“Cops and warden are on the way up,” Maverick says, stepping forward to unzip the tent. “It shouldn’t be long.” He turns his attention to Cybil. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“Y-yes, thank you.” She burrows against me.
“I’m gonna get her dry and warm,” I tell him, and he lifts his chin before I duck inside the tent and set Cybil on the ground.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Her hands tremble and her teeth chatter as I remove her wet clothing before helping her into a dry shirt and tucking her into her sleeping bag.
“You’re crashing, sunshine. It’s normal after going through a high-stress situation. It will pass; you just need a few minutes.”
“I’m so cold.”
“I know.” I lie down next to her and then drag my sleeping bag over the two of us, turning her into my chest, curling myself around her, and resting my lips against her forehead. “You did good today.”
Her body starts to shake harder; then I hear her laugh before she tips her head back to look at me. “I did so good that I ended up lost and shot at.”
My entire body tightens at the mention of a gun being fired in her direction, and her fingers come up to touch the space between my brows. “I’m guessing from the look on your face it’s too soon to joke about it.”
“Yeah, it’s too soon,” I agree. “Then again, I don’t know that I’ll ever think it’s funny.”
The truth is that seeing the look on her face as she ran into my arms when I finally found her caused me to feel fear like I’ve never felt in my fucking life. I wasn’t worried about myself; I was worried I wouldn’t be able to protect her from whatever it was that had scared her.
“Well, thank you for finding me. I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t show up.”
“You would have been okay.” I curve my fingers around the back of her head and tuck her face against my neck. This woman in my arms is stronger than she thinks she is; she just needs to be reminded of what she’s capable of.
“I’m not so sure about that. I used ‘eeny, meeny, miny, moe’ to choose which direction to go, and it obviously didn’t work.”
Groaning, I close my eyes. “You didn’t.”
“I did. It was cloudy, so I couldn’t make a compass with a twig like you taught us, and honestly I didn’t know what direction the river was, so it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.”
“Right. Well, tomorrow, I’ll get you a compass, and from here on out, I’ll make sure you know which way you should go if you get lost again.”
“So we’re staying here?” I hear the worry in her voice. “I thought we would be leaving tonight, after what happened.”
“After we talk to the warden and the cops, Blake, Maverick, and I will have to discuss what we should do,” I tell her gently while kissing the top of her head. “Whatever happens, I promise you’ll be safe.”
“Okay, I trust you,” she whispers, and my gut tightens, because fuck it feels good to hear the truth in her voice, and it means more than I even thought it would to get that from her.
“Tanner,” Maverick calls, breaking into the moment. “Blake’s on the way up, and the warden and sheriff are right behind him.”
“Be out in a minute,” I call back as Cybil burrows into her sleeping bag.
Placing my fingers under her chin, I tip her head back and search her gaze before touching my mouth to hers, unable to help myself. “I’m sorry, sunshine, but you’re going to have to get dressed. They’re going to want to speak to you.”
“I knew I wouldn’t be lucky enough to get out of that.” She sighs, and I smile before I roll away and get up.
Giving her one last look, I leave to give her some privacy to change, and I head to where the group is talking.
Maverick turns to meet my gaze as I approach. “Is she okay?”
“She’s good. She’ll be out in a minute,” I assure him, and he lifts his chin. Really, I’m proud as fuck at how she handled everything. I know grown men who wouldn’t have been able to handle a situation like that, and she did it, stayed calm, used her head, and then warned me before I could walk into something that might have cost me my life.
“Should I go see if she needs anything?” Avery asks, turning to look at the tent, and I start to tell her she can if she wants, but at that moment, Cybil emerges looking no worse for wear and as beautiful as always. Before she has a chance to make it even three steps, the entire group swarms her, asking questions and taking turns hugging her. Even Lauren steps forward to give her a hug, which surprises me—and Cybil, judging by the look on her face.