Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58342 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 194(@300wpm)
There she is. A smile plays on my lips. “Got it. Hopefully I’ll be back soon with help.”
No response this time.
I open the door and walk out, making sure it’s closed behind me before I lower the bolt to secure it.
Trinity can be so fucking aggravating. You’d think in this situation we could both let go of any pettiness and focus on surviving, but she’s still a woman. Emotional. Maddening.
My last girlfriend and I were together for five months and we argued less than Trinity and I have in a matter of days. We’re in stressful circumstances, though. And Sarah agreed with me on pretty much everything. She didn’t have any ideas or opinions of her own, and ultimately my boredom with her was the reason we broke up.
Trinity would argue with me about twenty of twenty things I said if she didn’t agree with me. She won’t think this trip out was a bad idea anymore when I come back with help. Hell, she’ll probably say it was her idea if it works out.
It’s still cold as fuck, and the dark doesn’t help. The wind is only hitting my eyes and lips, thanks to the ski mask, though.
Snow crunches under my boots as I walk. I wonder if searchers have found the plane and Chris’s remains yet. Maybe they’re tracking us to the cabin right now. My team can’t take a break from the schedule for any reason, even a missing team member. I wish I knew what adjustments Coach made to the roster to compensate for my absence.
This is horrible timing. We’re in playoff contention and I was closing in on a team record. I never realized how much noise there was in my life until I ended up in this eerily silent place. I’m used to screaming crowds, locker room conversation, the buzz of crowded bars and restaurants. The only silence in my life is usually when I’m sleeping.
My plan is to walk as far as I can unless the wind picks up and the snow starts drifting. I have to be able to follow my footprints to get back. I already know there’s nothing in the direction we came from, so hopefully this one will lead me to someone. Anyone with a phone will do.
Since my mom passed away, I don’t have family who are worried about me. Maybe my dad, if he sees a story on the news about the plane crash. It’s been more than twenty years since he saw me, though. My teammates are my family now, and I imagine not knowing if your team captain survived a plane crash puts a dark cloud over the locker room. Hopefully they can push through and still win.
I smile beneath my ski mask at the expanse of sparkling, untouched snow ahead. It kind of looks like a fresh ice rink. Full of possibility.
How long do people have to be missing before they’re declared dead? I don’t think we’re anywhere close to that. It has to be at least a few months, I’m sure.
I plan to be back home in time to help my team clinch that playoff spot. That record’s still going to be mine, and it’ll be even more special after this unplanned detour.
We’re still in the United States, for fuck’s sake. It’s not like we crashed in some remote jungle. Either help will arrive, or I’ll find it.
If there’s one thing everyone who knows me would say about Lincoln Rowe, it’s that when I put my mind to something, I’m hard as fuck to stop.
I’m getting back to my team. And saving Trinity’s stubborn, moody ass.
CHAPTER NINE
Trinity
I close my eyes, fighting to keep down the water I just drank. Between nausea and my pounding headache, I’m miserable. I’ve slept as much as I can, so now I’m forced to just lie here, worries swirling through my mind.
I knew serotonin withdrawal could be physically rough, but I didn’t know it would also make me so emotional. My doctor has told me about the importance of slowly tapering off my medication if I ever decide to go off of it, and I always laugh and tell her there’s no way I’ll ever go off of it. It changed my life for the better.
And then my plane crashed, so here I am, in withdrawal from the medication that helps lessen my anxiety symptoms. Just crying and wishing I had someone to rage at.
I’m too embarrassed to tell Lincoln what’s wrong with me. I’m hoping my symptoms will pass soon. In the meantime, I’d do anything for a distraction.
This cabin is such a mystery to me. Lincoln said there are solar panels on the roof, which explains the electricity that powers the outdoor light, the lamp, an outlet in the kitchen, and the vintage-looking record player that sits atop a wood cabinet with an open shelf that holds vinyl records.