by Debra Kayn
Though, she couldn't leave.
She'd spent the last eight years trying to find everything out about each of them. What little information she received gave her insight into what kind of men they were. The reports in the file had her spending every waking moment deep into the horrific details of Mark's life.
The assumptions she'd made, the story she'd taken as her own, made the man sitting beside her already a part of her. Though she hadn't known him until coming here, she obsessed over every little detail and knew enough to feel something for him and the others.
Mark set down his cup of coffee. "What do you want from us?"
"Nothing." She looked up into his eyes. "I swear, I didn't come here to interrupt your life or that of the others."
"Again, I ask...what do you want from us?"
As if the light went out behind his eyes, he shut down. His body stiffened. His voice took on an emotionless tone. Sitting in the bunker with him, she understood Mark would protect himself at all cost, and that included socially.
For the last two and a half weeks, she'd learned that he kept to himself. The only people he reached out to were Quint and Anders. Considering his attitude toward her, she'd even claim he was paranoid.
And, he had a right to be.
Because she wanted to make things easier for him, she accepted that no matter how badly she wanted to improve his life, telling him the truth would only burden him. He was a proud man, and she respected that.
She'd help him by working from the other side. He would never know it was she who brought justice down on the crimes committed against him and the others.
"I've recently become interested in how living the mountain life enriches people's lives compared to the fast-paced life of those living in big cities." She swallowed. "The community that has been formed in the area pointed me to business owners who've carved a supportive and growing niche for those living here and visiting. I've spent time at Anders' Lair, experiencing the entertainment offered. I'm sleeping in a tent at Bitterroot Campground, getting to know the visitors who come seeking relaxation and commune with nature. I came to Discover the Bitterroot because you have the only business that caters solely to outsiders where they can enjoy the vast recreational activities the mountain supplies."
Her heart thundered inside her. She hoped talking over his head would throw him off thinking she was here to hurt him.
The more she talked, the harder she tried to convince him how innocent her actions were because she wanted him to like her the same way she'd started caring about him through a file more than an inch thick.
"I understand people here don't like others putting their nose in their business, and I've tried to respect that unwritten law by paying for my stay and the activities I do." She inhaled. "Have I insulted you? I didn't mean to."
She waited for some kind of reaction from him, knowing he was always hard to read. While she'd covered the truth the best she could in her nervousness, she worried about inexorably making him more skeptical.
When she decided to come here, a big part of her wanted to find proof that everything in the file had happened. Seeing Mark, Anders, and Quint, learning more about how they thrived despite the odds thrown at them, she wished to leave and not disrupt their lives.
He picked up his mug and took a drink. "Who is getting the information you're collecting?"
"Nobody. My interest is strictly personal to see if the mountain lifestyle, per se, would appeal to others." She exhaled in relief. "It's research, basically. I work for an investment firm, and one of our clients presented us with an enticing idea to replicate a slower lifestyle within large corporations. This entails offering recreation, entertainment, and taking advantage of natural resources all within the property of the holder. Like an oasis while at work where family members and employees could come together in a secure setting and form a community with their coworkers."
Mark stood and walked away. She scooted to the edge of the couch. Had she gone too far?
She really did work for an investment firm. Her job was to research ideas and presentations while working in the file room. While she'd molded her situation to something plausible in her world, would he feel threatened?
"It'll be daylight soon." He turned around. "You can go."
She stood, shocked that he'd dismiss her so quickly. There was something unspoken coming from him. She could feel the animosity directed at her.
Her frustration grew. She'd done nothing but cater to his demands. Dealing with him was a constant battle. Either he hated outsiders, or he hated her, and she couldn't leave without knowing how he felt toward her.
"You've asked me a question." She approached him. "May I ask you one?"
He leaned his hip against the counter and set his mug down. "No."
Her head snapped back. "Why not?"
"Because you're spewing bullshit." His gaze narrowed. "You've done nothing but lie since you asked to rent an ATV."
"I..." She blew out her cheeks, needing to change the subject. "What about you? You're always rude to me."
Her pulse raced, aware of how much bigger he was than her. She was inside a bunker. If she screamed, nobody would hear her.
He stepped toward her. "You've given me no reason to be nice."
"Well, there's no reason to be mean." She moistened her lips. "You've tried to make me go away every time I turn around."
"Then, listen to me." He lowered his head closer to her. "Get off the mountain."
Raising her chin, she refused to back away. "I won't let you bully me."
His gaze heated. Every muscle in her body tensed, leaving her shaking. There was no mistaking the look of a man who was turned on and she hadn't done anything to make him feel that way.
He focused on her lips. She pried her tongue from the roof of her mouth.
Her stomach retaliated with a quick flutter, betraying her common sense. Mark's lips parted. She breathed heavily, knowing his intent.
What she couldn't figure out was what spurred him into thinking about kissing her. Was it anger?
She could move away and stop what was going to happen. She could walk to the door and put an end to the insanity. She could tell him no.
She inhaled swiftly. Why was he taking so long?
He raised his hand and stopped himself before he touched her. She held her breath, willing him to do it. Kiss her and get it over with.
His heavy breathing reached her ears. Her pulse roared pounding her head. She wasn't his enemy.
"Go." The order low and emotional, he never budged.
Physically assaulted by the depth of his despair, she stumbled backward, grabbing her purse, and hurried to the stairs leading her out of the bunker.
As if being above ground gave her the much-needed air her body craved, she panted huge gulps of oxygen. She'd leave, but she wasn't going home yet.
Chapter 10
Kyle and Josh rode the last two rental ATVs out of the garage. Mark entered the front door of the house to find Quint lounging in the chair, his feet up on the desk. It came as no surprise that his friend arrived twenty minutes after he'd called him.
"Did you get any sleep?" Quint latched his hands behind his head. "You look like shit."
"Feel that way, too." Mark sat and rubbed his face.
Bringing Carly back to the bunker had been a mistake. Mostly, he was frustrated.
Despite her lies, he found himself attracted to her. Knowing the best thing would be for her to leave, he hated how he wanted her to stay.
"So, I take it, we're no closer to finding out the real reason Carly's here." Quint shook his head. "You know, she's only paid for two more days at the campground. There's nowhere else for her to stay unless she decides to keep roughing it or go back to the Lair."
An early customer arrived. Mark watched through the window as Josh pointed out the available rentals.
"I did some digging." Mark crossed his arms. "Carly Jones...a common enough name in the U.S. Last night, she told me she work
s for an investment firm. I found a link for a firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's been in business for forty-five years. The owners are listed as Cross Holding which makes it harder to find out who is financially responsible. But her name was mentioned in one of the articles online. There's nothing else on her, according to Google."
"She was telling the truth?" Quint whistled under his breath.
"No." He rubbed the ache in his chest. "Well, about where she worked but I can tell when someone is trying to fool me. She talked too fast, too rehearsed. She bounced between not looking at me and practically begging me to believe her story. The whole time, she left out one important fact."
"What's that?"
"She never mentioned Bear Peak or taking flowers up to the crosses. She had to know why the area is special to us. None of her supposed research would involve that area. If it's true that she's asked around, nobody on the mountain would suggest she go to Bear Peak." He paused. "I can't shake the feeling that there's more. For a while last night, I even suspected she worked for social services from one of the states we're from. Maybe found old records and figured out there were six boys who went missing thirty-two years ago."
"That's your own fear speaking." Quint straightened and put his feet on the floor. "That would've mattered when we were young. Hell, we're forty-seven years old. Nobody gives a shit about what happened back then. Those who worked for the state are retired or dead."
He leaned forward and braced his elbows against the surface of the desk. "They might not be interested unless they learn about our crimes."
Quint looked away. "Maybe Carly is a Fed, investigating us."
"We're veering far away from thinking she's linked to Michael Jaster," he muttered. "I need to get out there and work. Get my mind off this shit."
"Yeah, I need to get back to the campground. Jared's running things this morning, and there are still things I need to get done before I'm knee deep in campers." Quint stood.
"You left Katelynn there while Carly is still around?" he asked, knowing Quint's wife worked in the office.
"Anders and Iliana picked her up to take her to Missoula for the day. Apparently, they're meeting Iliana's mom and sister for lunch and to do some shopping. Anders sounded like they'd be back before dark. I'm just glad to get her off the mountain for a while. It's one less thing to worry about." Quint reached for the door. "Call if you need anything."
More customers arrived and joined the first one, congregating in front of the ATVs. He needed to push the past away and get to work. Saturdays brought more groups looking for a guide.
A ride on the mountain was what he needed to clear his head. He'd almost kissed Carly last night. His control of the situation had slipped.
He'd never had the desire to fuck someone to make the frustration go away before.
An hour later, Kyle and Josh rode off in two different directions with two large groups. Mark pulled the water hose off the reel and sprayed the dirt off his personal side by side. Not even ten o'clock in the morning and he'd rented all twenty-six ATVs. That usually never happened unless it was the week of the Fourth of July.
His demand came from how many campers were drawn to the area since the locals already had their own off-road vehicles.
Filling the bucket with soapy water, he walked back into the garage to get a wash brush, and a vehicle pulled into the parking lot behind him. He turned and recognized Carly's car.
He expected her gone. At least sleeping half the day away to make up for being with him throughout the night.
Grabbing the brush, he headed back outside. He sprayed down the UTV and scrubbed the hardtop. Aware of Carly exiting her car, he chose to ignore her when he really wanted to find out what she was doing here.
After soaping up the whole side by side, he dropped the brush in the bucket and picked up the hose. Glancing at her, he could tell she had something to say.
"Spit it out," he said, spraying the water.
"It's Saturday, and I was..."
He walked around the UTV, leaving her on the other side.
She followed, giving the arc of water a wide berth. "I was wondering if you'd take me on a guided ride."
He finished rinsing off the soap, shut the water off, and picked up the bucket before answering her. "Can't. All the ATVs are rented out."
Leaving her to stew in the rejection, he went to the garage and rolled up the hose. He could see her looking around, probably trying to figure out if he was lying or not. Liars tended not to believe anyone because nothing in their life was true.
Carly hurried to the garage, stopped in front of him, and pointed. "You have ATVs in there."
"Those are mine. I don't rent them out." He dried his hands off on his jeans.
"All of them?"
"Yep," he said.
"Oh." She looked away and yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand.
She'd missed one night's worth of sleep. He'd lost weeks because of her.
"I guess I'll go." Whether it was from the tiredness or her disappointment, her eyes had lost their shine.
She walked away from him. He heaved a sigh. What was she up to now?
"Carly?" he called.
She turned.
He pointed to the UTV. "If you don't mind going in that, I'll take you."
Her shoulders relaxed, and she nodded. "I'd like that. Thank you."
After grabbing some towels and wiping down the inside, he prompted her to sit and buckle up. He left a note in case Kyle and Josh returned before him and locked the office. Then, he shut the garage door.
Getting in the driver's seat next to Carly, he put the seatbelt on and asked, "Ready?"
"Don't I have to sign a contract?"
"I'm driving. You'll be safe in the passenger seat." He started the engine and raised his voice. "Where do you want to go?"
"Wherever you want." She held on to the sissy bar.
Pulling out on the main road, he headed toward the nearest trailhead. One that would take him far away from Bear Peak.
Chapter 11
A small part of Carly wanted to leave the Bitterroot Mountains. To go halfway across the country and forget about Mark DeLane.
That small part of her had put her luggage in the car, but when it came to dismantling the tent, she couldn't do it. Instead, she'd left the campground and drove straight to Discover the Bitterroot, afraid Mark would disappear from her life.
She'd come to the mountains to see justice served. If she went off the information in the files, Will was still alive. There were no more reports as of eighteen months ago. It had hit her earlier that with Will being dead, the danger around Mark, Anders, and Quint hadn't stopped.
Her reason for being here was no longer about righting a wrong but stopping another person from being killed. Her strength bolstered, she understood that things had changed since meeting Mark.
It was her calling to bring him peace.
As far as she knew, she was the only one who had the capabilities to end the lifelong nightmare for Mark, Anders, and Quint.
The UTV—which she learned stood for Utility Terrain Vehicle and had anywhere from two to six seats— bounced over the rocks. Her shoulder bumped into Mark's arm. The close quarters, sitting side-by-side, began awkwardly. She'd held herself still, making sure to stay on her side.
But it was impossible to keep her distance on the trail.
Every time her arm or her leg touched him, her stomach warmed. The day, already proving to be filled with a blue sky and no clouds, grew even hotter next to him.
She glanced at him, needing to know if he was aware of how much their bodies clashed. He sensed her looking and turned toward her—those angry brows low, making his dark eyes even smaller.
Unprepared for his irritation, she inhaled as if she'd held her breath the whole ride. She couldn't understand what she'd done to him. She was trying to help.
Blurting out who she was and what she planned would be the worst thing imaginable. Her task so important, s
he wouldn't risk something going wrong.
But she had no way of asking him to trust her. They barely knew each other.
"See that line of trees over there?" He pointed at the next ridge.
The thick trees grew sparse as if someone had plucked them all out of the ground. She nodded, looking for trails on that side of the mountain and couldn't find any.
"That's the result of the 1910 fire. It burned three million acres." He slowed down and stopped near the edge of the trail letting her look down into the canyon.
The sights from on the ridge would forever be burned into her memories. There was something peaceful and freeing being witness to how the land and trees withstood all kinds of hardships and came back more beautiful.
"Did the fire stop when it came to the trees?" she asked.
"No, just the opposite. The fire burned over the land, and new trees grew in thicker and healthier."
"It's gorgeous up here."
That it is," he said quietly, she almost couldn't hear him over the rumble of the engine.
Descending the trail, he kept up a slower speed, letting her take in the views. She yawned, lulled by the vibrations of the ride, the fresh air, and the comfort of being with Mark.
"How did you decide to go into business renting off-road vehicles to tourists?" She leaned her head back on the headrest and looked at him.
He rolled his lips over his teeth. His whiskers moved, and she had a sudden desire to touch his beard. She'd never kissed or touched a man with facial hair before. Men in the investment business tended to be cleanly shaven and sporting suits.
"I moved here, and the first thing I bought was an ATV." He glanced at her. "I didn't even have a car. Living on the mountain, I could go everywhere I needed following the trails. Even over to Idaho. That was my only mode of transportation for a couple years, but in the winter it was difficult because of the amount of snow."
"These don't go in the snow?"
"We get anywhere from four to seven and a half feet of snow. It stays cold for months, so every little storm adds more and more. Back then, I was working odd jobs. A little concrete work, some construction, maintenance for the school district. After the second winter of hitching rides with other people, I bought a snowmobile. From that point, I kept earning enough money to add to what I already had. I think I started out with four ATVs when I opened for business, and they were rented every day of the summer. The second year, I doubled the number of rentals, eventually going full-time and offering snowmobiles in the winter."
