"You might as well get into the truck, Miss, I'm not leaving you here. A snow flurry is one thing, but a blizzard is something completely different."

Kim Yoohyeon looked from her sports car resting in the shallow ditch to the tall stranger. He was bundled up from the cold. All she could see of his face was the vague shape of his eyes in the shadow. For all she knew he could be a crazed ax murderer.

She glanced at his truck. No ax but there was a rifle in the back window. Lack of sleep, the long hours of driving and the turmoil that had sent her on this trip weighed heavily on her.

She spoke through her thoughts without considering how they would sound. "Freezing would be less painful than bleeding to death from a gunshot wound."

The stranger shook his head and said something she couldn't quite make out because of the muffling layers of scarf covering his face. Before she could ask him to repeat what he'd said, he stepped forward and scooped her into his arms.

Yoohyeon had been swept off her feet figuratively before, but this was the first time it had happened literally. It was unsettling to say the least. Even through layers of clothing, she could tell this guy had a rock-hard body. Struggling to get away wasn't an option. She was tall and was pretty fit too, herself, but in size and muscle power he held all the cards. She would have to be sure any battle between them was a battle of wits.

Right, Yoohyeon, like your wits are in any kind of competent shape after a day and half with little sleep and over twenty-four hours on the road.

He carried her to the truck. When he opened the door, the heated air hit her face in a blast of warmth. He set her in the driver's seat because that was closest to where they'd stood. For an instant she considered throwing the engine in gear and driving away, but he was right behind her. Because of his height, the bench seat was back far enough that it was easy for him to scoot across to the other side---all the way to the passenger door.

The stranger started the truck moving as soon as he got in and closed the door.

Yoohyeon looked back at her car. 'Wait! My luggage!" How could she have forgotten?

The stranger continued to accelerate. "It won't go anywhere."

"My briefcase and laptop are in the backseat, and my cellphone is on the front seat, and I didn't lock the door."

He peeled the scarf off the lower half of his face, tucking it around his neck. It didn't give her any better view of her rescuer. All that was new to the picture was his nose and full bottom lip. But it was enough for her to know that this guy was a looker---in that y rugged way.

Now that his eyes weren't squinting to protect them from the frigid wind, she could see them better. They were an incredible shade of brown...and framed by thick dark lashes.

He had great eyes, seductive eyes, except at the moment, the message they were sending was one of annoyance, not enticement. "Miss, your stuff will be safe. No one is dumb enough to be out in this weather."

"Meaning no one else  ​​​​​is dumb enough to be out in this weather."

He glanced her way. No words were necessary; the glance spoke volumes.

Did he have any idea how stop-in-your-tracks good-looking he was?

What was she thinking? A stranger picks her up along the side of the road and all she can think about is how attractive he is? Maybe her brain has frostbite. 

Part of her was nervous and on guard, while the other part urges her to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, trusting that he really wa there to help, not indulge in nefarious deeds. Her buddinh trust was shaken when the trail narrowed even more, curved and started upward.

"We're going higher? Shouldn't we be heading down?"

"The nearest shelter is this way."

Shelter? How did he define shelter?

The flakes were falling faster, whirling around before splatting against the windshield. She finally admitted to herself that he might be right about the blizzard after all.

They drove for about half an hour or so, then the road widened into a clearing. In the middle of it was a snow-cobered log cabin. Yoohyeon would have loved to take a photo of it and would have appreciated it more as a photo on a Christmas card than up close and personal as she sat shivering in a pickup truck.

The stranger pulled around to the side of the cabin. He reached across her and took a cellphone out of the glove compartment. Tucking the phone into his pocket, he opened the driver's door, slid out, then grabbed the rifle.

Yoohyeon couldn't stop her intake of breath. "Do you have to bring that? I mean, can't you leave it in the truck?"

"Most bears are hibernating this time of year, so if one shows up, it's liable to be extra cranky." He closed the driver's door and headed for the cabin.

Bears?

Yoohyeon looked in all directions before hopping out of the truck a s quickly following him to the narrow porch. A wooden sign hung over the door. Burned into it was the letter C nestled inside a larger letter D, and next to that, the number seven.

Inside, the cabin looked larger than it did from the outside, bit it still was a long way from what anyone would call spacious. And it was dark. Light struggled through the shuttered windows and only the open doorwayade a dent in the darkness.

The guy took off his gloves and lit the two lanterns sitting on the wooden table. He left one on the table and set the other on too of the dresser sitting next to a set of bunk beds. The only other furniture in the room was two benches along either side of the table and a small couch. 

"Close the door."

She did as he asked. When she noticed he'd left the rifle on a rack beside the door, she felt more at ease.

He took the phone from his pocket and dialed.

"Yubin? It's Siyeon. I've got her."

Yoohyeon gulped. Wait, what? Who's Yubin? And why is Siyeon, the stranger telling this Yubin that he has her? 

Maybe she shouldn't have let her guard down after all. She may just have gotten herself kidnapped. Great. 

What had gotten herself to?

 

To be continued...