He felt like he was freezing to death, too. He had to find a way to warm up, and fast.
Stella Sterlingâs brow furrowed. "My place isnât... convenient."
Sheâd seen the man with Gordon Ford before. He was the other person from the helicopter.
âHeâd been on a helicopter, was wearing a military uniform, and was clearly close with Gordon. This manâs background was anything but simple.â
âHer own situation at home was unique. If he came inside, heâd definitely notice something was off. If any of her secrets got out, it would bring her endless trouble!â
âShe didnât even trust Gordon, let alone this stranger.â
âShe could help them, as long as it was within her means, but she absolutely couldnât risk exposing herself in the process.â
Letting them into her home was too great a risk, and Stella wasnât willing to take it.
Basil Xavier froze. He looked up at Stella Sterling, his eyes wide with disbelief. He clearly hadnât expected that answer.
Her expression didnât look like she was joking. She was genuinely refusing them.
âA sense of urgency welled up inside him.â
âBased on what just happened, this building wasnât safe. Who knew if theyâd run into another situation like that one? And right now, he was completely and utterly defenseless.â
âIf they ran into people like that again, he and Gordon would be lambs to the slaughter.â
âThey had to find a place to hide right nowâsomewhere to get out of the blizzard and recover, and to avoid anyone else with malicious intent.â
âAnd the only person they knew here was this woman.â
âBut she wonât even take us in. Where could we possibly go now?â
âThis doesnât make any sense. For Gordon to make a special trip to see her, their relationship couldnât be that bad. How could she refuse to let them stay for a little while? Thatâs just too cold!â
Then, as if a thought struck him, he said quickly, "Donât worry, we have our own food. We can eat our own rations. We can even give you some as thanks. We just need a place to stay. We wonât be a bother!"
âBasil felt a flash of annoyance but forced it down. If he remembered correctly, Gordon had given this woman a full monthâs worth of rations for the two of them.â
âHe couldnât believe she was acting like this now. He could understand it, given the way the world was, but Basil still felt Gordon had gotten a raw deal.â
âBut right now, they had no other choice but to rely on her.â
Hearing his words, Stella knew he had misunderstood, but she didnât bother to explain.
She mulled it over. After a moment, her brow smoothed. "Iâll find another place for you to stay."
âAnother place to stay?â
âThe problem was, with the conditions outside and the state he and Gordon were in, they couldnât go anywhere else!â
Basil frowned, but something about her expression made him feel it wasnât as heâd assumed. So, he didnât press the issue and just nodded. "Thank you."
Stella shot the battered pair a look, said nothing more, and started walking upstairs.
âSo she wasnât sending us somewhere else after all!â
Basilâs eyes flickered with understanding. He hoisted Gordon up, preparing to follow Stella.
But the cold outside had completely drained his stamina. On top of that, heâd taken quite a few injuries in the fight just now. He was running on fumes and had almost no strength left.
He helped Gordon take two steps before his body gave out. He staggered, and both of them started to collapseâ
The next moment, Basil hit the ground with a THUD. He whipped his head around to look for Gordon.
But he found that the savage womanâhe didnât even see her come backâhad caught Gordon just before he hit the floor.
Stella shot him an annoyed look. "Youâre a big guy. Canât even hold one person steady?"
She didnât say much else, but her eyes and tone were filled with utter disdain.
The fall hurt, and Basil felt a bit wronged. He couldnât help but protest, "Miss, Iâm injured too, you know! Iâm barely hanging on as it is. I could collapse at any second!"
As he spoke, Basil grimaced in pain, his face contorting into something that looked almost savage.
Stella was still annoyed, but when she saw his sorry state and the injuries covering his body, she swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and said nothing more.
Basil pushed himself up, wincing. He muttered under his breath, "If you were going to help, you couldnât have given me a hand, too? Falling hurts, you know!"
He glanced at Gordon with a touch of envy. âAt this point, Iâd rather be the one who passed out. Look how lucky he is!â
Stella pretended she hadnât heard a thing.
She looked down at the unconscious man she was holding. Being so close to him made her uncomfortable. Even after steadying him, her first instinct was to put some distance between them.
But as she looked at the face she remembered as gentle, now pale and bloodless, her hands, which had been about to let go, froze.
Finally, after a momentâs thought, she simply hoisted Gordon up and slung him over her shoulder.
The sight made Basilâs jaw drop in astonishment once again.
He was shocked by her action, and by her incredible strength.
Stella was already carrying Gordon upstairs, one hand still holding the blood-dripping knife.
For the first time, Basil looked at Gordon and thought that the tall, imposing man actually looked... delicate.
âThe bizarre thought flashed through his mind.â He snapped out of it and called out, "Miss, can you give me a hand? Iâm out of strength!"
He was cold and utterly spent. His whole body felt like it was about to fall apart, and he could collapse at any second.
But unfortunately, the woman either didnât hear him or chose to ignore him. She didnât even pause.
Seeing her about to disappear from view, he had no choice but to prop himself against the wall and slowly haul himself up the stairs.
Stella led them to the 27th floor, to the door of Apartment 2708. This had been River Larkinâs place.
She had just set Gordon down when Basil finally made it up. He shuffled over. "Is this another apartment of yours?"
âSo thatâs what she meant by her place being "inconvenient." It wasnât that she wouldnât help, just that she didnât want them staying with her. She had another place to put them.â
âCome to think of it, it would be pretty awkward for two grown men to move into a single womanâs home. Putting them here was much more appropriate.â
Stella didnât explain. She handed Gordon over to him. "Wait here a minute."
With that, she took her knife and rushed upstairs in a flurry of motion.
Watching her go, Basil was half-worried sheâd cut herself with her own knife.
âSo this was the type of woman Gordon liked. No wonder none of those other girls whoâd fawned over him had ever caught his eye.â