This Fearless Girl (St. Clary's University #2) - E. M. Moore Page 0,47

proper equipment and training is impossible.

Lucas’ jaw drops. “Is this....”

“A place of interest? Yes.”

“How much work have you and your dad done in this area?” Stone asks.

“It feels like a lot,” I tell him, shielding my eyes from the sun as I gaze upward. “We’ve traversed the area many times, then moved onto a different place only to come back here.”

“Metal detectors?”

I laugh harshly. “Only the Jacobses got the newfangled equipment. Boots on the ground, that’s what we had.”

His face hardens. I really hate when he gives me that look, almost like I’m being unreasonable, but really, did he need to ask that question? Of course we didn’t have metal detectors. Ever.

“Let’s make camp nearby,” Stone directs. “I’d like to scout this area really well.”

I smirk. “Don’t you remember me saying when I agreed to do this that we treasure hunt on my terms?” I grab the straps of my new hiking pack and stand my ground.

“What do you want to do then?”

I smile. “To play with the metal detectors.”

Wyatt chuckles and slaps Stone on the back. “Let’s do this.” He lets out an excited whoop and it echoes around us. “Guess who’s back? Back again,” he singsongs.

I shake my head and let my pack off my shoulders. As soon as the weight is lifted, I stretch out. Damn, all the extra equipment we needed is heavier than I imagined. Lucas comes up behind me. “Maybe if you’re lucky, Wild Girl, I’ll give you a nice massage tonight.”

The purr in his voice distracts me, and the deep push of his fingers into my shoulders as he gives me a taste of what he wants to do has me wanting to set up camp for the night right now. Unfortunately, we have a lot of time to run the metal detectors before settling in. “We stay in pairs,” I announce. “No one goes off by themselves. Call out if you need help.”

“Use the flags if you find an area you want to explore further,” Stone instructs.

“Found one,” Wyatt says, slipping one of the sticks with the orange flag on it down the back of my sweaty shirt.

Even Stone cracks a smile at that.

“Get out of here,” I say, shoving him playfully and taking his orange flag for myself.

Lucas steps forward. “I call Dakota as a partner.”

“Negative,” Stone tells him. “Dakota and I are pairing up. You and Wyatt check the area to the west. We’re checking the area to the east.”

Nerves twist my stomach, but neither Lucas nor Wyatt argues with Stone. We drop our bags in a pile, each of us taking the equipment we might need. Stone crouches, putting together the metal detector before handing it to me. He grabs a shovel for himself, then we head out with water bottles hanging off our belts.

Our clothes are supposed to be moisture wicking, but it’s difficult to wick away this much sweat. It’ll be a different scenario when the sun finally goes down. It’s like shutting off an oven. It won’t get cold or anything, but it turns off the heat enough so we’re not dying.

“I wanted to teach you how to use the metal detector,” Stone says as if he needs a reason to pair up with me.

Things are weird as shit between us right now. We’ve already taken our relationship to a point we can’t come back from. I mean, his tongue’s been between my legs. He’s been up close and personal with my girly bits.

Definitely not something I should be thinking about while we’re in the mountains. There are too many other things here that I need to be on the lookout for—animals, dangerous terrain… other people. With Lance announcing to the world that the Wilders and Jacobses are teaming up, it wouldn’t surprise me if people followed us. Plus, there’s always Cole to worry about; though, I’m not as afraid of him in the Superstitions. Untrained people could get themselves into trouble quickly.

“Let’s grid out an area,” Stone suggests, pulling the newer map out of his pocket. He’s already marked places to search. Controlling asshole. I can’t knock his plan though. It’s a different technique than Dad and I used, but that doesn’t make it worse. If anything, Stone and I with our combined treasure knowledge and skills make a strong team.

We place wooden grid markers in a large square, then step inside. He takes the metal detector and shows me how to sweep it back and forth. He walks one whole line, then does a