The Man Behind Me
“Wait.” My voice came out thin. “I need Sawyer ahead of us.” He smiled. “I’m staying back in case you slip again.” Hallie paused, one pole planted below the ledge. Don’t make it worse. Across the conference table, a woman had folded the edge of her leave approval into a narrow pleat. I’d asked what kept her from reporting the warning. Now I stood with my shoulder against the rock, searching for words that wouldn't anger him. I kept my eyes on Hallie. “He pulled my pack toward the edge.” Sawyer’s hand hovered near my elbow. “Zoya. Your foot went over. I caught you.” I drew my arm against my side. “You pulled first.” He turned to Hallie. “She’s had a scare. Let’s get her somewhere she can sit.” “I want to walk directly behind you,” I told Hallie. “With Sawyer ahead of us.” Hallie’s eyes dropped to my bloody hand. Then she shifted uphill, putting herself between Sawyer and me. “I stayed back to help.” He opened his hands. “Hallie, you know me.” Hallie stayed where she was. The creek sounded far below us. “Yesterday, he told me I’d cost his wife her job. Then he said how easy it would be to lose my footing.” Sawyer gestured past me. “I pointed out a drop, like that one.” Hallie looked at his face, then at mine. “Sawyer, go on ahead.”
