LITMIR.BIZ

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      The road grew shoddier the farther they went, the thick evergreens closing in around them, and the incline began to rise, making Shay more uncomfortable. Her knuckles turned white, she gripped the seat so hard.

      Rick whipped the vehicle around a corner too fast and the force pressed Shay against her door. She was more than glad it was locked, safe and secure.

      “This thing had better not roll.”

      The Jeep bucked and bounced next to a ridge—the drop a hundred feet at least. Her face pressed to the window, Shay yelled at him to be careful. But she didn’t scream. She’d never hear the end of it back at the shop if she dared to act “girlie.” Never. If they even made it back to the shop.

      “Okay.” She gasped for air. “Did you get a good look at them? Was it the same ones who followed you in the village?”

      “I think so, yes.”

      “What would happen if we just stopped and faced off with them? Find out what they want. This is crazy.”

      “That’s a bad idea,” he said. “We’ve lost them for a minute. Time for a new game plan.”

      Suddenly, Rick shifted into four-wheel drive and started up an incline to their left, squeezing between trees. She could only suppose that the plan was for their pursuers to make the corner and miss them completely, clueless to the fact that Rick and Shay had turned off the road and made their own path up the side of the mountain.

      Shay glanced behind them, and just beyond the ridge they’d almost tumbled from, she could see for miles. A river splashed over boulders and there was a lake a few miles out. Was that where they’d been headed? Or was that the lake near Tanaken?

      But she couldn’t see an airstrip. The trees were too thick; they hid it from her at this angle. While the Jeep traversed the mountain, the grade growing steeper by the second, Shay imagined the vehicle just falling, much like the feeling she’d had on the steep streets of San Francisco.

      I’m going to be sick. Rick’s going to know the truth—that I’m not so tough at all.

      Connor would find out, and that would be the end of her job. He hadn’t been easy to convince she could do such a physically demanding job in a man-dominated field. But what did that matter if they didn’t get out of this? She squeezed her eyes shut, breathing too hard and fast. Her stomach rolled as if she were on an amusement-park ride.

      Releasing her grip, Shay shifted forward and held her face to her hands against her lap and groaned. When would this be over?

      Suddenly, it all stopped. Shay’s silent cries had been answered.

      Rick’s warm hand gently squeezed her shoulder. “Hey. You okay?”

      She sucked in a few more breaths, slower now, until finally, she could breathe normally. She hated he’d had to see that, and she sat up to peer at him. “No, I’m not all right. Are you?” She glared at him. He’d better not tell her he was fine.

      The concern swimming in his eyes surprised her. He frowned. “I only meant... You seemed... Never mind.”

      Turning the other way, he studied their surroundings. Shay joined him. Her heart was still in her throat, but at least she could breathe now. Breathe...and think of the consequences of her little breakdown.

      He’d seen right through her. She’d always been tough, self-sufficient. Never shown any weakness. She hated that Rick saw her vulnerable now. In the military, Rick was accustomed to being surrounded by strong women, so he expected nothing less from Shay. This was the first time he’d seen the weakness she’d worked so hard to hide. Resentment over that, compounded with the fear she’d felt when the men had chased them, made her want to snarl at Rick.

      “Why are they after us, Rick? What in the world is going on? You don’t think they’re trying to keep us from getting that plane, do you?”

      “It seems like too much trouble for that. Why chase us down like this when all they have to do is keep us from taking it? That’s why we should try to sneak in—so we won’t have to have a confrontation, with or without guns.”

      “So what’s the plan, then?”

      “We wait until I’m sure we’ve lost them.” Rick examined his weapon and chambered a round. “Then I’ll get you back to the village as soon as I can. You’re getting on the next plane out of here. Unfortunately, that probably won’t be until morning.”

      “But...there’s a plane that I’m supposed to repair, and then we can all three fly out of here.” Shay stared straight ahead, unwilling to face the resolve she knew would be in his gaze. “I’m sure your brother is fine. This is all a big mistake.”

      When he said nothing, she finally looked his way and caught him watching her.

      “Just being optimistic,” she said.

      “I’m a realist, and in this case, that means that I know Aiden is not fine. And we won’t be either, until we find out who those men are and what they have to do with our missing plane and my missing brother.”

      * * *

      Rick started up the Jeep, shifted into Reverse and edged back, watching for their pursuers. When the vehicle lurched forward onto what went for a road around these parts, he headed back. Time to return Shay to town.

      Optimism.

      He liked that about her, but she was just too inexperienced when it came to dealing with the reality of criminals in the world. He wished she hadn’t come with him on this trip, but there had been no getting out of it. Aiden had said he needed a mechanic, and Shay was it.

      They hadn’t known what they’d face or that Aiden would disappear, and Rick still didn’t know what was going on.

      Guilt corded his throat as he pressed on the accelerator, pushing them back toward town. This road trip had been a waste of their time. “I know what I said about checking things out, but it’s clearly not safe. I shouldn’t have taken this road to begin with.” Though he would have loved to see where this road led and knew he might not get another chance.

      But neither could he risk Shay’s safety. Aiden would have to wait. Aiden was an ex-marine, too, and knew how to take care of himself.

      “It’s not your fault, Rick,” she said.

      “I know what everyone thinks about my brother,” he said. “But I know him. This isn’t like him. And those men...” Rick sighed. “Doesn’t matter. I’m sending you back. The next flight out can’t be too soon.”

      “No. I’m not going. If you’re staying, you’ll need someone to repair that plane. I’m your man.”

      It shouldn’t have surprised him.

      She hadn’t wanted to make the trip to Alaska but she’d come anyway, saying that it was her job. She’d expressed her displeasure taking to the dirt road and the backcountry, but here she was, offering up her help in the face of difficult circumstances.

      He’d had a certain image of her, working on the planes at Deep Horizon, handling everything they threw at her with grit and determination. The resolve she was showing now fit in with that picture...but he couldn’t forget the fear in her voice earlier. She might be strong, might be tough, but she was still scared. It made him realize that in truth he didn’t know much about her. Not really. And now she was either going to live up to the image he’d conjured in his head, or she wasn’t. Likely, he would do the same for her. Live up to what she thought she knew about him or not.

      As for Shay, he’d always had a feeling about her. And that was why he’d kept his distance. Rick slowed the Jeep, the road growing narrow. Somehow, he had to convince her to go back.

      “If we don’t find Aiden, I’ll need to get help. We’ll worry about the plane later,” he said.

      Of course, it wasn’t as if he could call 911 out here. They’d have to wait until

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