Page 22 of Echoes of Sin

By this time, they’d finally reached the peak.

They both came to a stop, and Dominic seemed to hesitate with his answer. Theo’s gaze never wavered, because he wasn’t about to be worked over by a blogger who saw a way to increase his viewership.

Brooklyn Sloane wasn’t fodder to be used in such a manner.

She’d worked hard to get where she was today. There had been many missteps, but she’d finally reached a point where she wasn’t going through the motions. She was no longer living just for the sake of apprehending her brother.

It had taken close to two years, but she no longer viewed the team as mere colleagues. They’d become a family of sorts, and she was learning that it was okay to form relationships. Having Jacob behind bars was just the icing on the cake, and Theo wasn’t about to let anyone steal Brook’s dessert.

“I didn’t mean any harm,” Dominic said as he lifted both hands in mock surrender. “I was just curious.”

As far as Theo was concerned, the conversation was over.

There was a large boulder off to the right, so Theo made his way in that direction while shrugging out of his backpack. He set it down on the large rock so that it was easier for him to retrieve the satellite phone. It didn’t take him long to connect with Bit.

“Hey, Big T. Boss just brought back the best pizza that I have ever tasted in my life. I was going to save you a slice, but I definitely don’t have that kind of willpower. How’s that protein bar of yours?”

“You’re lucky that I’m over two hours away, Bit,” Theo replied wryly as he scanned the area. They were in a region that didn’t have as many trees, and there didn’t seem to be any sign of life other than a few birds flapping their wings in the trees above. Most of them had fallen silent the moment he and Dominic had come into view. “Nothing to report. Anything from Sylvie?”

“Little T didn’t find any sign of a crime scene, but she did say that there was some disturbance in one of the abandoned structures. Probably from wildlife, but she took some pictures just in case. Boss had lunch with Sheriff Jackson.”

Theo had gotten to know Bit’s tones rather well, and there was something more to know regarding Brook’s lunch with the sheriff.

“I’m sure that I’ll hear all about it over that pizza you owe me, but not right now.” Theo noticed the slight shake of Dominic’s head. He’d slid his tongue over his teeth in exasperation, as if Theo had taken their previous conversation out of context. Well, Dominic would just have to get over the intended slight. “I’ll touch base in an hour.”

Theo signed off before Bit could say anything else, fully expecting Dominic to launch into a speech about how he could be trusted with information. That might be the case, but Theo didn’t see any reason to test that pledge. Oddly enough, Dominic’s attention had been diverted to the reason Theo had wanted to canvass this particular area in the first place.

“Smoke,” Theo murmured as he stared at the wisp weaving itself through the air. The thin, elongated line twisted with the gentle breeze and was eventually carried off as if it had never existed. “What do you think?”

“Someone is trying to start a fire. They’re probably using too much kindling,” Dominic said as he glanced around their immediate surroundings. “You know, that might be one of the trails that Erika and Jace are working off of today.”

“You think they’re in trouble?”

“Nah,” Dominic immediately replied. He started to walk in that direction, and Theo followed suit. “Both are competent hikers. I wager that it’s probably some hikers trying to set up camp.”

“Isn’t it a little early?”

“Some hikers like to camp for the weekend, but some don’t want to be too far from town. Moonshine Valley is about two hours from here, but Black Oak is about an hour hike from the west.” Dominic sidestepped uneven ground for more solid footing. Theo did the same while keeping an eye on the area where the smoke seemed to have originated from. “Hikers set up camp, and then they explore.”

Theo and Dominic might have walked for another eight minutes when the campsite finally came into view. Sure enough, there were three tents set up and one person tending to a small flame that wasn’t even large enough to call a campfire.

“Need help?” Dominic asked loudly so as not to startle the woman.

“I think I’ve got it now,” she said with a laugh. “I spilled some water when I went to put the pot on the tripod, and then I had to start over.”

The flames began to dance and grow, casting another faint line of smoke into the air. There was a pot off to the side, but she made no attempt to hook the handle over the tripod.

“See? All good now.” The woman flashed a smile before tilting her head in curiosity. “I’m Selena, by the way. I volunteered to stay behind and get started on a late lunch. The others should be back soon.”

Selena appeared to be in her mid-twenties. She had brown hair that she wore in a messy bun, and she couldn’t have been two or three inches over five feet. She’d been smart to say that she didn’t expect to be alone for too long.

“I’m Dominic, and this is Theo. We’ve been—”

“We’re just passing through,” Theo interrupted to reassure her that she wouldn’t have to make small talk for long. Dominic had obviously been going to share the reason they were hiking, but Theo didn’t want to frighten the woman. “Enjoy your weekend.”

Theo made sure that Dominic had no choice but to follow him. It wasn’t long before they’d hit the trail that Dominic had mentioned earlier. Theo didn’t want to overlap the territory that Erika and Jace were covering, so he finally came to a stop.

“You don’t think that we should have warned Selena? Your boss talked a lot about that profile of hers, and Selena seems to check all the boxes, doesn’t she?”

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