This Fearless Girl (St. Clary's University #2) - E. M. Moore Page 0,110

thighs. He turns to his side, grabs the toilet paper we brought with us, and uses it to wipe between my legs, then tosses it in the fire.

Now that we’re not warming each other up, the night air chills our skin, so we pull clothes on. He settles back onto the blanket. “I think I’ll fall asleep right here. At least I can pretend we’re cuddling.”

I turn toward him, propping my head up on my palm as I watch him close his eyes and place his arm around me. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as a cuddler.”

“Me either.”

He drifts off but I sit up again, making sure the fire is still going and letting my eyes roam over the landscape. A feeling passes over me that raises the hair on the back of my neck.

Someone’s watching me. Us.

I stare into the darkness and see nothing but shadows peppered over the mountain terrain, but they could be anything—sparse vegetation, boulders, a person staring back at me through the dark.

The sound of rocks moving catches my attention, and I peer all around. I’m well aware we’re not the only ones up here. There are animals and insects, but coupled with the feeling of being watched, I’m on high alert.

I spot the gun next to Wyatt and lean over, picking it up and placing it between my legs as I continue to inspect our surroundings. My heart thumps against my ribcage, my face paling when I realize that Wyatt and I may have had an audience.

I wonder if Lance has sent someone to take us out? His son is getting married tomorrow, after all. If I were him, I’d be worried a curly-haired girl with fire in her eyes would show up and put a kink in his plans. The guys and I haven’t discussed it, but I don’t plan on Stone marrying Rissa. Either I’ll stop it or Cole will.

How? I’m really not sure. I just know that we can’t let Lance dictate Stone’s life anymore. Doing so gives him that much more power. I don’t care what I have to do to stop it.

37

Even after Lucas woke up to relieve me, I didn’t get any sleep. The next morning, my eyes are bloodshot, and I’m exhausted from listening all night, sure that something was going to happen.

A whistle sounds. Wyatt and I immediately sit up, our sleeping bags tangled around our feet. It’s dawn. Though the night has faded into daylight, it’s still rather dark inside the tent. Wyatt pulls out his cell phone and shines a light so we can see. I gape at him. “Jeez. Cell phones are really small miracles, aren’t they? Does mine do that?”

“It’s a flashlight app,” he says. “I’ll get you one.”

He unzips the door, and we walk out. The whistle sounds again, and we take off in the direction we hear it in. Lucas comes into view around the side of the ridge and waves us closer. “Look at this shit.”

Along one wall of the ridge are several black handprints. I shake my head, narrowing my gaze at them. There are at least a dozen here—spread out in all different directions. “Does anyone remember seeing this cliff face yesterday?”

“Me,” Wyatt answers. “These weren’t here when I was searching for rocks to make the fire pit.”

“I heard stuff last night,” I tell them. “And felt something, too.”

“They were probably doing this,” Lucas says, gesturing again at the rock face. “But who?”

“The Apaches?” Wyatt asks.

I shake my head. “I doubt it. It must be someone knowledgeable about the folklore, though. They’re trying to scare us out of here.”

“It’s gotta be the people Lance hired.” Lucas kicks the rocks at his feet. “Maybe they know more about the treasure than we thought?”

I grind my teeth together. There are, of course, other treasure hunters out here. But they don’t have the funds of a Jacobs or the knowledge of a Wilder. However, if they’re being bankrolled by Lance, they could be more of a threat, especially if he told them to fuck with us. People do shitty things when it comes to the treasure. Greed is too much for people to handle.

“This is fucked up,” Wyatt seethes, glancing at me. He must be thinking the same thing I did last night. Did anyone see us?

“Maybe we should head back early?” Lucas suggests. “We weren’t going to stay long anyway, and now with this….”

I don’t like the idea. It feels like we’re giving up, but at the same time,