She shook the memories of the hotshots from her mind. If she wanted to come out on top, she had to put in the hard work now. It was up to her to make things happen. No one was showing up to help her save her career. Not her family, friends, or even God. Josh was only here for the overtime. People had showed their true colors the moment Dani’s reporter status had soured and she wasn’t the media darling anymore.
No. Second place wasn’t an option for her.
She shook from Josh’s grasp on her arm and trudged forward. “We’ll make it there and back before dark, no problem. I’ve run a marathon before. How hard is a mile-and-a-half hike through the woods?”
Josh snorted. “Not that I want to agree with that hotshot—what was his name? Grizz? But are you sure you’re good in those boots?”
She looked down at her once-white fluffy ski boots, now brown and caked with dirt. “Well, I figured if they were good enough for skiing, they’d be fine for Alaska.”
What did she know about hiking, or skiing for that matter? She was more of an indoorsy girl. Maybe she should have done better research before booking the first flight out of DC after getting this lead.
Dani tucked fallen strands of her shoulder-length blonde hair back under her multicolor knit cap. “I can’t believe you’re taking that Neanderthal’s side. That guy was the definition ofbackwoods. I can’t believe he said we had a death wish. So insufferable. He practically yelled at us.”
It almost seemed like Alaskan Mountain Man had gotten under her skin.
No, she wouldn’t let that happen. Even if the guy was her type, relationships were just a distraction. She needed to focus on increasing her public approval ratings.
Dani shoved another tree branch out of her way only for it to whip back into her face. Who lived like this?
She looked around and saw nothing but brown and dark-green foliage. No noises except some buzzing insects or an occasional chirping bird. Her apartment in DC had all the modern conveniences a person wanted. But this? They were miles from that general store and restaurant they’d passed on the way up the mountain.
“Admit it, Dani, you’re out of your element. There’s no shame in us turning around. Especially when your lead is based on a rumor. The government isn’t even investigating this claim. Maybe we should just return to the hotshot base and wait for your friend to return.”
Without this story, she had nothing left. Her boss had read her the riot act.Don’t bother returning unless you have the story.
She tamped down her frustration and kept walking. “Something’s going on in these woods, and we’re going to be the first to report it.”
“Not sure it’s worth risking my life.”
“You can quit if you want, Josh. Go back and tell stories by the campfire with those hotshots. But I’m going to find out what’s happening with this secret lab in the woods. What if it’s a terrorist camp? We need to expose it so someone will investigate.”
He shook his head. “The hotshots wouldn’t give us the time of day. Not after our station roasted them on air. I don’t want to face them again.”
On the inside, Dani let out a sigh of relief.
She remembered the scathing story her station had run. It’d been a low blow when the hotshots had refused to take them to the location. She should have called ahead to make sure Skye was available this morning. They’d been friends since college, so when Rio’s investigation had been stonewalled, he’d had Skye feed her information about this dangerous group in the hope Dani could break the story wide open. Too bad the smokejumpers had been out fighting a fire when she and Josh had arrived. Instead of seeing Skye and letting her know Dani was on the case, they’d been shown the door.
She refused to give up, even if it meant spending the night roughing it on the side of a mountain.
Which was exactly what those hotshots had predicted.
So what if she had a homemade map and zero outdoor survival skills? If she could swim in the Washington, DC fish tank of political piranhas, she could survive a mountain hike.
But hiking a mountain to an undisclosed location in the hopes of breaking a story?
Hold my extra-hot, sugar-free, oat milk latte…because this is where Dani Barlowe shines.
She pulled the map from her jacket pocket and studied it. A raindrop plopped on the paper, blurring the ink. She shielded it with her hand.
“Here’s where we parked the car, at the entrance to the national park. And I see the end of the nature trail, which means we should find another pathway that takes us up the mountain. We’re going to be just fine. You’ll see.”
As if to mock her, the Alaskan skies opened up, and rain soaked them. She shoved the map into her dry pocket, hoping it would stay protected.
After two and a half hours battling tree limbs, flooding, a deranged beaver, a snake, and an army of mosquitoes, they reached the end of the trail. The dirt path faded into overgrown shrubs and a wall of rocks.
Dani’s pulse hammered in her ears. She hadn’t come all this way to walk away with nothing. There had to be a second path to follow. So far, the map hadn’t gotten them lost. “Look, there’s a section of brush that’s worn down. I bet this is the way.”
Josh gaped at her. “Dani, I have a bad feeling about this.”
