Trapped in the Tempest

Chapter two

I shake my head, trying to sound firm even though my voice wobbles. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass.” Polite. Always stay polite. Maybe then the giant stranger will just shrug and disappear back into the Cassian instead of leaving me as a frozen headline on the side of this godforsaken mountain.

He doesn’t move. Snow keeps piling onto his hat and shoulders. “Can’t do that. They’re calling for this blizzard to dump close to two feet before it’s done, and it’s supposed to rage all weekend. You’ll freeze solid out here. I’m not gonna hurt you, lady.”

“Oh sure,” I fire back, dropping my voice into a bad horror-movie growl. “Because serial killers always give fair warning first. ‘Pardon me, miss, I’ll be dismembering you shortly. Please stay seated until we reach the chopping location.’”

A deep, genuine laugh rolls out of him, cutting through the wind for a second. He shakes his head, sending snow flying. “You’re something else. Cute, but stubborn as hell. Look, I’m the i***t who was driving behind you when you decided to play bumper cars in the ditch. You nearly sideswiped me. Be glad someone’s even out on this stretch of road.”

Great. A backwoods highway hardly anyone uses. The perfect setting for a true-crime podcast episode.

I cross my arms tighter. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You can move your arm out of my door now.”

He lights another cigarette, takes a long pull, and stares at me through those dark lenses. “I’m not leaving you here to die, no matter how much attitude you throw. Whether you bumped your head or you’re just naturally this difficult, I’m not walking away. A buddy of mine runs a repair shop in town. We’ll get him to haul your car out once the Cassian passes.”

Deep down, I know he’s right. Sitting here with zero bars and the snow climbing higher by the minute is a death sentence. Freeze to death or roll the dice with the eyeliner-wearing Sasquatch. Not exactly a dream choice.

“Fine,” I mutter, the word tasting like defeat.

He straightens up, brushing snow off his coat with big sweeps of his hand, then yanks off the sunglasses to clean them. That’s when I get my first real look at his eyes—sharp, vivid emerald green lined with black kohl that somehow hasn’t run in the Cassian. The contrast is striking.

“Wait… are you actually wearing eyeliner?”

He rolls those green eyes and slides the shades back on. “Not important right now. Let’s move.”

I can’t drop it. “Are you a cross-dresser or something?”

“f**k no,” he says flatly.

“Then why the perfect smoky eye? You pull it off better than most girls I know.”

“It’s my look. Part of the whole package. Can we save the makeup interrogation for when we’re not standing in a goddamn blizzard?”

Maybe he’s in a band. Or really committed to the whole brooding rock-god vibe. I’ve seen stranger things on late-night music channels.

He extends a gloved hand to help me out. I hesitate, then glance down at my feet. “I can’t walk in this.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Heels.”

He throws his head back and shouts at the sky, “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Snow swirls around his face as he yells. “Who wears heels in this s**t?”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this when I left!” I snap, gesturing at my business pantsuit that now feels ridiculous. “And at least I’m not dressed like I rob graves for a living.”

He mutters something under his breath that sounds a lot like “f**k my life,” then reaches into the car without warning. Before I can protest, he scoops me up like I weigh less than the snow itself— one arm under my knees, the other around my back.

“Enough. We’re going.” He kicks my door shut and starts trudging up the slippery embankment toward the road.

I have no choice but to loop my arms around his neck. Under the thick coat, his shoulders feel like solid rock. The man is huge—six-two at least, maybe more. Warmth radiates off him despite the cold.

“Please don’t drop me,” I mumble, trying to hold on without actually clinging.

He snorts. “You’re light as a damn feather. Have you ever eaten a full meal?”

“I eat,” I shoot back, face heating up. “You’re just… really solid. I mean, I can feel the muscles in your shoulders and everything.” The second the words leave my mouth I want to melt into the snow and disappear forever.

He’s laughing again, the sound vibrating through his chest. “Keep sweet-talking me like that and I might actually drop you on purpose.”

“At this point it might be a mercy. Just end the nightmare.”

We finally reach his big black pickup, already dusted with several inches of fresh powder. The snowfall is getting heavier, almost hypnotic in its intensity. I reach out and yank open the passenger door.

“Oh my God!” I shriek, twisting away from the massive furry shape waiting inside. I bury my face in the stranger’s neck, heart hammering. “There’s a wolf in your truck!”

“Relax, drama queen. That’s just my dog. Are you always this high-strung?”

“He’s enormous!” I keep my eyes squeezed shut as the beast pants happily at us.

Eyeliner Guy grits his teeth and barks an order. “Niko! Back seat. Now.” The dog whines once but obeys, hopping into the extended cab with surprising grace for something that size.

Once I’m deposited on the passenger seat, the guy gives me a look. “He won’t hurt you. He’s a big softie.”

I rake wet strands of hair out of my face. “You and your monster dog are both terrifying. No offense.”

“None taken.” He starts to close the door but I throw my arm out to stop him.

“Wait! My purse and my overnight bag are still in my car. I need them.”

He stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “You serious? You want me to hike back down there for a bag full of clothes and more impractical shoes?”

I nod stubbornly.

He sighs, long and loud. “You got meds in there or something? Because whatever you’re on for this level of crazy, you might wanna up the dose.”

I glare at him, but the corner of my mouth twitches despite everything. The snow keeps falling, thick and relentless, as if the mountain itself is trying to bury us. Whatever happens next, there’s no turning back now.