Page 20 of Fire Bear (Return To Fate Mountain #1)
Chapter
Twenty
Eliana stood in the middle of the barn’s small office, one hand pressed against the desk for balance. Detective Parker had left moments ago, and she was still trying to wrap her head around everything.
The stale smell of charred wood lingered in the air. She let out a slow breath, telling herself she had already shed enough tears for one day. Yet the orchard, her orchard, now felt more vulnerable than ever.
Ash was by her side, arms folded, posture tense. He looked as rattled as she felt. She stepped outside into the barn, and he followed. The orchard, in full morning sun, looked deceptively tranquil. Beyond the orchard rows, ash and soot painted the ground in dull grays and browns. She drew in a shaky breath, trying to ward off tears she did not want to shed.
Ash slipped an arm around her waist, and she felt his warmth against her side. The simple comfort of his touch reminded her that she was not alone in this. Months ago, she had managed every crisis by herself, from pest outbreaks to minor orchard mishaps. Now, Ash was here, and she had an ally in a battle she never expected to fight.
A buzz broke her thoughts. The sound came from Ash’s pocket—a phone vibrating. He withdrew the device and glanced at the screen. A flicker of surprise crossed his features. “It’s Marta,” he said, meeting Eliana’s eyes.
Eliana’s pulse jumped. A trembling wave of anticipation rushed through her, though she tried not to get her hopes too high. If anyone could uncover secrets from the encrypted phone, it was Marta.
Ash accepted the call, pressing the phone to his ear. “Marta, it’s Ash. Got any news?” He paused, and Eliana saw the seriousness settle into his face. “Really? … We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
A knot formed in Eliana’s stomach. She stared at him, waiting for some sign that Marta had found something hopeful or, at the very least, revealing. But the intensity in his gaze told her it might not be the news she wanted. She swallowed. “What happened?”
He slipped his phone into his pocket. “Marta cracked the phone. Ivy told her to let us know right away. She says there’s important info, so we should come to the Institute.”
Eliana’s heart fluttered with a mix of anxiety and relief. “Then let’s go. We can’t waste a second.”
Her mind spun while texting Talia that the orchard needed to close until further notice. She slid into Ash’s truck, face grim. The orchard’s once-busy season felt far away now, overshadowed by missing footage, a missing apprentice, and scorched earth.
Within minutes, Ash steered down the orchard’s lane. She watched the rows recede behind them, leaving her with a pang of guilt. It angered her that her orchard was closed again, but she told herself it was only temporary.
The drive to the Bright Institute breezed by in tense silence. Eliana gripped the armrest, eyes flicking from the passing pines to the small communities dotting Fate Mountain’s outskirts. Anxiety gnawed at her gut.
They pulled into the Bright Institute’s parking lot. Ivy was waiting in the lobby, her arms crossed, posture rigid. She spotted them instantly, beckoning them over. Her usual smile was missing, replaced by anxious lines around her eyes.
There was no small talk, only a worried hush to her voice as she led them down a corridor lit by fluorescent lights. At the very end of the hall, Ivy swiped her ID card, and the door clicked open.
Inside the IT lab, Marta sat in front of a bank of monitors. Her teal-dyed hair was pinned back with a small clip. Eliana noticed the circles under Marta’s eyes. The tension in the air matched Eliana’s own racing heart.
“Thanks for coming so quickly,” Marta said, pushing her rolling chair aside so they could gather around her desk. “I ran a deeper analysis on that phone. The encryption was complicated, but I managed to break through large chunks of it.”
Eliana took a steadying breath. “What did you find?” Even hearing her own voice felt surreal, as if she were outside herself, listening from a distance.
Marta tapped a few keys. A window opened on the central screen, revealing lines of text that looked like partial chat logs. “These messages indicate a plan to set fires at certain locations around Fate Mountain,” she explained, voice hushed with urgency. “It appears someone was paying for destructive acts, specifically mentioning your orchard.”
Eliana’s lungs tightened. “Who would pay for that?” She could barely wrap her mind around the idea that her orchard was singled out. She clutched the edge of Marta’s desk. “Are there names or anything that might identify them?”
Marta shook her head. “The logs use code names. However, there are references to a sum of money and demands to ‘create a convincing accident.’ That lines up with the orchard fires.” Another few keystrokes brought up more lines of text. “They wanted to intensify pressure. Possibly to force you to sell, or maybe to sabotage your orchard’s reputation. I can’t be sure.”
Eliana’s heart sank. The orchard had been building up to an amazing season. Now it was closed, and her apprentice was gone. A wave of anger tightened her fists. “This is monstrous,” she whispered.
Marta nodded, swallowing. “There was another file on the phone.” She opened an image viewer, calling up a grainy picture. At first, it was too small and pixelated to make out. Marta enlarged it, and Eliana’s stomach turned over.
The photo showed Mateo with bruises and dried blood across his face. His hair was matted, eyes half-lidded, as if in pain or partially unconscious. Eliana felt tears rush to her eyes. She covered her mouth and let out a small cry. This was her bright, eager apprentice who had wanted nothing more than to preserve rare apple varieties. Now he was battered and at the mercy of criminals.
Ash pressed a hand to Eliana’s back, steadying her as her shoulders shook. The tears she had tried to hold back now spilled freely. She forced herself to keep looking at the screen, to face the awful truth. Mateo was not simply missing—he was in real danger.
Marta’s voice grew softer. “The metadata suggests the image was taken about two days ago. I found location logs too, partial GPS data pointing to an isolated area of Fate Mountain. It matches the timeline of when your orchard first started having trouble. This phone’s user likely abducted Mateo, or was connected to those who did.”
Eliana’s knees felt weak, so she sank into the chair nearest Marta’s workstation. Ash remained standing, fists clenched in anger. Marta tapped a few more keys, transferring data.
“I’m emailing the packet I prepared to Detective Parker.” Marta glanced at Ash, then back at Eliana. “I’ll keep digging for more. If I find anything else, I’ll call immediately.”