Page 18

Harper

Five days left to find buried treasure, write this article, and avoid imminent death

“The dig site’s behind this gate,” Eve said, clearly fighting a smile. “So we’re going over or under. Pick your poison.”

I scowled at her. “As a rule, I generally don’t do anything that requires signage begging people to stay out and stay alive .”

She raised an eyebrow. “Where’s the girl who pulled me into a dark and scary cave just so she could eavesdrop on the competition?”

“The cave didn’t have a sign out front that said ‘beware: imminent death ahead,’” I said, exasperated. “Even if we don’t fall into a mine shaft, I have to assume we’d be breaking all kinds of laws they don’t mention here. You know…because of the ‘imminent death’ part and all.”

Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out a pair of bolt cutters. “It’s only illegal if we get caught.”

“We’re definitely getting caught.”

Crouching down, she slid her fingers along the side of the fence. But after a few minutes, it was obvious the tool she’d brought wasn’t doing the job. Rubbing the back of her head, she stepped back and gazed up at the fence again.

“Looks like we’re going over.” She twisted at the waist and tossed me a wink. “Whaddya say, Hendrix? Where’s your sense of adventure?”

My heart stuttered to a stop, my lips threatening to pull into a smile.

I propped my hands on my hips instead. “Oh, I don’t know. Probably in the same place where I keep that stick up my ass.”

This time, Eve’s grin was wide and full of charm. “Come on, live a little. What would Priscilla and Adeline do?”

“You can’t use Priscilla and Adeline every time you want me to break the law,” I protested. “What they did doesn’t apply here. Some of us like to color inside the lines, thank you very much. Especially when danger’s involved.”

Eve cocked her head. “Sounds boring.”

“It sounds safe. ”

She walked to the fence and hooked her fingers through the metal. The wind was constant now, the air heavy, the hair on the back of my neck standing up with every burst of lightning in the distance. Probably sensing my nerves, her expression sobered. “Do you trust me?”

I held her gaze. “I don’t know yet. Do you trust me?”

“I don’t know yet, either,” she echoed. “But I get why you’re afraid.

I’m saying this as a kid who was also scared a lot growing up and told to ‘just get over it.’ This place makes me uncomfortable, too.

But Monty and Ruby spent months here and always felt safe.

That’s why I’m here. I wouldn’t do anything to put you in harm’s way, I promise. ”

She’d been teasing me before, but there was a sincerity in her eyes now that surprised me. It reminded me of how she’d been back at Devil’s Kiln when a fake phantom had sent me leaping into her arms and she’d still taken me seriously.

“I can’t write this article if I’m locked up in jail. Or, you know, dead,” I said, smiling a little now. Completely against my will.

She gave a nod. “Then let’s not get caught. Or get…dead.”

I blew out a breath and reluctantly waved at the fence. “As long as we’re on the same page about not getting dead, what could possibly go wrong?”

“Nothin’,” Eve said, already starting to climb. She shoved the tips of her hiking boots into the fence and began hauling herself up to the top.

“Do you really not trust me, though?” I called out to her.

“Not one bit,” she called back. “But you don’t trust me either, right?”

“Right, but…” I wrinkled my nose. “I proposed a truce. You accepted it.”

Eve stared down at me from up high, bemused. “That was like…barely an hour ago. This shit takes time.”

“We don’t have a lot of time,” I pointed out.

“Then we don’t have a lot of trust,” she said.

Plainly, as if stating the weather. I didn’t know why it bothered me so much.

This was all temporary, of course. We weren’t really partners, even if driving out here together, chasing down Priscilla and Adeline together, made my skin buzz with something sparkly and shiny. More than excitement. Purpose, maybe.

When I poked around in my memories, I couldn’t recall feeling this way for a long, long time. Maybe ever.

I watched Eve ascend the fence, noting her muscular shoulders flexing with every motion, the tattoos rippling across her skin. The easy confidence in the way she swung her leg over the top, pausing only to shove the curls from her eyes and send me a rakish grin.

“Trustworthy or not, looks like I’m winning,” she said.

I narrowed my eyes. “Sure is easier to win when the other person isn’t aware it’s a competition.”

“Everything’s a competition when it comes to you, Hendrix,” she replied, lowering herself down on the other side.

“That’s not true.” I propped my foot against the fence, sturdier than it looked, and started dragging myself up.

“Our relationship is based on so many things.” Up a foot, then up another.

My fingers were already cramping with the effort.

“Mutual respect.” I was starting to pant. “Honest communication.”

“You annoying me until eventually I let you come on this trip with me,” Eve called up.

I sent her a knowing look through the metal. “Be for real. You would have been disappointed if I hadn’t shown up today.”

“I think you mean celebrated .”

I scoffed as I reached the top, pausing for a moment to catch my breath. “You’re such a liar.”

“You’re making a lot of claims for someone still stuck at the top of the fence,” she said, and when I glared down at her, her smile was much too smug.

But before I formulated a response, I peered out across the town, the flat prairie golden against gunmetal gray clouds.

Lightning peeked through every few seconds, and drops of rain misted the tops of my shoulders.

My stomach hollowed, muscles rigid as I balanced myself the way I used to as a kid, climbing trees without fear. I never had to go very high to feel a playful sense of adventure, like I was flying, a hawk turning lazy circles in the sky.

I inhaled the scent of dust and rain. Felt the wind flatten my clothes against my body, my hair a mess of tangles.

“Pretty beautiful up there, isn’t it?” Eve asked.

“I always did like being up high,” I called back. “I never get to do stuff like this anymore.”

“Feeling like a bird is pretty fucking cool,” she replied.

I glanced down at her. “I was literally just thinking that.”

We shared a smile. Tentative, almost hopeful. Maybe it was easier, totally alone, surrounded by so much wide-open space, to feel like genuine curiosity was within my grasp again. Imagination, even.

I’d felt this way from the first moment I’d arrived in New Mexico, looking for Monty.

I hooked my leg over the top, hoping I looked at least somewhat graceful. Then I put my weight on my left foot, felt my shoe slip off the fence, felt my right foot slide after it.

And I fell.

I didn’t even have time to scream. My body lurched downward, my arms outstretched, my lungs frozen with fear. I hit something soft, and then I was on the ground. The impact knocked the air from my chest, but someone was clutching me around the middle.

It was Eve, holding me from behind, her legs sprawled out on the ground next to mine.

The shock reverberated painfully through my bones, and I winced, leaning forward.

“Holy shit…are you okay?” Eve asked, breathless.

“Yeah, yeah…I think so?” I did a little mental scan. “Just a bit banged up. Did I squash you like a bug down here?”

Her mouth was pressed to the back of my hair, hands now hovering at my hips. “Not at all. I tried to catch you but failed. Obviously.”

I dropped my forehead to my knees, shuddering through another breath. “The effort was seen and appreciated, trust me.”

“Any knight in shining armor would have stepped in.” I heard the grin in her voice. “I’m not special, milady, just here to serve.”

I chuckled, my head still spinning, her hands on my body a complete distraction. Her forehead pressed into the space between my shoulder blades. The tip of her nose dragged along my spine. Her breath was hot through the thin material of my shirt.

When her hands tightened on my hips, I swallowed a sigh, wishing I could lean back, let her nuzzle into my neck. Let those hands slip beneath my shirt, cup my breasts while I arched against her.

Eve Bardot had no right to look this good and feel this amazing mere seconds after I fell seven feet onto hard-packed dirt.

“Do you think you can stand up?” she murmured.

“Definitely,” I lied. “I feel great, actually. I love being surrounded by rusted metal equipment and gaping holes in the ground that probably lead straight to hell.”

Eve laughed, then pushed herself up with a wince. Brushed some of the dirt off the backs of her legs and held out a hand. “Say the word and I’ll take you back. I’m serious.”

I grasped it, letting her pull me up. Her eyes darted up and down my body, like she was checking for injuries, but I waved her off. “Really, I’m fine. I’ll probably just be a little sore tomorrow.”

She seemed reluctant to stop fussing over me. And I was reluctant to admit how much I liked her attention. It gave me a strange feeling in my belly, a warmth more affectionate than sexual.

Finally, she unfolded a worn-looking map, though the wind was making it difficult.

She squinted down at some mystery location while I examined our surroundings.

It was depressing and derelict, abandoned to time.

There were a few raised platforms, now overtaken by weeds.

Some mine openings on the hillside, leftover cart tracks.

If Jensen’s team had made it here before us, there were no obvious signs—but then again, given the general state of disarray, I wasn’t sure we’d know even if they had.

“I brought a bunch of equipment but wanted to stake out the area first,” Eve said, shoving the map back into her pack. “Let’s head to Monty’s favorite dig spot here, see what we can find before it really starts to rain.”