Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
MAX
“Just behave as normally as possible,” Nate told Bailey, his voice coming through my headset clearly even though he was miles away. “We don’t want them to catch on that anything is different.”
I held my tongue even though I wanted to point out that Bailey was a terrible actor, and acting like nothing was wrong would be difficult for her. She was too genuine in her emotions. Everything she felt showed on her face.
Instead, I concentrated on adjusting the headset so that I’d be able to hear every breath she took.
I hated that I wasn’t with her. She shouldn’t be out alone in the forest again this soon. But my opinion had been overruled. Nate had suggested that I wait at the Castle River hut along with a handful of armed police officers if I was that worried.
So here I was, waiting with my emergency medical kit and my heart in my throat as the woman I wanted to build a life with intentionally ventured alone into the wilderness to tempt a violent criminal out of hiding.
This was a terrible plan.
In an attempt to distract myself, I looked around. There was a cop stationed by the door, another at the radio, and two more sitting out of view of the windows in case anyone happened to look this way.
Outside, sunlight dappled the stones on the riverbed, and the forest rose around us, alive with birdsong and crickets chirping.
It should have been peaceful.
It wasn’t.
“Drive to the starting point and do everything the same way you usually would,” Nate said, coming through loud and clear.
“What if they know where I’m going, and they’re waiting in the parking lot?”
My stomach tightened at the nerves in Bailey’s voice. She was putting on a brave face, but she was scared.
“I’ll be right behind you,” Nate assured her. “There are other officers on the trail—some hidden and others pretending to be hikers. If anything goes wrong, someone will be there to help, and don’t forget that as long as you have your backpack, we’ll be able to track you.”
“True.”
She had the GPS tracker—a kind of miniature locator beacon like the one she usually carried, but with less functionality—in her backpack.
I was grateful for that because I didn’t have as much faith in the police support crew as Nate did.
Unless there were cops stationed every few hundred meters, there was no guarantee that they’d arrive quickly enough to be any help.
The only thing that would have eased my mind about this more fully was someone—preferably me—accompanying her. I was no great fighter, but I’d put myself between her and any danger.
Unfortunately, when I’d suggested that I walk with her, Nate had vetoed the idea immediately. According to him, the attacker might hesitate to make a move if she wasn’t alone.
On her own, she presented the most tempting target.
I got up and walked to the window as if I’d be able to see Bailey arrive at the start of the trail even though acres of forest separated us.
“Don’t just stand there,” one of the cops said quietly. “If you’re going to hover, you need to look like you’re doing something. Put the pot on the burner and pretend you’re boiling water.”
I did as she said, tuning in as Bailey spoke into the hidden microphone tucked inside the neck of her shirt, telling everyone who was listening to the feed that she’d turned onto the gravel road and was nearly at the parking area.
“How many cars do you see?” Nate asked.
“Four. A white ute, a forest green Suzuki truck, a silver Toyota, and a white Jeep.”
“All of those are with us,” Nate said.
There was silence for a moment. I lifted the lid on the pot and pretended to check the water inside. Not that I expected anyone was watching me, but this wasn’t my area of expertise, so I’d listen to the people who knew what they were doing.
“I’m getting out of the car,” she said, and I heard a door shut. “I’ve got my backpack on, and I’m setting up the new selfie stick right now. I’m pretending to talk into my phone.”
There was a long pause.
“The video is coming through clearly.” This came from Mehrtens, who was back at the station, monitoring the footage on her computer.
“Start walking and act as if it’s just a normal recording session,” Nate ordered.
Bailey started a chatty monologue about the Castle River trail and the history of the valley. Every now and then, she panned the phone camera around to show her surroundings, under the guise of pointing out an interesting landmark or a pretty bird.
“I haven’t seen any movement in the background so far,” Mehrtens reported. “Well, not except for the spot near the fallen tree where we had someone positioned. Might want to tell them to do a better job of staying still.”
“Bloody hell,” someone muttered—presumably the cop in question.
Bailey kept up her stream of one-sided conversation, and I rocked back on my heels. God, I wished I could see her face. Or better, hug her.
The ball of anxiety spooling inside me drew tighter and tighter over the course of the morning. By the time she reached the hut, it was all I could do to stay inside until she’d removed her shoes, entered, and closed the door.
I flew over and pulled her into a hug, grabbing her selfie stick and thrusting it into someone else’s hands. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.” Her mouth wobbled. “That was terrifying. Do you think maybe they aren’t here?”
“I don’t know.” If they were watching her as we suspected, then they should have known that she’d planned a solo hike for today.
She’d announced it on a livestream earlier in the week and posted once or twice since then.
She’d also mentioned it in passing to two of the biggest gossips in Destiny Falls.
“They might be waiting for you to get back to your car.” Nate’s voice was an unwelcome intrusion in my ear.
“I’m about a kilometer farther down the trail from you, taking up the rear, and I haven’t seen anyone.
It’s possible they’re counting on you being too tired to put up a fight on the trip back. ”
Bailey gave my shoulder a gentle push, and I released her. She dropped her backpack and dug around until she surfaced with a protein bar. She tore it open and took a bite.
“I’d usually eat something on the trail, but my stomach wouldn’t settle,” she explained around a mouthful of food.
“I’m not surprised. Mine would be unsettled, too, in your shoes.” As it was, I hadn’t managed to get anything down other than a coffee and a banana for breakfast.
Bailey sat on a wooden bench along one wall. “How long should I stay, Nate?”
“Maybe ten minutes,” Nate replied. “I think it would be best if you leave just as I’m getting to the hut so they don’t think we’re together.”
“Sure.”
Bailey finished the protein bar and ate a few cookies that one of the cops offered her before Nate appeared on the edge of the forest, and then she put her backpack on and headed out to don her shoes.
Ignoring Nate’s arrival, I watched as she disappeared into the trees, searching the shadows between them for any sign that someone was waiting there for her.
Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it—she made it back to her vehicle without running into anyone.
My shoulders dropped from around my ears as I heard her open the car door and put her gear inside.
“I’m getting into the car now,” she said, speaking softly. “I’ll head to Heather and Eugene’s place, like we discussed.”
“Lock the door,” I prompted, worried that she might be attacked as she slowly made her way down the access road. “Be careful.”
If anything happened to her, I’d lose my shit so spectacularly that everyone would think Nate was the calm twin for once.
She had to be okay.