"You want a reason to trust me?" Mason finally said, uncannily sensing my frustration. "My name isn't Mason. It's Jude."
I flinched. "What?"
He reached into his back pocket and opened his wallet. His driver's license was tucked behind a plastic see-through inset, and he dug it out, passing it to me.
I looked at the Wyoming driver's license issued to Mason K. Goertzen.
"Looks real, doesn't it?" Mason said. "It's not." He then passed me a second driver's license, which had been carefully hidden behind the first. Only this time, he slid his thumb to hide his last name and address.
The second driver's license had the same photo as the first, but was issued in California.
"I don't understand,” I said.
"I didn't want Shaun to know my real name.”
”Why not?"
"I didn't want him to have anything on me, in case we had a falling-out. I didn't trust him. And while I'm not sure I can trust you, either, I'm putting myself out there. I'm hoping you'll meet me halfway. If I open up to you, maybe I can convince you to share your secrets."
"I don't have a secret identity. I don't have any secrets,” I argued, wondering what kind of ploy this was, what information he wanted to lure from me now.
"That's not true. You told me that you and Korbie came up to the mountains alone."
I frowned. "We did."
"Then what's your ex doing here? Calvin, that's his name, right? The roads are closed. He must have come up before the first storm hit, two days ago. Did you know he'd be up here?"
"What if I did?" I said defensively.
"Why didn't you mention him? Back at the cabin, before you knew Shaun was dangerous, why didn't you tell us the truth?"
Because I was interested in Shaun, and didn't want to ruin my chances by bringing up my ex. It was too shameful a truth to confess, so I gave him an answer that let me live with myself.
"Maybe I didn't fully trust Shaun or you, and wanted an ace up my sleeve, just in case. Turns out I was smart-Calvin took Shaun completely by surprise!" It now struck me that if I hadn't tried to escape from the ranger patrol cabin, Calvin would have taken all of us by surprise, and I'd be with him now. The realization seemed to knock me breathless, like a punch to the stomach.
"Do you think Calvin is at Idlewilde?" asked Mason.
"I don't know." But I did think Calvin was there. If he'd found Korbie, he would take her to Idlewilde. "Can you find Idlewilde from here?"
I stared at Mason, trying to figure out what he was planning. I had Calvin's map and I could lead us to Idlewilde. But why would Mason want to help me get to Idlewilde?
"I think so,” I said at last, not sure I should commit to anything until I had untangled his endgame.
"Is Idlewilde closer than the ranger station?" "About a mile closer."
"Then I think we should go there. What kind of guy is Calvin?" "You have to ask?" I scoffed. "He doesn't let anyone mess with him. You saw that. When you took us hostage, you had no idea what you were getting into. Calvin won't give up until he finds me. He's gone to look for Korbie, but he'll be back. You have every reason to be scared, Mason,” I warned. "Jude,” he corrected.
"Is that really what you want me to call you?" I asked, with a touch of exasperation. "I've been calling you Mason this whole time. I'm not sure I can see you as anyone else."
His eyes jumped to mine, and a strange, unfathomable look passed over his face. "Try."
"Jude,” I said, with even more aggravation. "Jude,” I repeated, softer this time, experimenting with the sound of it. I actually believed I preferred it, though I'd never confess that to him. "It's short; I always preferred boys' names with two syllables. And it reminds me of that Beatles song. Or Jude Law, who you look nothing like,” I added quickly.
He stroked his jawline in mock consideration. "True, he's got nothing on me."
In spite of myself, I laughed out loud. And immediately regretted it, when Mason-Jude-grinned back, clearly pleased with his joke. The grin seemed to open his entire face, softening the steely angles and warming his hooded, aloof eyes. For a moment, I found the picture both sexy and alluring-but I then resented my attraction. It wasn't real. If Stockholm syndrome existed, I was sure my attraction was an early symptom of it.
Even so. Maybe I would call him Jude after all. If we were going to work together to stay alive, it might be helpful to think of him as someone different. Not the guy who'd abducted me, but someone with a dark past. Someone who hadn't stood up to Shaun, but had wanted to. Someone who would help me, if I helped him.
"I was named after Jude the Apostle, also known as Jude, patron saint of lost causes."
I eyed him doubtfully. "Patron saint of lost causes? Is that even true?"
"Of course it's true. I'm here with you, aren't I?"
I tilted my chin up. "Are you suggesting I'm a lost cause?"
"Actually,” he said, his face growing serious, "the opposite. I think you're more capable than people give you credit for. Sometimes I wonder what kind of girl you were before you came on this trip."
He wondered about me? What other things did he think about me?
He eyed me in a way that made me feel increasingly transparent-and uncomfortable-and continued, "I watched how you and Korbie interacted, and it made me wonder if, back home, in front of your friends and family, you offer a slightly different version of the real Britt. A less capable version. You're not that girl here in the mountains. I like that you face your fears. And while it's not normally something people consider as a virtue, you're a very gifted liar. How many times did you coax Shaun's hand with a convincing lie?"
I did not like the long, cool stare of his brown eyes on me, and quickly exclaimed, "If kidnapping and abduction don't pan out for you, I'm sure you could give psychic reading a try!"
He rubbed his thumb and index finger together, as if expecting money. "The least you can do is give me my first tip."
"Here's a tip: Next time, try sticking to a story that isn't so outlandish and off base; your victim might actually believe it."
This time, it was my turn to feel smugly pleased when his eyes glittered with amusement. I might be stuck in the wilderness, but hey, at least I hadn't lost my sense of humor.
"Do you think it's strange Calvin shot an unarmed man?" Jude asked, reverting back to our earlier topic.
I hesitated. I wanted to defend Calvin. I'd worked out in my head every possible way to justify his actions. He'd been frantic with worry. He'd believed Shaun had hurt Korbie and me. He had made the best move under the circumstances. I told myself these things, but I was deeply troubled by Calvin's decision.