4.1 Dispute

Clearing your throat upon arrival, you look over at the men expectantly. James pauses to look back at you questioningly, however, his companion shows no signs of acknowledgement. Exhaling in exasperation, you move to stand directly behind him.

"Excuse me." You speak up, not so gently rapping him on the shoulder. "We need to talk."

The man James referred to as Boyd, finally turns and glances at you callously. A small twinge of anxiety runs through you as his eyes move over your frame.

"We have nothing to discuss." He eventually retorts before turning away again and leans over to gather up his makeshift bed.

Unwilling to back down, you quickly march around to stand before him.

"Yes, we do." You insist somewhat angrily, stooping down to be eye level with him. "I'm not leaving without my weapon."

Boyd stands up sharply, now leaning over your smaller frame as you slowly straighten your back. Inhaling deeply, you **** yourself to match his hard gaze.

"I already told you," He replies brusquely while crossing his arms over his broad chest. "We're taking that as payment."

Placing your hands on your hips, you tilt your head back defiantly. Unfortunately, the man seems unbothered by your irritated demeanor. Narrowing your eyes slightly, you spend a moment taking in his unfriendly face. His thick hair has been pushed back, but seems to be having trouble staying in place as a few strands drape over his furrowed brow. Pale, almost grey eyes stare back at you with a cold, distant expression. You feel your jaw twitch lightly and realize you're gritting your teeth.

"That's hardly fair..." You mutter hotly through your still clenched jaw.

The sudden harsh laugh that he emits visibly startles you. Taking a step back in surprise, you glance over at James warily. His expression appears somewhat conflicted but he makes no move to intervene. Shifting your gaze back to the man before you, you wait apprehensively.

"Nothing is fair." He scoffs bitterly, moving forward to close the space between you. "You should know that by now."

Without waiting for a reply, he roughly pushes past you. Frowning as you're jostled slightly, you turn and watch him walk towards the large exit of the structure. Your back prickles lightly when you feel James' presence behind you.

"There's no use arguing with him." He sighs in an unconvincingly sympathetic voice.

"Do you agree with him?" You question after a moment, unable to mask your still slightly irate tone.

Your back stiffens further when you feel one of his hands drape lazily over your shoulder. Glancing over at it skeptically, you say nothing and look back forward.

"I think you're more capable than you've let on." He muses thoughtfully, leaning down as his voice lowers. "You wouldn't have survived this long otherwise."

Biting the inside of your lip, you think over his words carefully. After a moment you take a step forward, feeling the pressure from his hand gently slide away. Tilting your head slightly to look back at him, your vision becomes slightly obscured by the locks of hair that fall over your face.

"Where is my satchel?" You ask in what you hope is an innocuous tone.

James pauses briefly while gauging your expression then nods his head over to the side. Following his line of sight you spot the item sitting off in a corner. Brushing back your hair casually, you give him an appreciative look before moving over towards it. Your heart thumps lightly as you fumble around it's interior feeling around at its contents. When searching for the inside pocket you frown in confusion when you initially cannot find the zipper. After a moment your fingers finally brush against it and you realize the puller has broken off. Without opening it, you run your fingers along the inside of the bag and breathe a sigh of relief when you can feel the map still inside. It seems the men were not as thorough with their search as they may have thought. Standing back up, you sling the bag over your shoulder and turn to look at James.

"I suppose I'm to be on my way now." You comment plainly, waiting a moment to allow him an opportunity to interject.

"It seems that way." He replies, his expression remaining light in contrast to his somewhat **** tone.

Nodding curtly, you reposition the strap around your torso and begin walking towards the exit. Before you slip out, you casually glance over your shoulder at him.

"Perhaps I'll run into a more accommodating group at the campgrounds." You remark, forcing yourself to sound a bit hopeful.

You catch a puzzled look cross over James face at your words. Suppressing the urge to smile, you watch him jog over and stop before you.

"What campground?" He demands quickly, grabbing onto your upper arm to stop you from retreating further.

A small twinge of guilt passes over as your mind briefly returns to your original location. You're quite aware there is nothing of value to be found there. However, you're also aware that the men have no reason to suspect you know that.

"Yes," You remark lightly, blinking up at him innocently. "You know, the camp grounds to the east of the forest?"

A small smirk slowly spreads over James' face as his grip around you tightens. Pulling you back inside, he turns you around to face him.

"I knew there was more to you than you've let on." He comments in a pleased tone as he reaches his other hand out to your face. "I'm glad we won't have to part ways so soon now."

You shiver visibly when his thumb brushes across your chin, just grazing the edge of your bottom lip. Jerking your head out of his grasp, you look up at him in a seemingly playful manner.

"It's a long journey from here." You caution, offering him your own subtle smirk. "We wouldn't want to get ahead of ourselves."

James' smile broadens somewhat, seeming to take pleasure in your subtle back and forth. His hand slowly uncurls from around your arm and he takes a step back.

"Indeed," His voice is low but rather teasing as he continues. "Let's hope you are worth the wait."

A light flush spreads over your cheeks after he turns and moves away. Running your fingers down along your arm, it feels slightly tender where his hand once lay. Attempting to ignore this and the surrounding tension, you quickly turn and walk to the other side of the large interior. The lingering feeling of guilt remains as you contemplate your increasingly risky proposition.