But it didn’t look like these women were up for any arguments. Especially the elegant one who’d demanded Teddy come with them to the cabin.
Wanda, the lady who’d shouted the orders, pushed her way past everyone and poked a finger into Cormac’s wide chest. “Open the door or I’ll use you as my battering ram. Got me, Bruiser? It’s been a long damn afternoon. We’ve been out on this hike from Hades for four bloody days. I’m cold. I’m tired. I’m done with every single person around me complaining about everything—and I do mean everything. Now, I get your suspicion, but you’re just going to have to trust that we’re the good guys, or I’m going to steamroll right over you if you so much as squeak a peep from your gorgeous lips.”
“But—”
Wanda clearly, visibly, undeniably snapped then. Her eyes went wild and furious, her mouth formed a sneer, and without so much as a grunt of exertion, she did exactly as promised. She steamrolled him, knocking Cormac, who was easily six-three and a good two-twenty, flat on his back.
Then, as dainty and graceful as any prima ballerina and just shy of pirouetting over his body, she hopped over him and entered the cabin, brushing the snow from her ski pants.
Cormac groaned from the ground, running a hand over his head, but the brunette held out her hand to him with a cackle. “Need some help, big boy? C’mon. Get up before Wanda whips out her clangers and things get really serious.” Then she cackled again as Marty grabbed Teddy by the hand and dragged her into the cabin behind her.
Once inside, when she got a good look at the interior of the cabin, Teddy’s mouth fell open on a gasp that took even her by surprise.
It was like FBI command central—or some special-ops mission.
Shit. What had her brothers gotten her into? Was this some kind of military facility—an outpost, maybe? Computer after computer lined the back wall, leaving only space for the hearth of the fireplace to the right, where a roaring fire burned, a small couch with mismatched cushions sitting in front of it.
There were monitors with all sorts of mugshots of some pretty rough-looking men, and maps with all manner of scrolling feeds of some kind.
But it didn’t look terribly official. Not from the way it seemed he’d jerry-rigged a bunch of tech she didn’t understand and several modems.
Wouldn’t it just figure this guy was of the tinfoil hat variety? Maybe some kind of doomsday prepper? It made sense, living all the way out here in the woods as far as he could get from civilization. He was probably one of those conspiracy theory nuts with a YouTube channel and more guns than the Armed Forces combined.
Wanda, who’d knocked Cormac down as if he were made of nothing more than tissue paper, ground out another order. “Sit. All of you. Anywhere. Introductions are in order.” She dragged her gloves from long, slender fingers and laid them over the crook in her arm before she folded them over her chest.
When everyone hesitated, she sneered and bellowed, “Do it!”
Teddy dropped where she was, crossing her legs and pulling her hiking boots up under her, right along with everyone else—except for Cormac, who had the audacity to resist.
Somebody was gonna lose their balls…
Because Wanda wasn’t havin’ it. She sauntered toward him, her eyes ablaze, her cheeks sucked inward. “You want another piece of this?” she taunted in a comical Brooklyn accent, pounding her chest with her palms.
As though he realized he’d be foolish to defy her for even one more moment, Cormac actually blanched and dropped down next to Teddy, but it wasn’t without an expression of palpable silent protest. He oozed defiance from every pore of his sexy-sexy brickhouse body.
“Thank you. So, how about we go around the room and introduce ourselves? I’m Wanda Schwartz-Jefferson from Staten Island, New York. Married, wrangler of the WrestleMania Twins, occasional dabbler in the authorial pool.”
Everyone remained silent until she nudged Marty with her toe.
“Oh! I’m Marty Flaherty from Buffalo, New York. Cosmetics company owner, mother, businesswoman, fashionista. Pleasure to meet you all.”
Wanda glared at Teddy, making her face flush hot and red. “Oh, sorry. Um, Theodora…uh…Jackson—Denver, Colorado. Wildlife rescuer, single, helluva Sudoku solver.” She cleared her throat, looking down at the floor and its colorful braided rugs. It wasn’t exactly a lie.
She was a crappy liar so she’d kept it brief, but no way was she telling them what she was really doing here. Nuh-uh.
Wanda’s gaze turned to the brunette, who was busily fishing through her backpack. She pulled out a Ziploc bag with a squashed sandwich in it and held it up like it was the biggest catch of the day. “Thank fuck. Found it!”