Loving The Temperamental Adonis
Chapter 129: "I lied"

Chapter 129: "I lied"

"Oh my God! We’re lost, I know it! Where in Heaven’s name are we even going? What could possibly be up there on the mountains?" Mia’s voice shook with nervous tension as she peered through snow hurtling at her windshield. Her entire car was covered in snow, thanks to the windshield wiper blades they were able to see where they were headed.

They’d left the highway and turned onto a hilly road that climbed the mountain in an endless series of switchback turns, turns that would have made her nervous in the summer; now, with slippery snow and poor visibility to complicate things, the climb was hair-raising and nerve racking. And just when she thought the drive couldn’t get worse, they had turned onto a twisting road so narrow that the branches of the thick black pines on either sides of it reached out and brushed against the sides of the car, leaving scratches.

"I know you’re tired," she heard Neil say when she gritted her teeth in annoyance. "If I trusted you enough not to jump out of the car, I’d have done the driving and let you get some rest."

Ever since their kiss nearly thirteen hours ago, Neil had been treating her with a warm courtesy that was far more alarming to Mia than his anger had been, because she couldn’t shake the feeling that he had changed his plans and his intended use for her. As a result, she’d responded to all his pleasant conversational efforts with sharp, rude remarks that made her seem and feel like someone who was ready for a fight. She blamed him completely for that, too. However, he hadn’t lost his temper whatsoever with all of her jabbing words, he would simply smile or shake his head in amusement.

Ignoring his statement now, she gave him a cold shrug. "According to your map and the directions, we’re going the right way, but there wasn’t any indication about a road that goes straight up to the mountains! This is a car, not a plane or a snow plow!"

He sighed and handed her a soft drink they had bought at a gas station/convenience store, where they’d also gotten fuel and he’d escorted her once again to the rest room and waited for her at the door with a warm smile that made her more alarmed than ever.

When he handed her the soft drink without replying to her complaint about the treacherous road, Mia fell silent. Under any other circumstances, she’d have been mesmerized with the breathtaking views of majestic snow-covered mountains and soaring pine trees, but it was impossible to enjoy the view when it required all her concentration and effort just to keep the car moving in the right direction.

At long last, they were nearing their destination, Mia assumed, because they had turned off the last decent road over twenty minutes ago. Now they were making their way up a mountain in a full-fledged blizzard on a road that seemed only inches wider than her car. "I hope whoever gave you these directions knew what he was doing," she said.

"Really?" he teased. "I expect you to hope we were lost."

She ignored the good-natured amusement in his voice. "I’d love it if you were lost, but I have no desire to be lost with you! The point is, I’ve been driving in terrible weather on terrible roads for over twenty-four hours and I’m exhausted..." She trailed off in alarm at the sight of the the wide, frozen river ahead of them with no bridge whatsoever.

Until two days ago, the weather had been unseasonably warm in Mirage Mesa and melting snow had caused the frozen rivers to start to melt as well. And it had been announced that no one should go skating or step on any frozen river.

"D-don’t tell me we will drive past that river. It doesn’t look safe! The river__"

"We don’t have much choice." She heard the concern in his voice and fear sent her foot to slam on the brake pedal. "I am not driving across that damned river." She shook her head repeatedly. What if they drove past the river and it cracked open? She wasn’t ready to die in a place like this where no one would find her body because it had been buried in a frozen river along with a murderer!

Neil, however, had come too far to turn back, and besides, turning back on the narrow snow-rutted lane was impossible. So was backing down the mountain on those switchback turns. The road had been plowed recently, probably this morning by Liam’s men, who Liam had promised would arrange everything for him.

Evidently Liam had also had his men plow the road towards the river to make certain Neil could get in if he tried. Still, the river didn’t look safe to him. Though it looked frozen enough for someone to walk over, it couldn’t be safe enough with a car. And they couldn’t park the car here and walk the rest of the distance, that would be another form of suicide because they’d freeze to death before reaching his residence.

"Get out," he said to Mia after a moment of thinking through their situation.

Mia’s eyes widened in horror, "G-get out?! I’ll freeze to death in an hour! Is that what you intended all along— for me to drive you this far and then leave me to die in the snow?"

None of her rude remarks had pierced his good humor all day, but her agitated words did just that, his jaw tightened, and icy anger edged his voice.

"Get out of the car," he snapped. "I’ll drive it across the river. If it holds, you can walk across it and get into the car on the other side." If he would die today, he wouldn’t want to drag her to hell with him.

Mia needed no further urging, clutching her sweater around her, she happily opened the door and got out, but her happiness at being safe turned to something else, something utterly absurd under the circumstances.

As she watched him move under the steering wheel, she felt guilty for leaving the car, ashamed of her cowardice and strangely worried about his safety. And she felt even worst when he reached in the back seat and took out her long over coat and two of her car blankets and passed them to her through the open door and said, "If the river doesn’t hold, wrap yourself up in these and find a narrow place on the river where you can cross on foot. At the top of the hill, there’s a house with smartphones and plenty of food. You can call for help and wait the storm out up there until it arrives."

He’d said "if the river doesn’t hold" without betraying any emotion in his voice or face and Mia shivered at the realization that Neil Wayner could risk his own life without the slightest apparent concern. If the river didn’t hold, then he and the heavy car would both end up plunging into the freezing water and dying. With those thoughts, she quickly clutched the door to prevent him from closing it.

"If it doesn’t hold," she said quickly, "I’ll throw you a rope or a branch or something so that you can get to the bank..."

He closed the door on her last words, and shivering, Mia clutched the coat and blankets to her body while warily glancing around the icy wonderland. She watched as the car’s tires spun in the snow and began to inch forward. She held her breath, murmuring a silent prayer for the man inside the car. Without realizing it, she found herself walking towards the river. There, she looked down into reflective icy ground, trying to imagine what it would feel like if it were to crack open and he plunged inside.

A nervous shiver ran down her spine at the thought. Her fear escalated to panic when she heard a crack sound. "Stop!" She yelled, trying to make him hear her over the howling wind. "We can leave the car here and we can both walk the distance while sharing the blankets!" If he heard her at all, he didn’t stop the car.

The frozen river stretched out before Neil, its surface shimmering under the gloomy weather. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his breath forming tiny clouds in the frigid air. His desperation propelled him forward, driving him to take this dangerous path across the treacherous ice.

The car crept cautiously onto the frozen expanse, the tires crunching softly against the hardened surface. Each creak and groan of the ice sent shivers down Mia’s spine. She watched in horror as he drove forward.

As he neared the midpoint of the river, a sudden crack echoed through the atmosphere, causing Mia to gasp in fear. The car jolted slightly, and panic threatened to overwhelm her. Suddenly she heard the river begin to groan and she screamed, "Don’t go further! The river won’t hold you! Get out! Get out of the car__" It was too late.

The BMW 7 was already moving steadily across the creaking river. Blankets clutched to her chest, snow swirling all around her, Mia stood in a state of helpless paralysis, forced to watch what she could not prevent.

Not until the car, along with its insane driver, reached safely of the other side did she breathe again, and then she felt a rush of anger at him for putting her through yet another new terror. She was too angry to feel the fear of walking across the river, she clutched her blanket tightly and started to walk across it. Reaching the other side, she opened the passenger door, and climbed in then slammed the door with a loud thud.

"We made it," he said when she got in.

Mia gave him a killing look. "Made it to what? I don’t see anything here but an endless snow covered land." She glared at him and looked away. She had no idea where he intended to go; there was no signs of any house here. Was there?

Well, the answer to that came minutes later when they made one last switchback turn at the top of the mountain. There in the middle of a secluded clearing in the dense pines was a magnificent cabin its wooden exterior glistening in the snow. The house boasts an expansive glass facade.

"We made it to this," he announced.

Mia’s jaw slackened as she watched the cabin in wonderment. Though for the past five years, she had seen and lived in expensive home, but this...it was breathtaking, unlike nothing she’d ever lived in.

"Who in Heaven’s name built such a magnificent place up here?" She murmured softly.

"Someone who obviously likes privacy and solitude." He replied, not telling her he was the owner of the place.

"Does it belong to you or someone you know?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.

"No."

"Does the owner know you’re going to use his place for a hideout while the military are looking for you?"

"You ask too many questions," he said, pulling the car to a stop beside the mansion and climbing out. "But the answer is no." He came around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. "Let’s go."

"Let’s go?" Mia burst out, pressing into the back of the seat. "You said I could leave when I got you here!"

"I lied."