She looked back at her sister. “He deserves to die alone and miserable. We shouldn’t even be here because neither one of us owes him a second of our time.” She curled her hands in her lap. “I don’t give a shit about the money. I like my life just fine the way it is. I’m used to struggling. It builds character.”
Bat smiled. “You remember me saying that, huh?”
“All the time, usually when I was bitching about whatever lame job I had to deal with in high school.” Dusti smiled back. “We don’t need anything from him.”
“It’s just a few days of our time. We go, see what he wants, and leave. Perhaps he regrets his actions, or lack thereof.”
“Fat chance. He’s a dick, Bat.” Dusti addressed Drantos once more. “He doesn’t care about us. Do you understand what I’m saying? It would be a mistake if someone were to think otherwise. We’re nobody to him and not worth anyone’s time if they have a grudge against that bastard. I could totally relate to it if someone did. The only reason I’m here is to spend time with my sister, since she doesn’t take vacations. This is the first one she’s had in five years. Plus, I don’t want her alone with that asshole. I never liked him as a kid and I still don’t. I believe he tried to molest our mother, or something equally terrible. She told us to stay away from him, to tell her if he ever contacted us, and you don’t do that with a loving grandparent.”
“I’ll kick his ass if he’s some kind of pervert,” her sister muttered. “I’m the meaner of the two of us.”
Drantos silently watched Dusti. She held his gaze. In the firelight his dark blue stare had taken on golden flecks that she hadn’t noticed before. He had gorgeous eyes, framed with thick, long black eyelashes. Even their shape was attractive, kind of exotic looking. He’d be extremely handsome if his bone structure wasn’t so severe.
“I understand,” he acknowledged softly.
Dusti relaxed slightly and turned her attention to the other passengers who had survived the crash. Most of them were sleeping but a few remained sitting upright. They huddled together in small groups, talking. A couple of them had been severely injured but were hanging in there.
Bat fiddled with her clothes, which drew Dusti’s attention.
“Your suit is ruined. You can try to smooth out that skirt until your hands fall off but it’s toast. Were you able to find our suitcases?”
“No. The belly of the plane ripped open so the bags were scattered all over the place. It was getting too dark to widen the search. We only brought back those few suitcases so people could use whatever clothes were in them to help keep warm tonight. I’ll look again in the morning. Until then, I’m stuck wearing this. I refuse to put on some stranger’s outfits.” Bat tried to button her jacket.
“Give it up,” Dusti urged.
“I’m trying to do something, anything. I’m not used to just sitting around, and I’m hungry.”
Drantos stood. “Kraven forgot to pass out the food you salvaged from the plane before he went hunting. I’ll do that now so you can eat something while we wait. Just say my name if you need anything. I have very good hearing.” He shot Dusti another warning look before moving away.
“Weird guys, huh?” Bat watched him walk to the pile of stuff on the ground. “I’m totally getting ‘future client’ vibes off both of them but they don’t have dead eyes, so I think we’re safe.”
“It scares me that you can say shit like that. Dead eyes?”
“You’d know if you saw them. Trust me.”
Dusti lowered her voice. “Bat, we need to get out of here and away from them.”
“Fuck that! Those guys were raised in Alaska, and look at what they’ve done so far. They handled setting up a camp and built a fire. There’s no way I’m going to go walking into the woods to get lost searching for a cabin or a house that might have a working phone. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Our best hope of being rescued is to stay beside the crash site. I’m sure there’re plenty of signs from above that we went down, where the plane took out those trees. It will probably resemble a path from way up there when the search planes fly over. Like it or not, we’re stuck with these guys, and trust me, I’m not happy with that concept. Kraven is a lunatic.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “But he’s hot.”
Astonishment tore through Dusti. She glanced at Drantos to find him watching her from not too far away. He was close enough to overhear them. She didn’t dare warn her sister of the real danger yet. “You’re attracted to Kraven? Do you have a concussion? I realize you were thrown out of your seat into the aisle and hit your head. You still have a mark on the side of your temple. He’s not your type, Bat. A briefcase isn’t surgically attached to his hand and he doesn’t have news anchor helmet-head hair.”
Bat smirked. “I did hit my head but nothing is wrong with my eyesight. I see the way Biker Bear there has his eye on you, and how you keep watching him when you think he’s not looking.” Bat climbed to her feet. “I have to pee. I’ll be back.”
“But—”
Dusti talked to air as her sister disappeared into the tree line.
She sighed. She needed to warn her sister about the brothers but she feared Drantos would hurt them if he knew she’d tried. Her attention returned to the man, only to witness him glaring at the area her sister had disappeared into. He shoved a bottle of water at a passenger before storming in that same direction.
“Drantos!” She pushed herself up to a standing position, feeling a second of dizziness. His head snapped in her direction and he shot her a seriously pissed look as she caught up with him at the tree line. “She had to go to the bathroom. You don’t want to follow her into the woods. She’ll be right back.”
He’d gripped her arms in a heartbeat and jerked her into the woods. In seconds, she found herself out of the firelight with her back pressed against the bark of the nearest tree.
Drantos glared down at her, his tight hold on her arms nearly bruising. She could see his features since he faced the fire behind her in the small clearing.
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing! I swear.”
His suspicious gaze narrowed. He released her arm, hesitated, and then cupped her cheek gently with his big warm hand. He lowered his face to hers, making her heart pound. She was pretty sure he planned to kiss her.
Bat smiled. “You remember me saying that, huh?”
“All the time, usually when I was bitching about whatever lame job I had to deal with in high school.” Dusti smiled back. “We don’t need anything from him.”
“It’s just a few days of our time. We go, see what he wants, and leave. Perhaps he regrets his actions, or lack thereof.”
“Fat chance. He’s a dick, Bat.” Dusti addressed Drantos once more. “He doesn’t care about us. Do you understand what I’m saying? It would be a mistake if someone were to think otherwise. We’re nobody to him and not worth anyone’s time if they have a grudge against that bastard. I could totally relate to it if someone did. The only reason I’m here is to spend time with my sister, since she doesn’t take vacations. This is the first one she’s had in five years. Plus, I don’t want her alone with that asshole. I never liked him as a kid and I still don’t. I believe he tried to molest our mother, or something equally terrible. She told us to stay away from him, to tell her if he ever contacted us, and you don’t do that with a loving grandparent.”
“I’ll kick his ass if he’s some kind of pervert,” her sister muttered. “I’m the meaner of the two of us.”
Drantos silently watched Dusti. She held his gaze. In the firelight his dark blue stare had taken on golden flecks that she hadn’t noticed before. He had gorgeous eyes, framed with thick, long black eyelashes. Even their shape was attractive, kind of exotic looking. He’d be extremely handsome if his bone structure wasn’t so severe.
“I understand,” he acknowledged softly.
Dusti relaxed slightly and turned her attention to the other passengers who had survived the crash. Most of them were sleeping but a few remained sitting upright. They huddled together in small groups, talking. A couple of them had been severely injured but were hanging in there.
Bat fiddled with her clothes, which drew Dusti’s attention.
“Your suit is ruined. You can try to smooth out that skirt until your hands fall off but it’s toast. Were you able to find our suitcases?”
“No. The belly of the plane ripped open so the bags were scattered all over the place. It was getting too dark to widen the search. We only brought back those few suitcases so people could use whatever clothes were in them to help keep warm tonight. I’ll look again in the morning. Until then, I’m stuck wearing this. I refuse to put on some stranger’s outfits.” Bat tried to button her jacket.
“Give it up,” Dusti urged.
“I’m trying to do something, anything. I’m not used to just sitting around, and I’m hungry.”
Drantos stood. “Kraven forgot to pass out the food you salvaged from the plane before he went hunting. I’ll do that now so you can eat something while we wait. Just say my name if you need anything. I have very good hearing.” He shot Dusti another warning look before moving away.
“Weird guys, huh?” Bat watched him walk to the pile of stuff on the ground. “I’m totally getting ‘future client’ vibes off both of them but they don’t have dead eyes, so I think we’re safe.”
“It scares me that you can say shit like that. Dead eyes?”
“You’d know if you saw them. Trust me.”
Dusti lowered her voice. “Bat, we need to get out of here and away from them.”
“Fuck that! Those guys were raised in Alaska, and look at what they’ve done so far. They handled setting up a camp and built a fire. There’s no way I’m going to go walking into the woods to get lost searching for a cabin or a house that might have a working phone. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Our best hope of being rescued is to stay beside the crash site. I’m sure there’re plenty of signs from above that we went down, where the plane took out those trees. It will probably resemble a path from way up there when the search planes fly over. Like it or not, we’re stuck with these guys, and trust me, I’m not happy with that concept. Kraven is a lunatic.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “But he’s hot.”
Astonishment tore through Dusti. She glanced at Drantos to find him watching her from not too far away. He was close enough to overhear them. She didn’t dare warn her sister of the real danger yet. “You’re attracted to Kraven? Do you have a concussion? I realize you were thrown out of your seat into the aisle and hit your head. You still have a mark on the side of your temple. He’s not your type, Bat. A briefcase isn’t surgically attached to his hand and he doesn’t have news anchor helmet-head hair.”
Bat smirked. “I did hit my head but nothing is wrong with my eyesight. I see the way Biker Bear there has his eye on you, and how you keep watching him when you think he’s not looking.” Bat climbed to her feet. “I have to pee. I’ll be back.”
“But—”
Dusti talked to air as her sister disappeared into the tree line.
She sighed. She needed to warn her sister about the brothers but she feared Drantos would hurt them if he knew she’d tried. Her attention returned to the man, only to witness him glaring at the area her sister had disappeared into. He shoved a bottle of water at a passenger before storming in that same direction.
“Drantos!” She pushed herself up to a standing position, feeling a second of dizziness. His head snapped in her direction and he shot her a seriously pissed look as she caught up with him at the tree line. “She had to go to the bathroom. You don’t want to follow her into the woods. She’ll be right back.”
He’d gripped her arms in a heartbeat and jerked her into the woods. In seconds, she found herself out of the firelight with her back pressed against the bark of the nearest tree.
Drantos glared down at her, his tight hold on her arms nearly bruising. She could see his features since he faced the fire behind her in the small clearing.
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing! I swear.”
His suspicious gaze narrowed. He released her arm, hesitated, and then cupped her cheek gently with his big warm hand. He lowered his face to hers, making her heart pound. She was pretty sure he planned to kiss her.
