Page 59 of Long Gone

I shook my head. This was a bad idea.

“You have two choices,” he said an even tone as he stopped in front of me. “You either accept my help, no questions asked, or I get in the Jeep and leave.”

I was tempted to tell him to leave. I understood his involvement in my search for Ava Peterman, but this…while I believed the man he was after had done bad things, the question was what he was going to do if he got the information he needed. What if he resorted to murder again? I wasn’t sure I could condone that again.

Still, he had provided a Jeep that looked built for the task.

I propped my hands on my hips. “Do you expect me to share what I find with you?”

“You tell me whatever the fuck you want,” he said, lifting his brow in a silent challenge. “And I’ll do the same.”

I wasn’t comfortable with this. At. All. I was considering renting my own all-terrain vehicle when he said, “A storm’s due in early tonight. A mixture of snow, rain, and ice. If it rains an inch or more, this land will be untraversable for several days, perhaps a week or more if the forecast is right about the heavy rain mixed with snow. So it’s either ride with me, or wait a week or more.”

“Fine.” I knew a storm was coming, so he hadn’t lied. I just hadn’t paid attention to the expected amount, which had been incredibly stupid.

“You got a warmer coat than that?” he asked, flinging a hand in my direction.

“Since when do you care about my comfort?”

“I’m driving an open Jeep out on land for possibly hours. A cold front is moving in and it’s only going to get colder.”

I wanted to tell him to fuck off, but that would feel like giving him a win. “This coat is warmer than it looks, and I have a hat.” I pulled a knit cap out of my pocket and tugged it over my head to prove my point. I didn’t bother to tell him my coat was down lined, and I’d worn it in colder temperatures than this.

“Got any more arguments?” he asked.

“You’re the one questioning my judgment in outerwear. I’ve resigned myself to having you as my tour guide. Do you know why I’m out here?”

“You’re looking for the proverbial golden needle in the haystack. You’re looking for Hugo Burton’s body.”

“I probably won’t find it. As you alluded, it’s a nearly impossible task.”

“And yet here we are, standing next to a four-wheel-drive Jeep. Get in.”

I grabbed my cell phone out of my car, along with my thermal mug and the map Anton had helped me create, then locked the door and popped the trunk to grab my boots. Malcolm was already sitting in the driver’s seat when I tossed my boots onto the floor behind the passenger seat, then climbed in beside him.

“Do I want to know where this came from?”

“It’s Misti’s brother’s.” He shot me another look as he started the engine. “There’s a blanket in the back. I don’t want you whining that you’re cold, forcing us to turn back.”

I lifted my chin. “I don’t whine.”

“No, you drink.” His gaze dropped to my side. “I’m guessing you have a flask in that coat pocket.”

I hated that he was right. “Fuck you,” I snapped.

His mouth lifted into a one-sided grin. “We’ve discussed my lack of interest before. Now you’re just embarrassing yourself.”

I bit my tongue to keep from telling him to fuck off. He didn’t waste any time backing out of the space, so I grabbed a support bar to keep myself seated. “I take it you have a plan?”

“Always.” He shot me a glance. “Do you?”

“I did have one.”

“I don’t intend to interfere with that, but it makes sense to start at the beginning of the property and work our way back.”

He had a point, but with our limited time and the size of the property, this wasn’t how I would have done it. Not without a large group of canvassers. But I held my tongue as he barreled toward the gate, then did a U-turn at the entrance and came to a stop.

He shot me a glance. “You closed the gate.”

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