Page 52 of Craving Sin (Touch of Evil 13)

“See? The day hasn't been wasted, after all.” Jacob's tone held a conversational quality that suggested Brook may have overlooked something. He glanced at the bag she was holding. “I must have a faulty memory. I genuinely believed the young girl’s remains were in this ice cave. Do you think Nanuq moved them during the years I was…well, otherwise occupied?”

Russell hefted the two bags in his hands and stepped forward, his movements deliberately placing his body between Brook and Jacob. She would have nodded her appreciation, but Jacob continued speaking as if there had never been an interruption.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“No.” Brook waited for Russell to stand beside her before turning to face the other federal agent. “Victor, make sure he’s ready to go.”

“Really?” Jacob asked once more, though this time a little less casually. “You’re no fun, sis.”

Brook halted, a sigh escaping her lips before she could trap it. She could sense Russell watching her. When she met his gaze, his expression was carefully neutral. Still, there was enough concern that he didn’t proceed without her.

She turned back, adjusting her stance to appear unconcerned.

“I was wondering something, actually. Did you ever ask yourself why my colleagues didn't join me on this little hike of ours?”

A flicker of something—not quite uncertainty, but a recalibration—passed through his expression. His gaze once again dropped briefly to the bag in her hand before returning to her face.

“Perhaps they finally realized that being associated with you isn't in their best interests,” Jacob offered, his tone suggesting he was merely continuing a friendly conversation. “Professional hazard, I imagine. How many careers have you derailed over the years, Brooklyn?”

“Being in prison must have really solidified your place in fantasyland.” Brook noted the slight narrowing of Jacob's eyes in response. “You see, we've known about Mekhi Hale for months. Turns out, he's been a wealth of information.”

“And what pearls of wisdom did the old fisherman share with them?” Jacob asked after a long pause.

“I'll catch you up on the flight back to D.C.,” Brook said, turning again to leave.

“Why not tell me now?” Jacob called after her. “We have such a lovely view up here. Perfect setting for the end of a story, wouldn’t you agree?”

Brook paused and shifted her stance once again. She studied her brother with renewed interest. His posture remained comfortable against the rock face, but there was a new intensity in his focus. Not just on her, but on the conversation itself.

He was stalling.

The question was why.

“It's over, Jacob,” Brook replied quietly, the words carrying in the still mountain air. “Whatever you had planned, whatever you thought would happen up here…it's done. We found Lusa. We figured out who killed Kate. Our objectives are complete.”

Jacob's gaze dropped again, but she realized that he wasn’t interested in the bag. His attention was slightly above the handle. She followed his line of sight to her wrist, where her watch displayed the time—3:29 pm.

A cold dread settled in her stomach.

He had been tracking the time.

“Is it over, Brooklyn?”

“Boss?” Bit's voice came through the radio before she could respond to Jacob’s taunt. “Boss, you have to get out of there.”

Russell muttered a harsh expletive while Victor took a step closer to Jacob, his hand moving to the restraints as if to verify they were still secure.

Brook swept her gaze across their surroundings. The ridge where they stood, the steep slopes falling away on either side, the narrow trail leading down…nothing seemed immediately amiss. Still, years of working with Bit had taught her to trust his warnings.

“Boss?” Bit's voice had taken on an edge of panic now, the sound distorting slightly through the small speaker. “Boss, do you copy? Something bad is?—”

A thunderous boom cut through the air, the sound rolling across the mountain peak like a physical wave. She quickly scanned the incline above them, where a cloud of dust and debris was already billowing outward from a point several hundred yards higher.

“Go, go, go!”

Brook was already moving, lunging toward the entrance of the cave as the first rocks began to tumble down the mountainside. They gained mass and momentum, causing Brook to duck instinctively as pebbles and rock fragments pelted her. Victor disappeared into the crevice behind Jacob. Russell, on the other hand, had lifted one of the bags to protect them, all but pushing her through the crevice first.

She didn’t waste time, somehow managing to slip through the thin entrance at a rapid pace. She hadn’t released the bag, so she dragged it in behind her as jagged edges of the wall cut into her cheek. The severe vibration of the explosion made it so she didn’t feel any pain, but that could have also been due to her adrenaline.

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