Rocky Mountain Refuge by Nicky James

Author:Nicky James [James, Nicky]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-04-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Huxley

Pulsing blood roared in my ears as Aspen spoke. Nausea stirred my gut, and I had to fight to hide my reactions. The last thing I wanted was for him to think he’d gotten to me. He knew too much. He’d been digging. Talking to my mother. Investigating my background.

Why, goddammit? Why?

I needed the upper hand because I was losing my footing. While my brain had slowly begun to feel safe around Aspen, I’d remained cautious. The entire conversation since he’d showed up had the ground slipping away, and I was convinced I was surrounded by enemies.

I couldn’t think.

There were too many variables to consider, and I couldn’t process with him standing there picking me apart. Every word from his mouth dug deeper under my skin until I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to block it out.

“Huxley, I’m telling you this because I want you to think.”

Think? Think? I can’t fucking think.

“I have a copy of the deed back at the cabin along with a letter—”

Shut up!

I spun and noted all potential escape routes available as Aspen’s voice drifted into the background. Was he alone? Was his sharing of information a setup? Was it all lies?

I shot my attention back to Aspen’s worried face searching for deceit. Nathaniel’s reassuring words hovered at the surface, and I pushed them away. Nathaniel wasn’t always right. There were too many times his tender side had been manipulated by outsiders.

“Go away.” The thick lump in my throat gave my tone a husky edge. “I need you to get away from me. I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not working.”

“Huxley, I’m trying to help you.”

“No!” My sharp cry echoed and bounced against the mountains. “You’re trying to manipulate me. You’re working every angle to try and convince me to go home where you know I will fall prey to them. You’re trying to set me up, and it won’t work. Go.”

“Huxley…”

I advanced on him with the storm I couldn’t contain surrounding me. Aspen retreated a step and held his hands up in defeat, so I stopped.

“I’m going. But promise me you’ll consider everything I said. I’m not the bad guy here. I’m trying to help you.”

I didn’t respond, and eventually, he took the hint. Dropping his hands, he sighed and walked away.

With my feet planted, I watched him go until he disappeared down the slope of the foothills, behind an outcropping of rocks, and into the denser trees. My breathing was still erratic when I heard the roar of his ATV in the distance as he drove off. Only when I’d regained my senses did I turn and collect my bathing items from the ground where I’d left them and made my way back to my home.

Not my home.

The seed of doubt had been planted, and as many times as I tried to turn my brain off and not think of what Aspen had shared, I couldn’t. The solid mass of information burrowed deeper into the depths of my mind until it was all I could think about.

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