And the betrayal still stung.
Dani headed inside to the bathroom, so he went and rummaged through the back of his closet. In a box, he found some jeans, a short-sleeved T-shirt, and a sweatshirt. His sister liked to visit, but when was the last time she’d been around? They’d used to come visit their grandparents all the time as kids. But now Melanie had two children of her own, and Grizz had thrown himself into his work.
How long had Grizz gone without seeing his family? When he wasn’t working wildfire season, the wordhermitapplied to him, but it wasn’t like he’d planned to be this way. He laid out the clothes on the bed and moved to his lookout on the front porch.
He was much better on his own. Relationships just complicated things, and he liked his life simple. Predictable, in a way. He could trust himself to get the job done, but when it came to others? That was way too unpredictable for his tastes.
But there was nothing routine or simple about today. Dani was in trouble. Josh was missing. And the bad guys were out there. Grizz could feel it in his bones. Something wasn’t right about this situation.
After a while, he headed in and settled on the couch so he could continue to puzzle it out and try to figure out how everything fit together. Had she found evidence that the SOR had a secondary hideout? He’d heard talk that they might have another camp, but nothing had been confirmed.
Grizz sat upright. He must have fallen asleep, and now he wondered what had woken him. Then he heard the sound of someone stumbling around in the bedroom.
Exactly at sunrise, Dani emerged from his bedroom, dressed in an oversized gray University of Alaska sweatshirt. She still had on those stupid white fluffy boots. At least they looked comfortable.
“Thank you for the clothes. They mostly fit, and they aren’t caked with mud.” Her straight blonde hair hung in waves around her face, and she’d washed the mud out. She looked younger now, even though he knew she had to be around his age—thirty-two. Without all the layers of makeup, her true beauty rang through.
He gave her a mug of coffee and a granola bar. “Sorry, I haven’t stocked up at the store recently since I don’t spend much time up here in the summer. Hopefully we can make it down the mountain and get some breakfast.”
She put the coffee on the kitchen table and squinted, pressing a hand against her forehead.
“Does your head still hurt?” he asked.
“I have a pounding headache. I think it’s the light from the window. But I just want to get out there and look for Josh.”
“It’s still raining, but it’s not a total downpour, so we should be able to look for him.”
He grabbed the backpack of supplies—water, snacks, and other survival gear. His Sig Sauer sat snug on his hip, under his jacket.
They headed to the ATV, and Dani climbed on behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist. So much for her earlier cringing with fear at his nearness.
Their nice clean clothes wouldn’t last long as the ATV sprayed mud. Grizz navigated the treacherous terrain.
“Wow. Those houses below are amazing.” She pointed at the mansions built in an exclusive resort area that spread out below them to the west in a break in the trees.
“A few celebrities and politicians that want to get off the grid for a while have summer houses here.”
It took about forty-five minutes to get to the spot where he’d found her. Grizz kept trying his phone, but no luck. The storm must have knocked out the cell towers. He’d have to rely on his team to realize he’d run into trouble and send reinforcements. Except why would they? Most likely his crew would assume his mission had been a success and that he’d headed to his cabin for the night. How long would it be before they sent a search party?
The main road that fed the various trails had been washed out.
He stopped the ATV and grabbed his backpack. “We’ll have to go on foot from here. But we need to be careful. There are some dangerous things going on in these woods.” She’d stumbled into something big, and he couldn’t discount her judgment.
He pointed to the boulder beside a slick wash of mud and debris, then up the mountain. “This is where I found you. You fell from up there.”
So far, nothing seemed to jog her memory. She stared with wide eyes, taking it all in but saying nothing.
He led her up the hill, picking an easy path that steered clear of the shifting mud and earth that continued to flow down. Grizz kept an eye out for any signs of danger. Just in case any gunmen from yesterday were still around.
Dani turned in a circle, waving her arms. “This is so frustrating. Why can’t I remember? Nothing looks familiar.”
Wet leaves and branches mashed into the earth under his boots. His legs burned with the exertion. Last night’s sprint in the mud had taken a toll on him. If he was aching, Dani must be?—
“What’s that?” Dani picked up her pace.
He followed her pointed finger. Something glinted in the flickering sunlight through the trees.
Grizz hiked to the spot and saw the object half stuck in the earth. He picked it up and wiped the dirt away with the edge of his sleeve. “It’s a camera.”
