Page 84 of Fire Peak

“Rock? That’s weird. What was he talking about?”

“These special rocks in the cave, they’re really soft and pretty, like silver. But you aren’t supposed to touch them. They’re poisonous and dangerous, and you can’t even talk about them. I was scared, but I knew Elias would know what to do. So I took the four-wheeler and went and found him. We went to the creek that comes down from Fire Peak, just to see if something had changed with the rocks. That’s when the bad man got Elias.”

“Same man that you heard yelling about the rocks?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t say anything. He just hit him on the head. Elias yelled at me to take the four-wheeler and get help. Then he went…” Eric made a toppling over gesture with his head. “On the ground.”

Hailey was so immersed in this story that she hadn’t noticed the rumble of a truck pulling up next to them. A man with a jolly grin and his gray hair in a ponytail rolled down the window and called out to them.

“You kids need a lift?” He spoke with a trace of an accent, but she couldn’t place it.

With a squeal, Eric pelted down the road, yelling as he ran,“It’s him!”

Hailey ran after him, but the truck swerved into her path and blocked her. She turned around to flee back toward the rental cabin. The man jumped out and came around the back, moving so quickly it shocked her. He might be old, but he was strong and fast.

He didn’t lay a hand on her, just folded his arms across his chest and grinned down at her. A grim grin this time, not a jolly one.

“Looking for Elias? Get in.”

When she didn’t move, he opened his jacket, revealing a holster attached to his belt. A gun. Holy shit. This was really happening. She was being freaking kidnapped.

“I’m not going to hurt you, kid. Just get in.”

She got into the truck. That was when she saw the fur coat tossed onto the backseat. Fur coat, gray hair. The man from the woods.

35

By the time they left the greenhouse, Charlie’s thigh was throbbing and she had to limp across the lawn. Of course Nick noticed; he noticed everything. It was one of his most annoying, and amazing, qualities.

“Break time,” Nick said firmly. She leaned on him as he helped her up the stairs to her room. Leaning on people wasn’t generally her thing, but in Nick’s case, she made an exception.

In her room, she changed out of her shorts and into comfy yoga pants, then stretched out onto her stomach, her feet dangling over one edge of the bed, her head propped on her folded arms.

“If only those assholes had shot me in the front of my leg instead of the back,” she grumbled. “My life would be a lot easier.”

“Are you hungry?”

“Terribly.”

“Be right back.”

He whisked himself out of the room. She sighed and allowed her eyes to close, and her body to rest.

She thought about the time in Oslo when she’d infiltrated a conference of oil execs, filched a password, and diverted a steady stream of small contributions to Save Our Oceans. Afterwards, she’d closed herself up in a hotel room and ordered room service champagne to celebrate—alone. Same as when she’d spent time in Argentina hacking into the network of an arms manufacturer. Those funds had gone to Doctors Without Borders. That time, she’d celebrated with Prosecco and strawberries—alone.

Ever since her father had gone to prison, she’d been a lone ranger. But now…

Nick came back into the room carrying a serving tray from the kitchen. He set it on the nightstand, giving her a glimpse of one of Big Eddie’s tuna melt paninis and a bowl of cherry tomatoes that might have just come from the greenhouse. There was also a pile of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven. And iced tea.

“Big Eddie sends his love,” said Nick.

“He’s a god among men.” She hauled herself into a sitting position that didn’t hurt her thigh. “Don’t get jealous, you have your moments too.”

This time when she searched her heart, she found very little anger against Nick still lingering. He was a good man; she wasn’t used to that.

Nick handed her the sandwich plate. “Fuel up, because we have work to do.”

“We’re kind of at a dead end, aren’t we? April’s not saying anything else.”

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