This was impossibly good luck. And bad luck, considering Xavier had been secretly hoping that Penny would know nothing and he could walk away from her again sooner rather than later. There was only so long he could face down the reminder that he was a complete and total jackass, that he'd ruined the best thing that had ever happened to him."You're lying," came Roth's voice from the front of the car. "If you think you can make wild claims and we'll just - ""I'm not lying," Penny insisted. "I met Vincent when he came to the park last year. He was fascinated by this place. Trapped me in a corner for half an hour asking me questions, then tried to tip me a thousand dollars for my trouble." She shrugged. "He was a character. And he had this leather-bound notebook with him that was full of notes and nature sketches, like he was on the Lewis and Clark expedition or something. He had a lot of fancy equipment with him, too. That and the massive tip he tried to give me tipped me off that he
"You sure you're okay?" Eric asked Penny again.Penny nodded, smiling even though she knew her fellow ranger could see the unshed tears in her eyes. "I'm fine. Thanks again. And I'll make it up to you, I promise. Seriously, anything you need."Eric gave a dismissive wave. "I know you will. Go take care of yourself."Penny hadn't meant to start tearing up when she approached Eric to ask him to cover for her. She'd managed to hold it together from the moment she left Xavier on the path until the moment she opened her mouth, and then all of the emotions she'd been stifling tried to rush out at once.Maybe the tears helped her case. But she'd have rather been stronger, more composed. She'd formed some great friendships with her fellow rangers here, but she didn't talk about certain things with them. And she didn't plan to. She wanted to keep the past in the past.Why is Xavier here? she asked herself for the umpteenth time. Why now? I have a new life. A different future ahead of me. W
He couldn't tear his eyes away from Penny.She was pointedly looking away from him, staring out the window at the scenery as they followed the Great Loop Road toward this Prismatic Spring she'd mentioned. But even though Yellowstone was beautiful - he'd always had a soft spot for the country's national parks, ever since his first visit to Yosemite as a kid - it could never compare to the woman next to him.He'd thought her anger, her pain, would be a buffer. That he could use it to maintain the wall he'd spent years building up in his mind. But he should have known better. He'd never been the sort of guy who was easily confined by walls. Or any restrictions, for that matter. Yeah, okay - when he was competing as a motocross racer, or during his brief stints in a couple of other extreme sports, he'd always followed the rules of the game. He didn't want anyone questioning his skills or his victories. But in all other parts of his life, he'd always prided himself on being a rebel. It ha
Penny's heart was racing. Xavier didn't even have to say anything. She already knew they'd found something important.His eyes were locked on the symbol. "This was Rinaldi. I know it was."There was a sharp determination in his voice, and she wasn't sure whether he was certain or just desperate. She'd seen his face as that wooden elephant had tumbled down into the crater below. And she'd felt the loss deep inside her, in places she hadn't realize could still feel at all.But that feeling was fading again, lost beneath the beating of her heart. She knew that wild look in Xavier's eyes. And she wasn't sure she was ready for what would come next.Xavier's hand skimmed over the plank, his fingers following the same invisible line hers had just drawn."There has to be something here." He looked up and down the rail. "Another clue, or..." He knelt down, looking underneath.Penny dropped down beside him. She wasn't sure what they were looking for. Xavier had said that they were looking
I have to do something.That was the thought that occupied Xavier's mind most of the way to Artist Point. The problem was, he didn't know what he had to do. He just knew that he was balancing on a fine edge, and that one step in the wrong direction would send him and everything that mattered tumbling down into oblivion.He'd never seen Roth like this. The leader of the Set had always been bullheaded. But this hunt had done crazy things to all of them. There was a hard-edged ruthlessness to Roth now. He never would have referred to an innocent woman as "leverage" before. Or would he?Maybe Tavish was right. During their brief chat back at the Norris Geyser Basin, his former teammate had implied that Xavier didn't know everything about Roth, that the leader of the Set was keeping secrets from him and the rest of the group. But what? And why the hell hadn't Tavish just told him outright?Xavier's fingers gripped his empty pocket. The loss of that little elephant had left a hole in him
She was in free fall.Her stomach was in her throat, and for a moment, even terror couldn't catch her. Part of her knew that she was going to die, but the rest of her hadn't caught up with the idea yet.And then she hit something. Hard.Not the floor of the canyon - she was still well above that. But the side. She grabbed, her fingers reaching for anything they could catch. Her leg twisted hard enough to make her wince.And then she slowed. Managed to grab an outcropping of rock.Her fingers screamed with the strain of her weight, at least until she managed to get her feet beneath her again. She was in an awkward position, and her left leg - the one she'd twisted - throbbed with pain, but she was alive. And clinging to the side of the canyon. The wind was even stronger here, whipping around her, and she was grateful her hair was still tied back in its braid. She needed to be able to see. And think.She glanced up. She could see Xavier's shape above her, but the gunman was nowhere
Xavier had done a lot of crazy, dangerous shit in his life. He'd risked his neck dozens of times, survived things that most people wouldn't even dream of attempting. And he'd done most of it without even blinking, without the smallest amount of fear.This was different.This time, it wasn't just his neck on the line. This time, it was Penny's, too. And nothing was going to stop him from getting her to safety.Her arms were tight around his neck. Almost too tight, but as long as he could breathe, he wasn't going to complain. Her job was to hold on, and she was admirably good at it.His job was a little trickier.By himself, he could have made this climb easily. But he wasn't used to climbing with an extra weight on his back - and precious weight, at that. He was far more concerned for her than he was for himself.He picked his way up the side of the canyon carefully. There were plenty of hand holds and foot holds, but shifting their combined weight even the slightest bit in the wr
One minute she was standing calmly in the doorway, waiting for Xavier to finish his ridiculous inspection of her cabin, and the next there was an arm around her throat.It all happened so fast. He must have been behind the door, must have been waiting for just the right moment to leap out and grab her - the moment when Xavier was as far as he could be across the room.Xavier spun around, gun raised, but it was too late. The intruder had positioned himself behind her, using her body as a shield."Easy, Shark Bait," said the man behind her. "I don't want to hurt her. Or you. I just want to talk.""Funny way you have of showing it." Xavier's eyes blazed. "Release her and I'll lower my gun."The arm around her neck loosened slightly. "Lower your gun and I'll release her."Penny wasn't going to wait around for these two to come to some sort of agreement. On the table next to the door, where she kept odds and ends she might need when rushing out, there sat a can of bear spray - a neces