Smoky Mountains Ranger. Lena Diaz

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СКАЧАТЬ had more holes in it than a white-tailed fawn had spots. Instead of rescuing her from a domestic dispute between a couple, had he interrupted a disagreement between a couple of criminals? Were they out here doing something illegal and they’d turned on each other? Or maybe whatever they’d planned was still to come, something far worse than trespassing on a closed trail or carrying a gun into a national park. Adam backed up the path several feet so he could keep Jody—if that was her real name—in his line of sight at a safer distance, just in case she and Tattoo Guy decided to join forces against him.

      “Let me guess,” he said. “You don’t have ID on you, either?”

      She cleared her throat again. “Actually, no. I don’t. I left my purse in my car, at the trailhead. All I have with me are my keys and my phone.”

      “Empty your pockets.”

      Her brow furrowed, and she finally looked at him. “Excuse me?”

      “Would you prefer that I pat you down like I did your friend?”

      Twin spots of color darkened her cheeks, making her freckles stand out in stark contrast to her pale complexion. Her eyes flashed with anger. “I assure you, he’s not my friend.”

      That statement, at least, appeared to be true. But he could tell she immediately regretted her outburst by the way her teeth tugged at her full lower lip.

      His prisoner’s eyes narrowed at her, as if in warning. Something was definitely rotten in the state of Denmark, or in this case, the Smoky Mountains. And Adam was determined to get to the bottom of it.

      “Your pockets, ma’am?”

      Without a word, she pulled her phone out of one pocket, a set of keys out of the other. Clutching them both in one hand, she turned out the lining of her pockets to show they were empty. “That’s it. There’s nothing else.”

      “Back pockets, too.”

      Her mouth tightened but she turned around and turned those pockets inside out.

      “All right,” Adam conceded. “You can turn around.” To perform a complete search, he should pat down her bra. But his years of reading people told him that wasn’t necessary. She wasn’t carrying.

      “Where do you live?”

      Again, another look at the handcuffed man as she shoved her keys and phone back into her pockets. “Not far from here. I’ve got an apartment in town.”

      “Gatlinburg?”

      Again, she hesitated. “Yes.”

      “Why were you two up here today?”

      She chewed her bottom lip.

      Tattoo Guy simply stared at him, eyes narrowed with the promise of retribution over Adam’s interference in whatever was going on.

      “Maybe my question wasn’t clear,” Adam said. “Why were you both on a closed trail?”

      “Closed?” The man sounded shocked. “Really? Miss Ingram, did you see any signs saying the trail was closed?” Laughter was heavy in his voice as he watched her.

      “N...no.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I didn’t. I guess I was...enjoying nature too much and wasn’t paying attention.”

      Disgusted with both of them, Adam flipped the radio on again. “Ranger McKenzie to base. Come in. Over.” He tried two more times, then gave up.

      “I don’t know what you two are hiding. But at a minimum you’re guilty of criminal trespass. This trail is closed for a reason. The recent wildfires have burned away brush that used to hold the topsoil in place. What the high winds and fire didn’t destroy, recent rains did. Entire sections of the trail have been washed away. Trees have been toppled, their roots ripping up most of what was left. The trail is more a memory than a reality anymore. The part we’re standing on is one of the best sections left. But it’s the exception rather than the rule. You already know that, of course. Because you had to climb over and around some of the damage on your way up. No way you missed it.”

      He waited for their response and wasn’t surprised when neither of them said anything.

      “It’s also against the law for civilians to carry guns into the park. Care to explain why you had a loaded pistol up here, sir?”

      “Protection, of course. I’ve heard there are all kinds of dangers in these mountains.” He kept his gaze fastened on Jody.

      As if she felt his eyes on her, she shivered.

      What the heck was going on? Had Tattoo Guy just given the woman a veiled threat? Was he one of the dangers he’d just mentioned? Even though Adam had zero doubt that Jody Ingram was covering something, his instincts were telling him that she was a victim here. But since neither of them would talk, he had no choice but to bring both of them in.

      “Am I under arrest, Ranger?” The man drew out Adam’s title into several extra syllables, then chuckled. He wasn’t the first to make fun of the ranger title. But Adam wasn’t inclined to care. He just wanted this guy off the mountain before he hurt someone.

      “For now, you’re just being detained, for everyone’s safety. We’ll sort it all out at headquarters. Those are prison tats on your arms, aren’t they? I’m sure your fingerprints are on file. Won’t take but a minute to find out who you are once I get you back to base. And if you’re a felon with a gun, well, we’ll just have to deal with that issue, won’t we?”

      If looks could kill, Adam would be six feet under right now.

      He’d dealt with all types over the years, the worst of the worst back when he’d first started out in law enforcement as a beat cop in some of the rougher parts of Memphis. But because of Adam’s own intimidating size, he could count on one hand the number of men who made him uncomfortable. This man was one of them. There was something sinister, jaded, so...empty about him. As if long ago he’d poured out his soul and filled the emptiness with pure evil.

      He motioned for him to start down the trail, in the direction toward the Appalachian Trail intersection and Clingmans Dome—a famous lookout point high in the Smoky Mountains. “Take it slow and easy.”

      His prisoner calmly pushed away from the rock wall. As he started walking down the path, he whistled the same tune that Adam had whistled earlier, “Highway to Hell.”

      Jody watched him go, fear and trepidation playing a game of tug-of-war across her face. Adam wanted to reassure her. But she’d done nothing but lie to him. Trusting her would be a mistake. Instead, he gestured for her to fall in beside him and they started down the steep incline about ten feet behind his prisoner.

      “He can’t hear you now.” Adam kept his voice low as they carefully stepped around boulders and climbed over downed trees. “What was really going on back there?”

      She accepted his hand to help her over a pile of rocks and busted branches. There were pieces of splintered wood and rocks everywhere, making it slow going. The prisoner up ahead navigated the same obstacles with surprising ease for a man with his hands behind him. There was now twelve feet of space between them. Adam frowned and motioned for Jody to speed up.

      “Well?” СКАЧАТЬ