If You Fall

Twenty One

"We're almost there," Reed said a little while later, bringing me out of a doze. "We'll stay here for a minute or two and then we three will leave."

"Worst plan ever," I grumbled, hating it.

"You'll be fine, snowflake." The smirk in her voice was evident and I itched to just smack the back of her smug head.

"Arianna. Please." Reed probably didn't ask for much from her, either.

"I'm just kidding," she lied. "I wouldn't like it either. But, c'est la vie. Dane!" She said this last loud enough to startle us and wake him.

"Bloody 'ell, Ari," he said, pushing the back of her seat. "Not cool."

"Sorry," she said breezily. "We're almost at the cabin."

"Guess I 'ave eyes in me 'ead," he grumbled. I grinned to myself.

Reed slowed and then stopped.

"What the fuck," Arianna said, leaning forward. "Where's the tree?"

"This is bad," Reed said, not going forward.

"What's wrong?" I asked, leaning forward too. Snow had began falling and it was getting dark.

"There's supposed to be a tree down across the road right here that we have to move," Reed said to me, slowly. He looked at her. "What should I do?"

I didn't love that he deferred to her.

She shook her head, eyes narrowed. "It's over there, see?" She pointed and we could see the tree trunk rolled off the side of the road and perpendicular to it.

"You guys did not leave it as such, I suppose?"

She didn't even answer that. "So, damn. We could go to Malone's."

"But we'd have to drive half an hour past the house!" Dane protested.

"I'll park back here and go check out the cabin." Reed began to turn around the SUV.

"Uh, how about not?" She put her hand on his arm. "No fucking way, Intou. Just drive there. It's probably trashed."

He drove, reluctantly. We turned a corner and everyone in the vehicle gasped. There was only a black shell where clearly a small building had stood. "Oh my God," Ari said faintly. "That, I was not expecting."

I was trying not to freak out. I wanted more than anything for it to be called off, but that was unrealistic. Those boys needed help. "Is this the place I was going to stay?"

She looked back at me, exasperated. "Yes. Now there's a problem. Surprise." She shook her head. "You should have stayed behind, you're slowing us down."

"Ari, please," Reed said tiredly.

She was right though. "I can just come with you, stay outside or in the car."

She sighed as if I was the stupidest person alive. "We have to hike up the mountain to get behind the place. You would freeze in the car, and you can't just 'stay outside' there. He'll have new dogs by now, and again, with the freezing."

"Oh," I said in a small voice, wishing I was at my house right then, Reed or no Reed. 

"It's not your fault, Addy," Reed said as he began back the way we came, down the winding road. "It's not like you're the one who gave them the location." He laughed humorlessly. "Just missed you two, didn't they." He glanced at her and then back at Dane.