Ronin's breathing. It filled her ears. In and out. In and out.

“They've gone. You're safe now,” Ronin said softly, but still his voice startled her.

She rose slowly, allowing him to help her to her feet as they heaved the snow off the blanket that had been covering them.

His words rung in her ears, over and over.
You're safe now.
The words took her back to that night when she'd been rescued from the closet. Strong arms had held her tight then, too, and carried her through her burning home to safety. Over and over he'd said those same words to her and she'd known he was telling her the truth. But it was more than the words; it was the voice. The familiarity of it clawed through her mind.

She brushed the remaining snow from her shoulders. She'd never learned who that man had been, but she imagined he would have been a lot like the man in front of her.

“Were you planning on hitting me again?” he asked, his eyes darting to the stick she held by her side. He was only inches away from her. She fought the urge to throw her arms around him and hold him close. She already missed the warmth and the feeling of protection his arms had given her. She wanted him to keep telling her everything was going to be all right. When he did, it somehow made her want to believe even more. But the men's words still blared in her mind.

“Should I?” she questioned.

Thea regretted the words the moment she spoke them. The warmth and compassion faded from his face.

“Do you really still think I want to hurt you?” His eyes burned with an emotion she couldn't name. All she knew was it was very deep and something he struggled to control.

“No.” If he meant to hurt her, if he was really one of them, he'd had plenty of time before now to do so. She dropped the stick as she spoke. “I trust you.”

She did trust him, but so many unanswered questions still raced through her mind. Thea gave voice to the one that screamed loudest.

“What did they mean when they said you were one of them?” Ronin stiffened. He had to know she'd ask, but he seemed caught off guard by her pointed question. He looked away and she stepped closer to him.

“What did they mean?” she asked again. A shiver shuddered through her body as the wind picked up.

“It's very complicated and you are freezing.” Ronin shook the remaining snow from the blanket and once again draped it over her shoulders. “We need to get moving again and find shelter.”

“What we need is for you to uncomplicate it.” Thea stiffened to match his posture. He knew a lot more about what was going on than he'd shared. That was about to change. “I'm not moving until you tell me.”

“I could carry you.” His head tilted to one side in challenge.

She mulled the idea over. She did like the way his arms felt around her, but it was past time for some straight answers. “Then carry me.” She called his bluff.

He faced her, his hands on his hips.

Thea stood her ground. He might think to intimidate her with his bold stance, but she was determined. The snowstorm could blow giant drifts over her before she'd leave this spot without answers.

He stared deep into her eyes. She met his gaze confidently, not giving him an ounce of the timidity he looked for. He sighed and threw his hands up in the air.

“Short version,” he relented. “Then we go. I have no desire to watch you freeze to death.”

She nodded and waited.

“My family was Royal Guard.”

“Royal Guard? Were those men Royal Guard?” she questioned. They had said he'd been one of them. “Are my own people trying to kill me? Answer me. Is my own Royal Guard after me to kill me?”

His brows drew together in an agonized expression. She knew the answer before he even said it.

“Yes. For now they are not
your
Royal Guard. They are under the orders of the king. If he wants you dead, they will kill you.”

“You think the king is behind the murder of my father and the attempts on my life?”

The muscles at his jaw tensed and relaxed. “It's a possibility.”

He reached out his hand. Thea hesitated before taking it. She did trust him, but she still had questions.

“You had to choose between the Royal Guard and me, didn't you?”

She didn't really need to ask. She knew it to be true. It stung that he'd had to make that choice. But she was glad he'd chosen to help her rather than kill her.

“I made my choice years ago, Thea.”

There was more that he wasn't telling her, she was sure. But she'd already learned more than her brain could process for now. “I guess we'd better get moving, then, before I truly do freeze to death.”

* * *

Ronin stamped down the conflicting emotions Thea's questions had brought to the surface. He should explain more to her. He should tell her his father was one of the men who knew she was alive. That he was the one who had rescued her when she was a child and he'd been a huge part of keeping her safely hidden away.

Even when they'd imprisoned him and threatened to have him put to death for the murder of the king, he'd kept the secret.

She sensed it. He could tell every time she looked at him that she was remembering. He'd always been so much like his father. Even after all these years, she had to be noticing the similarities. It was a good thing. If being a reminder of the man who had saved her triggered more memories of that night, they could be that much closer to bringing the real murderer to justice.

He should explain all those things. But now was not the time or place. She had put him on the spot and he hadn't liked that at all. Not to mention she could freeze to death if he didn't find shelter for them soon.

He pulled Thea along behind him again as they made their way slowly out of the ravine. The snow still fell heavily, making each step even more difficult than the last. When they reached the top of the hill, he could see lights in the distance. The horizon glowed through the snow as the sunrise signaled the start of another day. He wasn't sure what they were headed for, but they would be out of this weather.