Kick Back, Relax and Read This Weekend!

4/17/2025

Mason grabbed his arm and hauled him up almost at once. “It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. Keep going.”

“Mason, I can’t—”

Without warning Mason spun Riece around and shook him. He pointed one finger at Riece and snarled, “You listen to me. ‘I can’t’ is no longer in your vocabulary. You can and you will because I love you and there is no fucking way I’m leaving you here or losing you. I will keep you safe and get you out, but you will not goddamn give up on me.” He gulped in a few deep breaths and ran one hand through his hair. “Riece, we can do this. Now move your ass.”

Riece wanted to make a quip about how sexy it was when Mason took control and got all macho like that, but he was too busy trying to keep his footing. He was sure they’d be found and shot in the back before reaching the top. The way down had looked precarious, though short. The way up seemed as if it was ten times the distance and a much steeper incline.

Finally Riece reached the top. Mason reached around him and grabbed a sapling with one hand and Riece’s arm with the other. He hauled both of them over the gully’s edge and onto more level ground. Riece flopped on his back, gasping, trying to get control of his shaking body and ragged breathing.

Mason grabbed Riece under his armpits and pulled him backward a few feet, then put one hand on Riece’s chest and pressed down gently. “Stay there, stay down.” He crouched beside Riece while he gazed at the gully below.

“Do you see them?” Riece asked.

Holding one finger to his lips, Mason shook his head. After a minute he stood up and took a few silent steps in the direction they’d last seen the men and woman. Riece turned his head and watched as Mason hunkered close to the ground and leaned over the edge, looking one way, then the other. He stood and moved a few yards farther away. His movements were soundless, and he hunched over as he walked. The landscape here consisted of swaths of tall grass interspersed with small open spots and thick patches of trees. The terrain rolled up and down, the ground peppered with big rocks that made it rugged but not impassible. To Riece it seemed as if they’d been going in circles, but Mason definitely appeared to have a direction and destination in mind.

Riece rolled far enough to the side to keep Mason in his line of sight. Twice Mason met his gaze and held a finger to his lips, then motioned for Riece to stay where he was. Riece nodded and smiled when Mason moved one hand up and down his torso, wordlessly telling Riece to breathe. He gave himself a silent pep talk. Mason had come right out and told Riece he loved him. There was no way Riece was going to die and miss this chance to fix his relationship with Mason.

Mason waved at Riece to follow him. Riece got up and hurried toward Mason as quietly as possible until Mason waved at the ground. Riece nodded and knelt down at the edge of one of the groups of trees. They continued on that way in short bursts. Their movements kept them within a few yards of each other until Mason was close to where they’d tied the rope to a tree and gone down the side of the gully. He pulled the quick-release knot he’d used to tie the rope off and very slowly and quietly used a hand-over-hand motion to inch the rope back up and coil it around his shoulder.

Staying low to the ground, Mason moved quickly back to Riece’s side. Closing his eyes and sighing with relief, Riece reached out, took Mason’s hand, and gave it a squeeze. When he tried to let go, Mason’s grip intensified, and he pulled Riece closer to him and brushed his lips over Riece’s forehead.

“We’re going to survive. Both of us. Together. Don’t think anything else, even for a second,” Mason whispered.

Riece nodded. “I know.”

“Did they take your water purifier?”

“No. They searched me and my bag and left me everything except the locator beacon.” Riece studied Mason for a few seconds. “I guess they wanted us to have some supplies to survive longer.”

“Yeah. So we could give them a better hunt. No fun if you bag the quarry too soon. It’s not the trophy, it’s the chase,” Mason muttered. “Though I suspect they are regretting letting you keep that camera.” He twisted and pointed back to where he’d retrieved the rope. “Let’s go see if the rest of what we carried here today is still where we left it. Then we’ll head to our base camp. Odds are good they have no idea that exists or where it is. Stay behind me and walk exactly where I walk. Heel down first and roll your foot forward gently to evenly distribute your weight and push down any leaves, twigs, or anything that might make noise. We’ll try to keep to bare dirt when we can. Move slow and take deep, even breaths through your nose.”

“Okay,” Riece said.

Mason smiled and put his hand on the back of Riece’s head for a few seconds. “I know that’s a lot to process, but you can do it—you’re smart.”