from me!”
Another noise, the sound of footsteps crushing brush. “Cody, stop! Don’t fight him!”
“Derek!” Cody’s fists lashed out aimlessly as Wildman’s arms tightened around her. “Derek!” she cried over her shoulder. “Help me!”
She could smell Wildman. Actually smell the dirty stink of his unbathed body. It made her want to puke.
“Let go!” she screamed again.
“Don’t fight him, Cody!” Derek sounded as desperate as she felt. “You’re making it worse!”
Wildman pinned her arms to her side. She struggled as sweat dripped in her eyes, stinging as before. She couldn’t wipe them. Her shouts died to whimpers.
Save your breath
. Her kicks fell to pathetic shuffles.
Save your energy
. Her whole body went limp.
“It’s okay,” Derek said. “You can let her go.”
It sounded as if Derek was telling Wildman what to do. Wildman’s reply was a grunt, followed bymumblings from the Tlingit woman, who must have been nearby.
“Cody?” Derek said again. “We’ll let you go if you promise not to run away.”
We?
“Cody. Are you listening?”
Maybe Derek had been brainwashed. She’d heard about kidnappers brainwashing their victims.
“He’s going to let you go, okay?”
Giving in was her only chance to get away. “Okay.”
When Wildman released her she whirled around. Wildman sank back, his dark eyes disappearing in the shadows. Cody stepped back just as quickly, letting the damp air wash over her—all the while glancing from Derek to Wildman and back to Derek.
Neither Cody nor Derek said anything for what seemed like an eternity. Then she drew him into a hug. “You okay?” she asked.
Derek hugged her back; she felt his nod against her cheek.
She turned toward Wildman, who had moved to the clearing by the fire. The woman was looking away and watching them at the same time.
“What happened to your leg?” Derek asked, studying Cody again.
“Who cares about my leg?” She wanted to shake Derek out of whatever hold these people had on him.
“Let’s get out of here!”
she mouthed, then grabbed his hand and tried to pull him. But he pulled back.
“It isn’t what you think,” he said.
It’s okay
, she wanted to say.
You can tell me about it later. When we’re back on the water, safely on our way
.
“I had to go with them. It was the only way, and I knew you wouldn’t come with me, with him. You were convinced he was a poacher. And we needed help, Cody. We couldn’t do it by ourselves. One kayak. No food. The rising water. Everything.”
Derek talked in half thoughts, making no sense at all. But he
looked
okay. Thinner, but not in a bad way. Just all tucked up like an athlete. His peeling skin had tanned over. And he was clean—that alone was a miracle. Even his hair had a scrubbed luster.
If someone saw the two of them standing in the trees under a sky of buttermilk clouds, he’d think Cody was the one who needed help. Her body was emaciated. No doubt her eyes had that hollow sunken look and were probably rimmed with dark circles. Her clothes were torn and matted with mud and blood.
“I had to do something,” he was saying. “Since I tore up the note.”
Cody stiffened when Wildman moved; he slipped inside the shack and closed the door. (He must have circled behind her earlier, when she’d first spotted the smoke.) His smell lingered in the trees.
Then she realized with revulsion that the stink had been hers all along.
Derek stared at her. “Cody?”
The icy breeze slapped through her tattered clothes. She took a step back, then another. Then she turned and took off running. Cody cut one way,slipped, caught herself before going all the way down, and kept moving.
Suddenly she had understood what he was telling her. Derek had gone with them willingly.
“Wait up!” Derek called after her.
She could feel him catching up to her. “You weren’t kidnapped?” she cried over her shoulder.
Without warning he tackled her and she went down, wincing as
Another noise, the sound of footsteps crushing brush. “Cody, stop! Don’t fight him!”
“Derek!” Cody’s fists lashed out aimlessly as Wildman’s arms tightened around her. “Derek!” she cried over her shoulder. “Help me!”
She could smell Wildman. Actually smell the dirty stink of his unbathed body. It made her want to puke.
“Let go!” she screamed again.
“Don’t fight him, Cody!” Derek sounded as desperate as she felt. “You’re making it worse!”
Wildman pinned her arms to her side. She struggled as sweat dripped in her eyes, stinging as before. She couldn’t wipe them. Her shouts died to whimpers.
Save your breath
. Her kicks fell to pathetic shuffles.
Save your energy
. Her whole body went limp.
“It’s okay,” Derek said. “You can let her go.”
It sounded as if Derek was telling Wildman what to do. Wildman’s reply was a grunt, followed bymumblings from the Tlingit woman, who must have been nearby.
“Cody?” Derek said again. “We’ll let you go if you promise not to run away.”
We?
“Cody. Are you listening?”
Maybe Derek had been brainwashed. She’d heard about kidnappers brainwashing their victims.
“He’s going to let you go, okay?”
Giving in was her only chance to get away. “Okay.”
When Wildman released her she whirled around. Wildman sank back, his dark eyes disappearing in the shadows. Cody stepped back just as quickly, letting the damp air wash over her—all the while glancing from Derek to Wildman and back to Derek.
Neither Cody nor Derek said anything for what seemed like an eternity. Then she drew him into a hug. “You okay?” she asked.
Derek hugged her back; she felt his nod against her cheek.
She turned toward Wildman, who had moved to the clearing by the fire. The woman was looking away and watching them at the same time.
“What happened to your leg?” Derek asked, studying Cody again.
“Who cares about my leg?” She wanted to shake Derek out of whatever hold these people had on him.
“Let’s get out of here!”
she mouthed, then grabbed his hand and tried to pull him. But he pulled back.
“It isn’t what you think,” he said.
It’s okay
, she wanted to say.
You can tell me about it later. When we’re back on the water, safely on our way
.
“I had to go with them. It was the only way, and I knew you wouldn’t come with me, with him. You were convinced he was a poacher. And we needed help, Cody. We couldn’t do it by ourselves. One kayak. No food. The rising water. Everything.”
Derek talked in half thoughts, making no sense at all. But he
looked
okay. Thinner, but not in a bad way. Just all tucked up like an athlete. His peeling skin had tanned over. And he was clean—that alone was a miracle. Even his hair had a scrubbed luster.
If someone saw the two of them standing in the trees under a sky of buttermilk clouds, he’d think Cody was the one who needed help. Her body was emaciated. No doubt her eyes had that hollow sunken look and were probably rimmed with dark circles. Her clothes were torn and matted with mud and blood.
“I had to do something,” he was saying. “Since I tore up the note.”
Cody stiffened when Wildman moved; he slipped inside the shack and closed the door. (He must have circled behind her earlier, when she’d first spotted the smoke.) His smell lingered in the trees.
Then she realized with revulsion that the stink had been hers all along.
Derek stared at her. “Cody?”
The icy breeze slapped through her tattered clothes. She took a step back, then another. Then she turned and took off running. Cody cut one way,slipped, caught herself before going all the way down, and kept moving.
Suddenly she had understood what he was telling her. Derek had gone with them willingly.
“Wait up!” Derek called after her.
She could feel him catching up to her. “You weren’t kidnapped?” she cried over her shoulder.
Without warning he tackled her and she went down, wincing as
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