“B-but…”

  He faced her with one eyebrow raised and she stopped talking.

  He had gathered some wood and proceeded to start a fire. With one pot he boiled and sterilized the water before placing it in a fresh container and with the other pot he dropped in a can of beans. Once the beans were warmed, he filled the can and handed them to her.

  “I can’t eat out of a can.”

  He sighed. “The pot then?”

  “I can’t eat out of a pot.”

  “I’m not traipsing down to the creek to wash dishes, and besides, we don’t have extra dishes. There was only so much we could grab. On the run, remember?”

  He was wishing more and more that he’d gone to the police. Blake should come and check on them in a few days. When he did, Levi would ask if he’d heard anything about a shooting. Then he would turn himself in no matter what Miss Girasol said. Staying hidden could only make it worse. Of that, he was sure.

  Mae was eyeing the can of beans. Her belly growled mimicking the sound of a ravenous bear.

  “Give me the can.”

  She jerked it from his hands. He noticed that she liked to pull stuff away in an angry manner.

  He took the pot and started to consume the beans. They weren’t bad. He’d had worse.

  Once he had his fill, he dumped the remains far away from camp and then returned to douse the fire. He went to the creek and cleaned the dishes and rinsed out his mouth. Finished, he found a private place for his business then headed back to camp. The outhouse was a little too close to Mae for him to use it right now.

  Mae had her chin tilted upward studying the sky. “Primitive but pretty.”

  He couldn’t agree more, only he wasn’t talking about the sky.

  Chapter Eight

  “A lot of romance in the stars.” She sighed as leaned back against a log and looked upward. “I had a boyfriend once who tried to tell me all the love stories surrounding every constellation.”

  “Are you saying that relationship didn’t last?”

  “You’re poking fun.”

  He held up his hands in surrender. “Oh, not at all. I just thought women dig that kind of stuff.”

  She played with the hem of her shirt. It had long since come out of the waistband of her pants. There was no need to try to stay neat in her current situation.

  “I did enjoy the stories.”

  “Then something else happened.”

  “Not that it is any of your business, but I wasn’t the only one he was sharing stories with.”

  “Ah, that makes sense.”

  Ben had been a hopeless romantic, but not a faithful romantic.

  “Anyway, have you ever told a girl about the stars?” Her boldness surprised even her.

  He shrugged. “Not really. I only ever loved one girl, but she, well she left when I joined the military.”

  “She didn’t want you to join?”

  He shook his head. “No, she didn’t. Military life wasn’t for her.”

  “Then why did you go?” If he loved her then why did he leave her? Men made no sense.

  “When I was first deployed, I used to ask myself the same question. She’d been one of the greatest things in my life, but I let her go to join the army. It wasn’t really that I chose the army over her; it was I chose a career over her. College wasn’t in the cards. My grades were poor, and my family didn’t have money for that. The army offered medical benefits, a sign-on bonus, a career, a family really. I don’t regret it.”

  “So, you’re happy you went despite what happened to you?”

  He nodded. “I am. It was worth it. Now I can be counted with those who fought for our country’s freedom.”

  “You are an interesting man, Mr. Levi Anderson.”

  “I’ve been told that before.”

  He shot a glance at the tent. She knew he had to be tired. He’d done way more work than her, but she wasn’t too happy about sharing a tent with him. Not twelve hours after she was following him to see if he was a traitor to the country.

  “I can sleep out here if you like.”

  He looked at her with those big blue eyes, thick blond hair still lying perfectly on top of his head. Could she make him sleep on the ground outside the tent with the creatures that crept and crawled in the night?

  “No, you brought two sleeping bags. I’ll be fine. Let’s just go to sleep. I’m tired.”

  She crawled in first. She removed her shoes before putting her legs into the sleeping bag. She didn’t have anything else to wear. She knew that sleeping in the day’s sweat would probably cause a problem later, but what was she going to do?

  “Come back out here a minute.” He disappeared back to the vehicle and returned with a shorts and shirt set. “I got these from Blake. They might be more comfortable to sleep in.”

  She took them and held them close to her chest. Where was she supposed to change?

  “Go inside the tent and I’ll turn around. Once you’re done let me know, and I’ll go in the woods and change.”

  She obeyed, keeping her movements quick and efficient. “I’m done.”

  She could see his shadow as he headed to the woods. When he returned and climbed into the tent, he was wearing a pair of knit shorts and a T-shirt.

  Sleeping next to him was going to be more difficult than she imagined. How could someone who had sweated all day still smell so good?

  ****

  Bill Archer’s office received a call from a woman named Leah Donovan about Levi Anderson being followed and now missing. Mr. Anderson had already been on their radar for some time. Bill had heard Ericka talk about Mae Girasol. She had been charged with surveillance regarding Mr. Anderson. Ericka had asked for the position herself, but had been turned down. Bill had been grateful for that. He wasn’t ready to lose Ericka just yet.

  Bill took out his notepad as he talked to the local police. “You have camera footage of Mae Girasol and Levi Anderson shooting this man and then running?”

  “We do. It’s plain as day. Although I have to say that this guy here, whoever he is, he pulled a gun first.”

  A laptop was open on the hood of the local sheriff’s vehicle.

  Bill leaned toward the screen, blocking the glare. It appeared as if Mae and Levi were sitting on a park bench when the unknown assailant stepped from his car and pulled his weapon. Mae didn’t react, but Levi Anderson did. He pulled her weapon and dropped the suspect.

  Mae was the one tugging Levi away from the scene and into his truck.

  “What do you think happened?” Ericka Stone, Bill’s partner posed the first question.

  “I have no idea. I suspect that Mae sensed danger and they’ve gone into hiding. We need to figure out who this man is and what he was after.”

  Bill had Ericka request the footage be sent to their office. Once everything seemed in motion, they entered the car and started the drive back to headquarters.

  If this threat had anything to do with OPAL, then Mae and Levi could be in even more danger than any of them realized. Bill looked at Ericka. It would be their job to figure this out before it was too late.

  Chapter Nine

  Levi rolled onto his side and opened his eyes. The other sleeping bag was empty. Mae was gone.

  He leaped up as fast as he could, his legs tangling in the bag before he could get out. He muttered under his breath and finally freed himself.

  When he exited the tent, he was surprised to find Mae sitting there with a fire started. Her hands were over her head as she stretched and yawned at the same time.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

  “Good morning.” He started to ask about coffee, but he was pretty sure they hadn’t packed any.

  “What’s on the agenda for today?”

  He’d been about to ask the same question. He wanted to return to Blake’s house and see if he could manage to find a phone. There had to be one somewhere, even if Blake didn’t have one. Maybe someone had left a cell phone as they went on their off-grid excursion. It was worth asking about.

  “What do you think we should do today?”

  She picked up a blade of grass and let it slip through her fingers and fall to the ground. Her mind was whirling, he could tell. There was something she wanted to say, but she wasn’t saying it.

  “I don’t know if I can spend another night in that tent.”

  That wasn’t what he’d expected.

  “I mean, let’s go back and ask for the cabin or something. The outhouse is, um, nice, sort of, better than leaning against a tree, but I just can’t. The ground is hard. Bugs kept biting me.”

  She started scratching her arms uncontrollably.

  “I think I have a rash. And I need clothes. I mean these pajamas are great, but I can’t wear them all day.”

  This was way more than he’d expected to hear from her. Although she talked so much, he wasn’t sure why he was surprised.

  “So, what do you want to do today?”

  “I was going to say we could go for a hike or something to kill time, but you have way more planned.”

  “Oh.”

  He could ask about a frank conversation. They could talk about why she had been following him. Or why she thought they needed to run to be safe. Or a million other things, but comfort was a big deal. Not as big as going to prison, but still important.

  “Why don’t you tell me what you want to do?”

  “I want to go home.”

  That got his attention.

  “I want my big four poster queen size bed. I want a hot cup of coffee. I want a shower! I was not meant for this kind of work.”

  He cocked his brow as she rose to her feet and began to pace.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I asked for a challenge. But you know, I think they were trying to mock me. They gave me an impossible task. They sent me on a fool’s errand.” She used her arms to encompass the outdoors. “This is ridiculous.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “I, um, well, I um… ahh!” She turned on her heels and walked toward the woods.

  He wasn’t sure where she was headed. He’d have to time her so he could follow if she got lost. Apparently, she wasn’t a woodsy type of person.

  He laughed under his breath as she got to the edge and looked for the trail only to turn around and look at him.

  He pointed to an area and she finally seemed to figure it out.

  He wasn’t sure what they were going to do today, but whatever it was, it was sure to be humorous.

  ****

  She stalked away before she revealed too much of her job. What were they going to do today? One thing she wasn’t going to do was sit in the sun and bake. And itch. There was the itching. It was driving her close to crazy.

  If she took him back to town, where would they go? Her house was probably being watched as was his apartment.

  He didn’t have a safe place and neither did she. She should have called the office and asked them what to do before she discarded her phone. Maybe if they went into town, she could find some way to contact her superiors.

  She needed a plan. Technology would help. If she had access to it.

  She returned to camp. Levi was sitting there redressed in his jeans and T-shirt. For an injured man, he moved fast.

  “I’ll pack up the tent, and we’ll go back to Blake’s. Maybe he has a more, um, modern place we can hide out.”

  She nodded, but she wasn’t sure about Blake’s available properties. She was more into luxury hotels than yurts.

  ****

  Levi packaged the tent. With everything aboard the side-by-side, they climbed in and he started the engine and left the campsite.

  Sleeping next to Mae hadn’t been easy. Even with her rough day her beauty hadn’t diminished. She smelled like peaches with a hint of cream. He’d tried not to notice. She had been following him. No doubt for a nefarious purpose. People didn’t often get followed for non-nefarious purposes.

  If her goal was to harm him, she’d had time. Although after seeing her struggle to sleep outside for one night, Levi wasn’t so sure she could get rid of him or anyone else for that matter. She might need to look into another line of work.

  They arrived at Blake’s. The chickens that had roamed freely the day before seemed to have vanished. The hustle and bustle of farm life had seemingly disappeared overnight.

  “Something’s not right.”

  Mae was correct.

  He stopped next to his truck. All four tires appeared to have been slashed. He wasn’t going to be leaving in that vehicle anytime soon.

  “We need to leave.”

  Mae’s eyes were darting back and forth across the yard.

  He eased the vehicle into neutral and lifted his foot. The ping of bullets flying overhead and striking his ancient truck had him putting the all-terrain vehicle into gear and speeding away.

  “The map!”

  His words drifted on the wind but she seemed to have caught them anyway.

  She grabbed the map shoved between the two seats and opened it as best she could. He caught quick glances in between driving. He weaved around trees and over paved roads back to gravel.

  The roar of engines behind them caused him to speed up more. Mud flung all around. The windshield was coated in wet mud and sticks making it hard to see through.

  “I’m open to ideas,” he yelled.

  She held tight to the railings. If she hadn’t buckled in, she might have been flung free by now.

  “Maybe we should try to hit the main road.”

  He disagreed. If they left the gravel path, those behind them would likely have the advantage. However, he wasn’t sure how much more of the rough terrain that Mae could take. She was already looking a little green.

  He crossed an open field and crossed into another woodsy area. Bullets whizzed past them, sending shards of bark flying through the air. In his mind he visualized the map. There was one chance, one road that he might be able to take that they couldn’t traverse as easily.

  The mountain pass was coming up. He would have to wrap around the mountain multiple times at breakneck speed. When they reached the top, if the others were still following, he wasn’t sure what he would do. There was a bridge, but it wasn’t for cars.

  He started praying.

  Chapter Ten

  Mae had seen the map. As soon as Levi took the mountain pass, she started praying, then she started shouting. “Are you crazy!”

  “Only slightly or so I’ve been told.”

  He hugged the curves tightly. Rocks sprayed from under the tires and fell down the steep mountainside.

  Those who followed them were hot on their trail. Their vehicles weren’t quite as well prepared for the trip so they took the curves much slower.

  But was it slow enough for whatever Levi had planned?

  She hoped so.

  Mae squeezed the seatbelt and clenched her butt cheeks as she slid around on the slick material. If she went flying out of the vehicle, she’d probably slap a tree and break in half.

  She started praying again.

  By the time they reached the top, their followers were only halfway up the mountain.

  Levi cut the engine and climbed from the vehicle. He grabbed a backpack and filled it with the canteens and the pot. Other things were grabbed. What, she didn’t know exactly. He was going so fast or maybe her heart was pumping so hard that her vision was blurred, she wasn’t sure.

  He filled another backpack and handed it to her. “Come on!”

  She shrugged into the backpack and followed him, even though she had no idea where they were going. The trees parted. She stopped.

  No way on earth could he possibly be considering crossing that! The swinging bridge she’d seen as they rounded the last curve hung precariously between two mountains. Every small gust of wind sent it rocking. From this distance, the rope looked frayed. Up close, she imagined it had to look worse.

  He didn’t stop until he stood at the bridge entrance. “What are you doing? Come on. We have to move.”

  She took one step forward, and then another. She wasn’t sure why because she would not and could not get on that thing.

  When she was close enough, he said, “I’ll go first. You step where I step.”

  “No way!”

  She was really close to him now. She could see that his cheeks were red and his head beaded with perspiration. No doubt the trek up the slight incline had taxed his leg.

  A strand of hair had escaped her ponytail. Taking it in her hand she began to wind it around her finger until he placed his hands on either side of her face. The warmth of his rough palms seeped into her body.

  “You can do this. One step at a time.”

  Then he let go and started walking. She was paralyzed. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move. That two sentence pep talk hadn’t cut it in the slightest. She stood by her early thought that he was crazy if he thought she could walk across such a rickety thing. She wouldn’t even get on a roller coaster and those things had been tested.

  Dust from the approaching vehicles was getting closer. If there was no other way…

  She closed her eyes. Maybe she needed to remind herself why she’d taken her job and get into another line of work. What she was doing to help the FBI and to keep her job at the NSA was not worth this. They could find someone else to be chased by killers and walk across deadly bridges.

  Levi cleared his throat, and she forced her eyes open.

  “Are you coming? If you get too far behind you might miss a step that I took.”

  One glance below and she saw how close the followers were to closing the gap. There was no choice. She gulped and grabbed the ropes on each side. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m coming.”

  The first step sent the bridge into a rock. She closed her eyes and bit her tongue.

  “Slow and easy.”

  “Sure, slow and easy. Soon they’re going to start shooting at us and then we won’t have time for slow and easy.”

  “Let’s think positive.”