Wilderness Pursuit. Michelle Karl

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СКАЧАТЬ gaped at him. “No surprise there. But Sam, how did you...what...”

      Sam swept to her side and checked her bindings. “I saw his outline through the window when the lightning flashed. I was coming over to see if you’d rather ride out the storm in my parents’ basement. They have a generator and you won’t be next to a—” they both flinched at the sound of another crack of lightning “—picture window when there are tree branches coming down and debris flying around outside. And definitely no intruders. It’s up to you, but this place clearly isn’t safe.”

      “All right. Yes. Thank you.” Kara’s heart leaped back into her throat. Did she want to be around Sam’s parents? Of course not. Was there a better alternative? Staying here certainly wasn’t an option. “Sam, he told me to get out of town. He threatened my life, and I’m fairly certain it was one of the same guys who attacked me and Mike at the dig site. He knew I’d be here. Someone doesn’t want that site dug up, and they seem willing to kill to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

      * * *

      Sam couldn’t sleep. He hoped that Kara was getting some rest in his parents’ guest room in the basement, and while he’d tried to catch some shut-eye on the couch upstairs, every new rumble of thunder pulled his consciousness right back to full alert. As soon as the sun came up and it was safe to head outside, he needed to get to the site of yesterday’s attack. He’d already called his brother Aaron and asked him to check out Kara’s hotel room, but Sam had a sinking feeling that neither attack location would yield much information of value. The storm might have washed away clues out in the forest, and the intruder at the motel had been wearing gloves, a mask and nondescript clothing. That didn’t mean it wasn’t still worth taking a look at both locations.

      The basement steps creaked, and Kara’s sleepy face crested the stairs. Her black hair was rumpled and messy, in desperate need of a brush, and she looked as exhausted as he felt—and yet he couldn’t take his eyes off her. What is that about?

      How did they end up in the same place at the same time again, anyway? He’d literally never expected to see her again, and thought he’d gotten over how much he’d missed her during those first few months—no, years—after she pushed him away. But having her here right in front of him...it was a reminder of their shared moments of laughter, of deep conversations, of stolen kisses as he’d walked her home after youth group on Wednesdays nights. He’d been a bit of an aimless teen, sure, and she’d had her life more or less planned out, but he’d believed they would make it work.

      And then she’d gone and stomped on his heart and ruined everything.

      “Coffee,” she groaned, pulling Sam back to reality. He might not be able to help his outward attraction to her, but it held no lasting meaning. She’d shown her true, inner self eighteen years ago.

      “Nope, sorry. Power’s still out.” Kara sighed as his phone buzzed. The middle Thrace brother, Leo, was calling. Sam headed toward the front door, gesturing at Kara to put on her shoes while he spoke to his brother. “What’s the situation, Leo? Anyone have power yet, or are we looking at multiple downed lines?”

      “Good morning to you, too,” Leo said, sounding remarkably alert for so early in the morning. “There’s a crew out now working on getting critical power restored, but another team is on the way from Fort St. Jacob to handle the residential grid. South of us didn’t get hit nearly as hard as we did, but it’s going to be tricky for them to get to us. It’s not pretty out there.”

      Sam’s hopes plummeted. “Besides the downed lines?”

      Leo sighed. “Trees, too, and large broken branches. The western road into town is covered with debris. The other guys have set up a roadblock until it gets cleared and the live power lines are raised again. Way too dangerous for folks to be driving around on it.”

      “Well, that’s inconvenient.” Sam rubbed his eyes and glanced at Kara, who regarded him with an unspoken question. “Did Aaron fill you in on the attack at the Number Six motel last night? I know it’s technically my morning off, but it sounds like you and the others will have your hands full with storm recovery. I wanted to head out to the Gaida Industries pipeline site in the forest where the attack happened yesterday, see if anything pops out at me. If the same people are responsible for multiple attacks on Ms. Park, then I want them found and brought to justice immediately. She’s in Fort Mason to do a specific, time-sensitive job, and she can’t do it while she’s a target.”

      “Ms. Park?” Hesitance crept into Leo’s voice. “That wouldn’t be the same Ms. Park who turned you into a blubbering mess when we were kids, would it? Please tell me it’s not. I know that’s a common Korean last name.”

      Sam’s stomach dropped at his brother’s guess. “It’s the same woman, yes. Kara Park is the lead archaeologist on the project.” His brother’s silence spoke volumes. Sam lowered his voice and turned around. Kara took the hint and stepped outside onto the front porch. “I know how to do my job, Leo. I can handle it, and besides, that was years ago. Almost two decades. I’m over it. Over her.”

      Leo sighed. Sam wanted to get angry, to tell his brother to mind his own business, but he knew Leo was only looking out for him—and he appreciated that, even if his brothers did tend to be a little overbearing at times. But wasn’t that what older brothers were for?

      “I’m going out to the site, Leo.”

      “That’s fine.” His brother’s tone shifted again, back to business. “And I’m on board with you working on your day off, but you can’t drive out there. There are literally live wires in the road. Aaron took his horse, Hera, through one of the back trails to set a roadblock at the other end about an hour ago, and apparently the trails aren’t bad. A little muddy and some minor debris, but at least there are no live wires. And the denseness of the forest means a trail is going to be easier going than the road in terms of debris size. Are you taking Kara with you? Is that wise?”

      Sam closed his eyes. “Yes, I think so, and yes. If she’s a target, she’s safest with a trained and armed RCMP officer by her side. I know those trails outside of town better than anyone, and for that matter, I highly doubt there’ll be other people around at six in the morning after a severe storm.”

      “Take Zephyr and Brenik,” Leo suggested. “They could use the exercise. Zephyr is looking a little pudgy around the middle these days.”

      “Speak for yourself,” Sam teased, then hung up and joined Kara on the porch. She blinked her teardrop eyes at him, waiting. “We’ll take the horses. I’m going to be fully geared up, but stay close. So far, the cowards who’ve bothered you have fled when I’ve come on-scene, so I’m not too worried. But a little extra planning and caution doesn’t hurt.”

      Her eyebrows raised, and she took a literal step back. “Extra planning? I guess a lot has changed, hasn’t it?”

      “Follow me,” he said, ignoring her dig at his past tendency to skate through life without a care, expecting the world to bend to him instead of considering his future. He led the way outside. The sky still held the yellowish tinge of a recently passed storm, and the roads were littered with broken branches, sopping-wet leaves and loose papers, and plastic patio furniture. Sam worried that he might open the station’s stable to find frightened, skittish horses, but he needn’t have been concerned. The three horses for their detachment munched calmly on their breakfast and greeted him with soft whinnies. He readied the two most experienced horses of the group, Brenik and Zephyr, and handed a set of reins to Kara. “You remember how to ride?”

      She leveled her gaze at him, СКАЧАТЬ