at that either.”
“Maybe you haven’t been out with the right people.” He kept looking at her, his expression solemn but friendly.
Her heart flopped over. In spite of all her intentions, before she could think it through, she planted a quick kiss on his lips. Nothing too hot, or too out of control. Just a simple, warm thank you that both energized her and made her sad.
He stared at her for a minute, and then cleared his throat. “Lindsey—”
“It’s okay.” She stood, cutting him off before he said something to ruin the moment. He was already far nicer than any man she’d ever kissed. How sad was that? Maybe she could enjoy that novelty while it lasted and call it a win. “We should get going.”
He licked his lips and stared at her for another beat before nodding. “Right.”
By the time they reached the top of the hill and cut through to the trail, the setting sun cast a warm glow over the trees and they walked in deep shadows. Her legs burned, and she was warm and sticky despite the cool wind.
“How am I doing as an end-of-the-world pick so far?” he asked after they’d walked a couple miles, stopping to hand her a protein bar.
She smiled and ripped open the makeshift meal. If she had her way, she was never eating one of these again for the rest of her life. But for now, hungry as she was, she devoured it. “No complaints. Especially if you keep feeding me.”
“I’ll work on being nerdier.”
“What makes you think you’re not enough of a dork already?”
She wanted to hoard his easy laughter, make him do it again and again so she could fill her soul with that joy. Oblivious to her inner turmoil, he tucked their empty wrappers into a zippered side pocket on his pack and gestured to her to resume hiking.
The sun had slid behind the mountains, and it was nearly too dark to see the trail when Todd donned a red-lighted headlamp and said, “I’ve been thinking. Why didn’t these guys just kill you?”
“Wow, okay.” There was that brutal directness on full display. But, hadn’t she asked for it? It sure beat her concerns about how easily he’d snowed the cashier earlier.
“Not to be harsh,” he continued, “but it’s the obvious question.”
She stumbled and he took her gloved hand. Keeping a tight grip, she shuffled along next to him, trying to make out the roots and rocks that conspired to trip her up.
“I wish I knew,” she said. “I’m not even sure why they took us hostage. They could’ve avoided all this trouble by pointing us in the direction of our hotel and calling it a day.” She hesitated and took a deep breath. “I originally thought maybe they wanted us for…” She winced, unable to make herself say it.
“But they left you alone?”
“I don’t know about Megan”—God, she hoped they’d left Megan alone—“but no one touched me.”
“Good.” His voice was like flint. “Maybe you saw something incriminating and they wanted to check that you weren’t undercover law enforcement or something before they took drastic measures.”
She shrugged despite the dark. “There were armed guards, a few white nationalist tattoos, a makeshift gun range. Worrisome, but not necessarily illegal.”
“Unless JJ didn’t want anyone to be able to place him there.”
“I guess, though I don’t know who would’ve asked us about it later. It’s not like we’d have had anything to report if we’d simply gotten lost and been helped back to the trail.”
He frowned. “Do you think maybe they wanted ransom? You said Megan was making bank with her new business.”
“But how would they know that?”
“True.” He sighed. “Maybe they just hoped one of you came from a wealthy family.”
“Maybe.” She shuddered and prayed again that Megan was alive and unharmed. “Or they wanted to take us somewhere away from the compound so our bodies wouldn’t lead back to them. Stage an accident or something.” How surreal to be discussing her possible murder so casually.
“Jesus.” Despite starting the conversation, Todd didn’t sound any more pleased by the topic.
They crested a small hill, and a scatter of lights came into view, about a quarter mile below them, partially hidden in the forest.
“Is that it?” Todd asked, whipping out a pair of binoculars from his seemingly bottomless bag.
She squinted. Maybe it was time for a new contact lens prescription. “I think so.”
“Law enforcement not affiliated with this group wouldn’t have any reason to suspect we’d come here, but JJ had to figure