by Cate Beauman
“You’re right.” He didn’t want to fight with her. “Let’s go find that animal.”
“The lynx.”
“Right.” He glanced over his shoulder through the large picture window, more than ready to go. “So, what’s the plan?”
Morgan folded her list, placed the paper in her pack. “I’m not entirely sure, to be honest, but I’ll have a better idea after today. The last lynx tracks were measured and photographed north of here almost three months ago. Lynx are nocturnal unless food is scarce, so I don’t necessarily expect to see one, but I do want to go to the last documented area of activity. I think it’ll be best to start there since these animals are almost never seen.”
Hunter pulled a light gray hoodie over his head. “I’m just along for the hike. You do what you have to.”
“We’re looking at four miles one way. We’ll be gone for a good part of the day.”
“Let’s do it. I’m going stir crazy in this place.” Hunter spent the last two days stuck in the ranger’s station while Morgan completed her initial report for the Bureau. He’d checked in with Ethan several times, hoping for new information on her friends—there wasn’t any. He’d read a true crime novel from cover to cover and played all the solitaire, free cell and mahjong tiles he could stand.
He needed fresh air and physical activity, and was looking forward to watching Morgan in professional mode. The pictures he’d seen of her with her team—covered in grime, and wearing the red bandana in her hair—flashed through his mind. He wanted to see that side of her, the facet of her life that intrigued him and added substance to her privileged existence and stunning beauty. The confident, intelligent, career-focused woman Morgan appeared to be attracted the hell out of him.
She gave him a smile as she zipped her windbreaker and slipped the daypack on her back. “Let’s go then. I need to stop by the shed and grab my tracking equipment.”
They stepped from the cabin into the cool morning air as Hunter shouldered his own bag. He cinched the shoulder straps along the way. “Why don’t I carry your stuff?”
“No, I can handle it. I’m only bringing the absolute essentials today so my pack will be pretty light. I’ve packed the tranq-gun and collar with my supplies—just in case.”
Morgan unlocked the shed, grabbed the small nylon bag from inside the door.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry that?”
She shook her head. “No, really, I’m good.”
Hunter made a circling motion with his finger. “Turn around.”
When she did, he took the equipment bag, unzipped her daypack, placed it inside.
She turned, facing him, giving him a small smile. “Thanks.”
He smiled back, enjoying the tenuous peace they’d come to find over the past couple of days. They’d gone almost forty-eight hours without a single argument—a miracle in his estimation. “No problem.”
The steady twitter of birdsong played through the trees, growing louder as they moved closer to the trail leading north of the ranger’s station. Hunter took a deep breath, filling his lungs with crisp, clean air, appreciating the lack of smog that was a part of his everyday life in L.A.
The sun continued its rise over the majestic mountains, bathing snowcapped peaks in light, cloaking the valleys below in shadows, enhancing an already breathtaking view.
The first mile of the hike passed quickly with the steady pace they kept. Hunter’s muscles warmed and he was ready—eager—for a full day of exercise. His body, used to grueling workouts, craved to be taxed. Morgan led the way with him two steps behind. He was pleased her petite body could move.
Morgan pulled a small map from the side-pocket of her cargo pants, traced her finger along the blue line, announced they were at the halfway point. Hunter glanced at his watch; they were making excellent time.
Further up the trail, the path twisted and turned. Massive tree roots and large rocks peppered the ground, forcing them to slow a bit as the terrain became more uneven.
Hunter’s breath began to puff with the effort of the climb. This was a perfect way to spend the day.
When the path evened out, Morgan fell into step beside him. “So, this must be better.”
He met her gaze. “What?”
“Being outside.” She made a sweeping motion with her arm. “Being in the fresh air, moving around.”
“I certainly don’t hate it.”
“You must’ve been miserably bored these last couple days. I feel kinda bad.”
He shrugged. “There’s a lot of boredom that goes along with my job. The movies make it look pretty exciting, but mostly it’s planning and waiting around.”
“Do you like it?”
He shrugged again. “It pays the bills.”
“Care to expand on that?”
“Not really.”
“You’re quite the conversationalist. You must be boatloads of fun on a first date.”
He smiled. “I don’t get many complaints.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you don’t.”
He chuckled as she grinned. “All right, you want to talk, let’s talk. I’ll ask the first question. Now that you’ve finished with the damn paperwork, can we finally head out into backcountry?”
“Ah, a professional exchange. Boring, Hunter, very, very boring, but I guess we’ll start there.”
As Morgan answered his question, Hunter stopped listening. The occasional rustle in the distance caught his attention. The sound was too persistent, too patterned to be debris falling from trees or animals moving about. He knew they were being followed.
The steep, rocky terrain on one side and sheer drop on the other made a quick retreat back to the station all but impossible. He had two choices: find cover and disable their tail, or keep going. If someone was keeping an eye on them, there was a reason. They were making someone nervous and he planned to figure out why. He debated whether he should tell Morgan.
Hunter stopped. Morgan halted beside him. “What are you doing?”
He took her hand and pulled her close, turning her slightly, shielding her body with his and a pine tree. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug and she stiffened.
“No, seriously, Hunter, what are you doing?”
“Smile.”
She frowned. “What?”
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Just do it.”
She did.
“We’re being followed.”
Morgan’s eyes widened and the fear showed. His arms tightened around her waist as she started to pull away.
“Stay right here. Keep looking at me, Morgan, right into my eyes and listen. I don’t want him to know I’m on to him. We don’t have many options at this point, so we’ll keep moving. You’ll look for your lynx and I’ll keep you safe. We’ll both do our jobs.”
“But—”
“No buts. We’re going to continue hiking. You’ll do exactly what I say. You’ll walk slightly ahead of me. That’s all you have to do at this point.”
He kissed her cheek as if they were two lovers on a pleasure hike. “Trust me, Morgan. Do what I say and we’ll be fine.”
She nodded. “Okay, I will.”
“We need to turn to the right, just a little. You’ll reach under my sweatshirt and unsnap the holster on my gun. Keep smiling at me. Move your hands slowly and calmly, as if you put them on me all the time, as if they belong there. I’m sure the fucker has his binoculars trained on us right now. We’ll let him think he’s about to enjoy a show.”
Hunter nuzzled Morgan’s neck, turned her to the right as her hands casually moved down his body. Her fingers snuck beneath his hoodie, trembling against the t-shirt he wore underneath.
He grazed her ear with his lips. Despite the situation, he couldn’t help but feel the heat sizzle through his system when her breathing quickened. “You’re doing fine. Did you find the snap?”
“Yes.” She released the strap and slowly removed her hands from under the sweatshirt.
His pulse pounded and he no longer knew if it was due to the kick of adrenaline brought on by the danger they faced or the surge of desire she made him feel. “Take my hand for a minute while we walk. I want this to look natural. I’ll give you a little squeeze when I want you to let go. Remember, stay ahead of me and don’t look around, only straight ahead. Everything will be all right.” He brushed his lips against hers, watched her frightened eyes grow bold and determined. She nodded and he had no choice but to let her go.
They continued along the rocky terrain with hands clasped tightly. Hunter gave her hand a gentle squeeze, felt her hesitation before she let go. She stayed in front of him, and he adjusted his movements so his body blocked hers. He focused on the occasional crack of branches. They were still being followed.
They made their way to the coordinates Morgan marked on her map by mid-morning. Two hours had passed since they left the cabin, but after Hunter’s announcement time seemed to stand still.
Morgan’s initial reaction had been to run after his words registered, but he’d held her close, calming her, hypnotizing her with his blue eyes and firm, steady voice. Although someone followed them, she’d only thought of him.
When Hunter’s callused hands rested against her cheeks, he’d told her everything would be all right, and she’d believed him, trusted him. The reality of their situation came rushing back when he released her from his grip, stepping away and breaking eye contact.
She hadn’t felt safe after that. Letting go of him had been one of the hardest things she’d ever done. As the warmth of his palm left hers, she realized how much she’d come to depend on him, how much she needed him.
He’d kept close as the terrain steepened to an almost forty-five degree pitch, slowing their pace considerably, making her calf muscles scream, but they finally arrived at their destination. Huge boulders and tall pines occupied much of the area—a great hiding place for a lynx.
Rigid and tense, Morgan turned to face Hunter with map in hand. “We’re here. This should be the spot. What do I do now?”
“What you came here for. We have pretty good coverage with all of the rocks and trees. Just do what you normally would and let me take care of the rest. If our plans change, you’ll be the first to know.”
Morgan studied Hunter before reaching into her pack for her field book and notes. He didn’t seem overly concerned. “I want to do a small search of the area and see if I can find any fresh prints or guard hairs. We’ll expand our radius from here.”
“What the hell’s a guard hair?”
Morgan’s shoulders relaxed. She smiled. “It’s the outer coat of hair on a mammal. The hairs help keep the animal dry. If I get a sample, we can send it out for confirmation that a lynx has been in the area. The tracks photographed are consistent.” She showed him a picture of the footprint, then pointed to the identical print in her field guide. “But we always want to be sure.” Unable to help herself, she glanced behind her, knowing somewhere close someone watched. Her shoulders coiled tight again.
Hunter put his hand on her arm and she turned back, staring into his eyes. “Hey, I’ve got this, Morgan. We’re safer here among these boulders and trees than we were on the trail. Trust that I know how to do my job, that I know how to keep you safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Morgan placed her hand over his, gave a gentle squeeze before she nodded and glanced back at her field guide.
After an hour of crawling around on the forest floor, looking for fresh tracks, and scanning branches for hairs without luck, Morgan sat on a rock with her bottle of water.
Hunter settled on a fallen tree close by, blocking her body from possible openings.
Morgan unzipped her jacket, took it off. “It’s actually pretty warm up here.”
“It’s July. It should be. Hell, it should be hot. If I were back in L.A., I wouldn’t be wearing a damn sweatshirt. I’d be in sandals and short sleeves.”
“We’re pretty elevated up here. It’ll be cooler than the summer temperatures we’re used to, but I’m not complaining. At least we’re on the northeast side of the park—it’s warmer and drier than other sections. We could actually get snow, but now that summer’s in full bloom we don’t have to worry too much.”
Morgan’s eyes darted as tension strained her voice despite their casual conversation.
She pressed a hand to her growling stomach and bent forward, reaching into her pack. “I’m on edge, but I’m also starving. Are you ready for lunch?”
“Yeah, I could eat.”
On full alert, Hunter continued his scan of the trees in the distance. Fifty yards from where they sat, the quick flash of sun on glass caught his attention. He didn’t want to alarm Morgan or make whoever followed them aware, so he made sure his eyes continued their scan—as if he were enjoying the beauty of the nature surrounding them.
Hunter gave Morgan a small smile when she handed him a sandwich thick with ham and cheese from the double sealed container. He took a bite. “Mm, good.”
“Enjoy it while it lasts. Cold cuts won’t be on the menu when we head into backcountry. We’ll both be sick of beans, rice, and pasta by the time we’re done here.” She flashed a quick smile, rolled her eyes before she took a bite of her sandwich.
A twig cracked in the distance.
Morgan stopped chewing. “Did you hear that?”
Hunter lost sight of their tail.
Another branch snapped, much closer this time—a little too close for Hunter’s liking. He unholstered his gun and stood.
Morgan started to stand. “What—”
He put his hand on her shoulder, keeping her down. “Get on the ground by the rock and don’t move.”
“But what—”
Hunter didn’t stick around for her question. He took off at a dead run in a zig-zag pattern, hurdling rocks with gun in hand, ready to fire.
Hunter caught quick glimpses of a man wearing army fatigues and a boonie hat, running at a fast clip. He knew their stalker was long gone, and he was getting too far away from Morgan.
He wanted to pursue, to track the bastard down, but it wasn’t an option. With little choice, he stopped, listening until the footsteps faded. Confident the man wouldn’t be back, Hunter ran to where he left Morgan.
He holstered his gun, slowing to a steady jog as he got closer.
Wide-eyed, Morgan stood. “My God.”
He stopped in front of her. “I didn’t tell you to get up. Never get up until I give you the all-clear.”
“Okay, fine. Whatever. Why did you take off? Hasn’t he been following us all day?”
“He got too close.” Hunter took off his hoodie and guzzled water.
“Do you think he’s the killer? What if he was going to try to murder us? Maybe this is the game he played with Shelly and the guys. I bet it’s some sicko who stalks his prey for fun before he shoots them.”
“I didn’t get that impression. He had several opportunities to shoot at us, but I don’t think that was the goal. Someone is keeping tabs on us, but why? There’s the real question. If I’d thought we were in trouble, I would’ve taken care of the situation long before now.”
Morgan’s eyes grew wide again. “What does that mean? You would’ve killed him? You say that like it’s no big deal.”
“No, it’s a very big deal, but I’ll do what I have to to protect you. I think we should consider hanging this whole thing up, Morgan. We need to have a serious conversation about pulling the plug and heading back to D.C.”
Morgan shook her head. He was surprised by the battle light burning in her eyes. He knew she’d been on-edge for most of the day and figured she would be more than happy to follow his suggestion and go home.
“No, absolutely not. I’m not about to let some asshole scare me. I have a job to do here.”
“
That may be, but that was before someone decided to tag along on our hike.”
“I can’t go. I won’t. If you want out, fine, but I’m staying.”
He didn’t miss the hint of desperation in her voice and wondered about it. “Then I guess we’re staying together, but I’ll give you fair warning. I don’t like what’s going on here. If I continue to not like it, I’m putting you on the first plane back to D.C.”
“That isn’t the agreement you made with my father. You’re being paid for the month. When the month is up, I’ll put myself on a plane and go back to D.C.”
Her haughty tone irritated him. He put a little heat behind his words. “If I call your father and tell him what went on here today, he’ll come out and get you himself.”
She took a step forward. “You go ahead and call whoever the hell you want, but I’m not going anywhere. My father isn’t in charge of my life. I am. As I said before, if you’re out then get out, but don’t you dare talk to me as if the two of you make my choices.” She picked up her pack and headed back toward the ranger’s station.
Morgan walked down the steep path slippery with dry pine needles. As her anger faded, she slowed her pace, not wanting to get too far away from Hunter—not that he would allow that to happen. And if truth be told, the arrangement suited her just fine.
Followed. They’d actually been followed. She shuddered. The thought of having every move she made watched disturbed her. If Hunter hadn’t made her aware, she would’ve gone through her day oblivious, and that terrified her.
But why? Hunter was right. That was the question. How did a day hike to track an animal make someone nervous, and more, how had the person known their plans? She looked deep into the surrounding trees, wondering if she was still being stalked.
Hunter picked up his pace, walked closer, no more than four or five steps behind, and she relaxed. Morgan played back their latest argument, closed her eyes for a heartbeat. She didn’t want him to go and leave her here to do this on her own.
It shamed her to think she’d almost agreed with him. She’d almost let herself be talked into going back to D.C. without answers. Didn’t her friends deserve them?