you’d mark sites on state forest land, but why note historic properties on my land?”
She hesitated. “It’s always good to know where shelter is in the woods. Last night proved it.”
“I can’t argue with that but…” His blood pressure rose as understanding hit him. “Shit, Iz, you’ve been looking for the cave, haven’t you? That’s why you interrupted the live-fire training. You were searching for a cave with a lynx petroglyph.”
Her gaze flicked to her computer. Was that why she’d been nervous earlier? Was there evidence on the hard disk of her illegal forays onto his land?
Jesus. Searching for the cave was spectacularly foolish for the careful, prepared hiker that she was. In the case of the live-fire training, it might have gotten her killed. She’d wandered onto the range and could easily have been shot before the instructors saw her. All because she was determined to find a cave that might not even exist.
She frowned and stopped petting Gandalf. “No. That would be impossible. Thirty-thousand acres is too large an area for one person.”
“Don’t lie to me, Iz.”
The cat opened its eyes and glared at Alec, likely recognizing the source of her irritation. “Listen, I’ve had a crappy twenty-four hours and don’t enjoy your company.” She lifted Gandalf from her lap and stood. “It’s time for you to leave.” She crossed the room and opened the front door.
Alec let out a sharp laugh, making no move for the exit. “Two truths and a lie.”
Her mouth flattened. “Three truths.”
He stepped up to her and took her hips between his hands. Again her breath hitched. “No. You only wish it were three.” He released her and turned toward the open door. “Tomorrow we’re going back to where you found me in the woods.”
“Tomorrow I need to get my truck back from impound and drive to Fairbanks to buy a new phone. I don’t have time for a trip down memory lane with you.”
“You won’t get your truck back until Monday at the earliest, but I’ll lend you a Raptor vehicle. And I’ll give you a phone, so there’s no need for a trip to Fairbanks. I’ll pick you up at eight. Be ready to hike.” With that, he stepped outside and pulled the door closed.
Chapter Nine
S omething nagged at the back of Alec’s mind as he drove to the compound. It had to do with Vin’s emails, but he couldn’t quite place it. When he arrived inside the compound, he made arrangements for a car and cell phone to be delivered to Isabel and confirmed with Nicole’s assistant that she and Falcon team were meeting in the northwest conference room in thirty minutes, then he went to his suite.
He yanked off his tie—which he’d worn in case he had a run-in with the press in Tamarack—and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt before settling in front of his laptop to email Isabel. He grimaced at the huge volume of emails that had arrived during his involuntary Internet hiatus. Apparently, disappearing for sixteen hours could make an in-box explode.
He dropped about twenty emails into his personal directory, then moved the rest into his DC office administrator’s folder. His assistant could read them and let Alec know which ones were worth responding to. Chore complete, he emailed Isabel, asking her to forward several of Vin’s emails, specifically requesting the one that described his illness when he’d been hiking alone, and the one in which he described his night-terror-like experience.
She responded almost immediately, and he couldn’t help but smile, imagining her sitting in front of her computer, her wild curls now dry, and he itched to run his fingers through them.
Shit, he had it bad.
He emailed her again: What are you wearing?
Her reply: Pervert.
He grinned and typed another message: FaceTime with me?
She responded: Hell, no.
He knew in his gut she was grinning as she typed each reply. His next message: Fine. I was going to tell you I’m sending two of my men to
She hesitated. “It’s always good to know where shelter is in the woods. Last night proved it.”
“I can’t argue with that but…” His blood pressure rose as understanding hit him. “Shit, Iz, you’ve been looking for the cave, haven’t you? That’s why you interrupted the live-fire training. You were searching for a cave with a lynx petroglyph.”
Her gaze flicked to her computer. Was that why she’d been nervous earlier? Was there evidence on the hard disk of her illegal forays onto his land?
Jesus. Searching for the cave was spectacularly foolish for the careful, prepared hiker that she was. In the case of the live-fire training, it might have gotten her killed. She’d wandered onto the range and could easily have been shot before the instructors saw her. All because she was determined to find a cave that might not even exist.
She frowned and stopped petting Gandalf. “No. That would be impossible. Thirty-thousand acres is too large an area for one person.”
“Don’t lie to me, Iz.”
The cat opened its eyes and glared at Alec, likely recognizing the source of her irritation. “Listen, I’ve had a crappy twenty-four hours and don’t enjoy your company.” She lifted Gandalf from her lap and stood. “It’s time for you to leave.” She crossed the room and opened the front door.
Alec let out a sharp laugh, making no move for the exit. “Two truths and a lie.”
Her mouth flattened. “Three truths.”
He stepped up to her and took her hips between his hands. Again her breath hitched. “No. You only wish it were three.” He released her and turned toward the open door. “Tomorrow we’re going back to where you found me in the woods.”
“Tomorrow I need to get my truck back from impound and drive to Fairbanks to buy a new phone. I don’t have time for a trip down memory lane with you.”
“You won’t get your truck back until Monday at the earliest, but I’ll lend you a Raptor vehicle. And I’ll give you a phone, so there’s no need for a trip to Fairbanks. I’ll pick you up at eight. Be ready to hike.” With that, he stepped outside and pulled the door closed.
Chapter Nine
S omething nagged at the back of Alec’s mind as he drove to the compound. It had to do with Vin’s emails, but he couldn’t quite place it. When he arrived inside the compound, he made arrangements for a car and cell phone to be delivered to Isabel and confirmed with Nicole’s assistant that she and Falcon team were meeting in the northwest conference room in thirty minutes, then he went to his suite.
He yanked off his tie—which he’d worn in case he had a run-in with the press in Tamarack—and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt before settling in front of his laptop to email Isabel. He grimaced at the huge volume of emails that had arrived during his involuntary Internet hiatus. Apparently, disappearing for sixteen hours could make an in-box explode.
He dropped about twenty emails into his personal directory, then moved the rest into his DC office administrator’s folder. His assistant could read them and let Alec know which ones were worth responding to. Chore complete, he emailed Isabel, asking her to forward several of Vin’s emails, specifically requesting the one that described his illness when he’d been hiking alone, and the one in which he described his night-terror-like experience.
She responded almost immediately, and he couldn’t help but smile, imagining her sitting in front of her computer, her wild curls now dry, and he itched to run his fingers through them.
Shit, he had it bad.
He emailed her again: What are you wearing?
Her reply: Pervert.
He grinned and typed another message: FaceTime with me?
She responded: Hell, no.
He knew in his gut she was grinning as she typed each reply. His next message: Fine. I was going to tell you I’m sending two of my men to
Similar Books
