ログインThe results of the first shipment came back to the Kingston main house before dawn.
Two outer checkpoints got their antifreeze and rations on time. The three pharmacies at the foot of the mountain had their emergency kits by midnight. The old ore buyer in the north even withdrew his breach inquiry.
Two old enemies running
The stove was roaring inside the dispatch room.Asher's big hand was still tucked inside Darcy's pant leg, his palm scorching hot, working over her chilled calf again and again, rubbing the cold out of it.Darcy rested her foot against his knee, her back against the chair, letting herself recover."Garrick took a hit out there. He'll go back and make a fuss over the old estate's clan rules. He can't block the security contract, so his next move will be the quality inspection and
The moment Asher's words landed, the drainage pipe at the bottom of the shaft let out a low, gurgling groan. The last of the yellow mud slurry was sucked dry."Bottom's clear!" Martha wiped the sweat off her face and hollered up from below.The sky had turned a pale, bluish white without anyone noticing.Asher still had Darcy wrapped inside his heavy military coat, his broad, burning palm flat against her lower back, not letting go for even a second. He glanced down at the tip of her nose, gone white from the cold wind, and tugged the coat collar up higher, covering her completely.Martha came climbing up the ladder, mud up to her elbows. She pulled a folded sheet from inside her
Darcy sat on the edge of the desk, both arms still looped behind Asher's neck.She didn't answer right away. She just slid her fingertips from the back of his neck up into his thick short hair and gave it a light tug.With his face buried against her neck, Asher caught his breath for half a beat."Still thinking about something?" He didn't lift his head, his voice muffled against her collar."Thinking about this sweater." Darcy's fingertips brushed the back of his neck. "It's scratching my face."Only then did he push himself up and look down at her.The fireplace
The reading light on the passenger side ceiling clicked off under Silas's hand.The cabin went completely dark.His broad shoulders leaned forward, sealing Darcy into the small corner between the passenger seat and the door.Silas's hand closed over her right. The two hands locked tight together, his hard calluses grinding against her palm. The heat of his body, mixed with engine oil, diesel, and thick tobacco, pressed heavily over her. Hot enough to make the back of Darcy's neck
The West District patrol report on the desk had been turned to its last page, but Asher's pen hovered in the air. He hadn't written a single word.Darcy had her coat on and was looping her scarf around her neck.Asher suddenly set the pen down on the edge of the desk with a click. He stood, crossed to the coat rack in long strides, and pulled down the thick leather gloves Darcy had left at the mine yesterday.His heavy footsteps stopped in front of her.He didn't block the door, didn't offer a sarcastic remark. He just leaned his tall frame forward half an inch, blocking most of the light in the entryway. His heat, carrying fir and a faint trace of gunpowder, settled heavily over Darcy.
The overhead light above the passenger seat was dim and yellow.Darcy opened her left hand. Between her fingers, the fine white hairs swayed gently in the warm air. The hard nails at her fingertips were noticeably longer than usual, giving off a cold, hard gleam.The door was yanked open. A gust of cold air swept into the cabin before Asher dropped into the driver's seat with the chill still clinging to him.He slammed the door and was about to start the car when his peripheral







