Page 9 of Death Valley

“So, you say your sister is missing?” Red drawls, hooking his thumbs in his belt loops. “Three years is a long time to wait before looking.”

“I didn’t wait.” I keep my voice neutral. “There was an official search.”

“Ah.” His smile turns knowing. “And now you’re trying the unofficial route. I take it they didn’t do shit all.”

I shake my head.

“I guess the girl’s name sounds familiar,” Red goes on. “Lainey you says? Yeah, I think I remember now. She had a boyfriend with her?”

I nod and Cole shifts his weight, a subtle movement that somehow makes him more threatening. “Lot of things can happen in these mountains,” Cole says in a low voice. “Lot of places to disappear. To never be found.”

A darkness comes over his expression, as if the shadows in the barn are deepening. I find myself eyeing Hank. He hasn’t said a word this whole time, he’s just been watching and observing the same way I have. I don’t like that one bit. It’s one thing to be stuck in a small room with a bunch of large, brutish men, it’s another when one of them seems overly observant in a calculating kind of way.

Before I can respond to Cole’s comments, Jensen and Eli return. Jensen’s face is set, like he’s made a decision he’s not happy about. Eli looks troubled.

“You ride?” Jensen asks me.

I shake my head.

“Never?”

“Never.” I don’t mention that I tried to ride when I was young and being bucked off an ornery pony is why I’ve developed a casual fear of horses ever since.

He runs a hand through his hair, looking mildly annoyed before putting his hat back on. “There’s a storm coming tomorrow night. Could be snow. Mountains might be too dangerous for a few days. We’ll have to wait until it clears.” His eyes track over me, assessing. “We’ll use the time to teach you how to ride. Can’t have you falling off up there.”

I frown. “So I’m going with you?”

“You thought you weren’t?”

“No, I would have insisted otherwise,” I begin. “I just assumed you were going to say it’s too dangerous for a lady, or something like that.”

The corner of his mouth quirks up, making his eyes dance, and damn if it doesn’t make my stomach clench.

“Nah,” he says smoothly. “I never would have reckoned you for a lady.”

I should glare at that, but I decide to take it as a compliment. “Either way, I can learn fast.” Though as I say the words, the clench in my stomach turns into a wave of nausea.

“Better hope so. A lesson or two will have to be enough.” He turns to go, then stops. “Where are you staying?”

I shrug. “I need to find a motel. Any recommendations?”

“If you were fancy, I’d recommend the Four Seasons by Tahoe. But I think you’d be able to handle any Truckee establishment.”

“Guest cottage is empty,” Eli pipes up. “Makes more sense to stay here, start lessons early, doesn’t it?”

Jensen’s jaw tightens. If looks could kill, Eli would be ash on the barn floor. But he doesn’t contradict him.

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” I say carefully, watching their dynamic. I’d prefer to stay here so I can get a better handle onall of them. Everything about this place seems off and the more info I can get before we head up into the mountains, the better. Preparation is key.

“No imposition.” Eli’s smile is genuine, warm even. “Right, Jensen?”

A muscle tics in Jensen’s cheek. “Your choice,” Jensen says finally, giving me a hard look. “Cottage is there if you want it. We start in the morning either way.”

He strides out of the barn, leaving me with more questions than answers. Were Eli, Red, Hank, and Cole part of Jensen’s search party for the missing hiker? The news never mentioned he had a posse. What had Jensen and Eli discussed in those whispered conversations? And why do I get the feeling I’m missing something obvious?

Cole, Hank, and Red melt away into the shadows, leaving me alone with Eli. He’s watching me with something like sympathy.

“Don’t mind Jensen,” he says softly. “He takes the mountains seriously. We all do.”

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