Page 49

Forty-eight

TIME FLEW, the rapids keeping them on their toes, Riley’s arms burning, her lungs seared with the cold morning air. She couldn’t let Greyson see her shivering, or he’d likely stop the pursuit to get her warmed up, and they didn’t have the time.

“How far do you think they’re going?” he asked over the roar of the rapids.

“First stop is at a town named Camp Verde,” she shouted. “But what if they didn’t stop at a town?”

“My concern exactly,” he hollered back. “I haven’t seen a kayak up on shore yet.”

“Neither have I. Though I suppose, if they went ashore, they’d pull it into the trees at the very least.”

“Agreed. It’s what I would do.”

“So we follow the river to its end?” They couldn’t push that long. Nine hours was the maximum kayaking trip. Not a rule, but a fact among expert kayakers. Gratefulness for all her hours white-water kayaking settled inside her.

“No, I say we stop at the first town and assess the situation. See if we can find if they got off or where they might be going. Even without my laptop, I can do a lot on my phone,” Greyson said. “They must have a plan.” He lifted his chin and pointed with his paddle. “Camp Verde.”

She nodded, and they maneuvered the kayak over to a flat landing, where stacks of rental kayaks stood against silver racks layered with more.

“Hey, guys.” A kid in his late teens greeted them, helping them pull the kayak ashore.

“This is the fourth kayak I’ve seen land this morning. Not that common this time of year. Usually, it’s just me staring at the river for most of the day.”

“Really?” Greyson said. “Must have been our friends. Blond-haired dude with a lady with short dark hair.”

“Yeah.”

“And a single guy?” Ri said.

“Yeah. The couple landed about a half hour ago. The other guy maybe fifteen minutes after them. Both asked me to hold on to their kayaks for them.”

“Any chance they said where they were going?” Greyson asked. “We were supposed to meet them here.”

“Nope. Sorry.” The kid ran a hand through his tousled hair.

“Okay.” Riley smiled. “Thanks.”

“Could we trouble you to watch our kayak too?” Greyson said. He pulled a bill from his wallet and handed it to the kid.

The guy smiled. “Thanks, man.” He jutted his chin toward the kayak. “I’ll take good care of her.”

Riley stripped off her dry suit and stashed it with the kayak. Grey did the same.

“So what now?” she asked, stepping out of earshot of the teen.

“Let’s look through the bag they left behind at the house now that we can breathe. Maybe there’s a clue to where they’re headed.”

They wandered over to a picnic table, set the waterproof bag on it, and opened it.

Greyson pulled out the contents one item at a time. “Sunglasses. Two walkie-talkies. Interesting ... if they were staying together.”

“Maybe they were planning to split up at some point.”

“Maybe, but not at a far distance with these things. While these are good, they aren’t the best, so we’re probably talking about a twenty-mile range.”

“I wonder what for.”

“I don’t know.” Greyson pulled out a pocketknife and a flashlight.

“That it?” she asked when he paused.

“Just checking the side pockets.” He held the bag up and reached around. “Hang on....”

“What is it?”

“A pocket within a pocket.”

She leaned forward. “Anything in it?”

He pulled out a strip of paper and unfolded it to reveal an address. “Let’s see where it leads.” Greyson lifted his phone and punched in the address. “Got it.”

“What is it?”

“A private airline.”

“What?” Her brow furrowed.

“Yeah, it’s got a pilot’s name. He’s got a Cessna, based on the picture, and it’s based at ... Montezuma here in Camp Verde.”

“I didn’t know they had an airport here.”

“Neither did I, but doesn’t look like much of one. More like a private airstrip.”

“I guess we better see if we can find an Uber to the airport, or we’ve got a walk ahead of us.”

Greyson used his app. “I’m so thankful Uber’s available in this remote area.”

“Me too.” She took a deep inhale and released it nice and slow, trying to ease the racing of her heart.

He looked at his watch. “The driver should be here in fifteen.”

“Great. But they’ve got a solid start on us.”

“If we don’t catch them before they take off, we can talk to the pilot when he returns and find out where he took them.”

“If he’s willing to talk.”

A few minutes later, a white economy car approached. It pulled up beside them. “Uber for Greyson?” the driver said.

“That’s us.”

As they climbed into the back seat, Riley prayed they’d be able to intercept Kelly and Jared before Brent did. This whole time she’d been so focused on saving them from Brent that she hadn’t stopped to wrap her mind around the fact that the woman she thought she knew was a criminal.