“What will it take for you to trust me?”

      Trent tried to get a better look at Tessa’s face in the blackness of the forest.

      She shook her head. “The only person I can rely on is myself.”

      But he saw the tears in her eyes and knew her walls were coming down. He glimpsed the woman lurking there, scared and alone. A fierce surge of protectiveness rose in him.

      They couldn’t stay here. It wasn’t safe. “Let’s go back to the cabin.”

      With hesitation, she put her hands in his. It wasn’t a romantic gesture, though the idea was appealing. It was a matter of survival, the two of them sticking together in the bleak wilderness.

      He led her up the mountain, but as they neared his cabin, he pulled her behind a tree, his muscles tightening as instinct kicked in. Instinct that told him something was wrong.

      He nodded toward the distance. “Listen.”

      A crackle, followed by an explosion.

      “What is that?” Tessa whispered.

      “That was my cabin. It just went up in flames.”

      He felt Tessa shudder.

      They were here. The killers had found them. Again.