Page 40 of No One But You
“I’m getting out of the car,” she said, and I heard a door shut.“I’ve got my backpack on, and I’m setting up the new selfie stick right now.I’m pretending to talk into my phone.”
There was a long pause.
“The video is coming through clearly.”This came from Mehrtens, who was back at the station, monitoring the footage on her computer.
“Start walking and act as if it’s just a normal recording session,” Nate ordered.
Bailey started a chatty monologue about the Castle River trail and the history of the valley.Every now and then, she panned the phone camera around to show her surroundings, under the guise of pointing out an interesting landmark or a pretty bird.
“I haven’t seen any movement in the background so far,” Mehrtens reported.“Well, not except for the spot near the fallen tree where we had someone positioned.Might want to tell them to do a better job of staying still.”
“Bloody hell,” someone muttered—presumably the cop in question.
Bailey kept up her stream of one-sided conversation, and I rocked back on my heels.God, I wished I could see her face.Or better, hug her.
The ball of anxiety spooling inside me drew tighter and tighter over the course of the morning.By the time she reached the hut, it was all I could do to stay inside until she’d removed her shoes, entered, and closed the door.
I flew over and pulled her into a hug, grabbing her selfie stick and thrusting it into someone else’s hands.“I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Me too.”Her mouth wobbled.“That was terrifying.Do you think maybe they aren’t here?”
“I don’t know.”If they were watching her as we suspected, then they should have known that she’d planned a solo hike for today.She’d announced it on a livestream earlier in the week and posted once or twice since then.She’d also mentioned it in passing to two of the biggest gossips in Destiny Falls.
“They might be waiting for you to get back to your car.”Nate’s voice was an unwelcome intrusion in my ear.“I’m about a kilometer farther down the trail from you, taking up the rear, and I haven’t seen anyone.It’s possible they’re counting on you being too tired to put up a fight on the trip back.”
Bailey gave my shoulder a gentle push, and I released her.She dropped her backpack and dug around until she surfaced with a protein bar.She tore it open and took a bite.
“I’d usually eat something on the trail, but my stomach wouldn’t settle,” she explained around a mouthful of food.
“I’m not surprised.Mine would be unsettled, too, in your shoes.”As it was, I hadn’t managed to get anything down other than a coffee and a banana for breakfast.
Bailey sat on a wooden bench along one wall.“How long should I stay, Nate?”
“Maybe ten minutes,” Nate replied.“I think it would be best if you leave just as I’m getting to the hut so they don’t think we’re together.”
“Sure.”
Bailey finished the protein bar and ate a few cookies that one of the cops offered her before Nate appeared on the edge of the forest, and then she put her backpack on and headed out to don her shoes.
Ignoring Nate’s arrival, I watched as she disappeared into the trees, searching the shadows between them for any sign that someone was waiting there for her.
Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it—she made it back to her vehicle without running into anyone.
My shoulders dropped from around my ears as I heard her open the car door and put her gear inside.
“I’m getting into the car now,” she said, speaking softly.“I’ll head to Heather and Eugene’s place, like we discussed.”
“Lock the door,” I prompted, worried that she might be attacked as she slowly made her way down the access road.“Be careful.”
If anything happened to her, I’d lose my shit so spectacularly that everyone would think Nate was the calm twin for once.
She had to be okay.
TWENTY-THREE
Reason #6 why Max Braddock is husband material:
He’d never try to hide what we are to each other.
