Wilde One (24 page)

“I don’t think anyone’s around.”

Ainslee blinked and yawned. “So I woke up at three in the morning for no reason?”

“Think of it as getting an early start.” He drove minimally faster as more clouds passed over the moon, temporarily leaving a bright orb to illuminate the road. The last thing he wanted was to wind up in a ditch.

“Are we almost to the highway?”

“Less than a mile to go.”

Crack!
Metal ricocheted off metal. Griff stomped on the gas and gripped the wheel. The SUV bounced and jolted along the road. A second shot roared through the night.

“Shit! Get down, Ainslee. The asshole’s shooting at us.”

“Be careful, Griff!” She hunched over Rocky, staying low.

When another shot echoed, he wasn’t sure if the whimper came from her or the dog.

“He missed with the second two, but the first one clipped the back.” Griff eased up on the gas for a curve then swerved left when the tires neared the road’s edge. “Goddamn clouds. I can’t see where I’m going.”

“Maybe the headlights…”

“Might as well put a bull’s-eye on us. No, we’ll make it. The highway’s just up ahead.”

She didn’t respond.

Straining to see, he sped over the final few hundred yards then was forced to flash his headlights to make the turn onto the access road. Another shot sounded, too far in the distance to be accurate. With a grunt of satisfaction, Griff merged onto the highway and drove another quarter mile before turning on the lights.

With a shaking hand, he touched Ainslee’s shoulder. “We’re good.”

She sat up straight and let out a breath. “I can’t believe that just happened.”

“I can. The freak’s escalating. At this point, I imagine he doesn’t care if he hurts us or kills us, just so long as he stops us from getting to the treasure first.”

“Let him have it, then! I don’t want either of us to get killed.” She clenched her fists and rested them on Rocky’s back.

The dog circled on her lap then flopped down with a grunt.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“No.” Her shoulders shook. “Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Other than a dent to your car, he didn’t do any real damage. We’re fine.”

“He’ll just find us again.”

“Why do you think I’m driving ninety miles an hour right now? He’s not going to catch us because we’re smarter than he is.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “I see lights way back behind us.”

“I’m not surprised. I’d have to guess those shots came from somewhere near the Dixons’ place. He probably parked on their driveway and used the hill their house sits on as a vantage point since it’s the only high ground around. By the time he stopped shooting at us to follow, we had at least a mile head start.”

“What if he’s driving faster than we are?”

“I hope he is. There’s a curve in the highway up ahead. Just past it, a dirt track cuts across a couple of ranches to hook up with a county road. From there, we can take a different route back to the highway. It’s a bit of a detour, but that can’t be helped.” He stepped harder on the accelerator, and the SUV shivered and shook in response. “The shooter should go whizzing straight past the turn, and by the time he figures out he’s lost us, we’ll be long gone.”

“Your plan
sounds
like it’ll work.”

“Have some faith. It’ll work.” Tires screeched as he rounded the corner then hit the brakes. Turning left onto the rutted track, he killed the headlights but kept rolling forward. They’d gone a couple hundred yards from the highway when a car roared by. “Sweet. Worked like a charm. Let’s give him a minute or two to put some distance between us before we turn on the lights again.”

“From the tone of your voice, I’d swear you’re having fun. If it wasn’t too dark to see your expression, I’d probably
know
you’re enjoying this.”

“Not the getting shot at part, but outwitting this bastard is a bit of a rush.” He peered through the windshield at a darker blur in the distance. “Yes! There’s a grove of trees near the stream up ahead. Beyond that, he won’t be able to see our lights even if he doubles back to search for us.”

“Do you think he’ll find this road?”

Griff flipped on the headlights and picked up speed. “Maybe, but he isn’t going to know exactly where he lost us. He’ll have to drive slowly and search both sides of the highway, and this isn’t the only track that cuts away from the main road. If he chooses the wrong one, he’ll end up on someone’s ranch.”

“Hopefully a ranch with a couple of pit bulls or Dobermans to discourage strangers.”

“I like that idea. Our shooter getting his ass chewed off.” The car jostled and bounced as he drove as fast as possible down the dirt road. “My guess is he’s going to have to give up the hunt, figure out the stinking clue for himself, then beat us to San Francisco if he wants to win. Basically, we’ve leveled the playing field.”

“In that case, there’s no reason not to forge ahead. We’ll be safe—at least until we get to the next clue.” She let out a sigh. “Honestly, at this point I’m getting a little tired of playing the game. I really hope we find the treasure in California.”

“Hey, we’re headed to the Golden State. Must be a good omen, right?” Reaching over, he squeezed her hand. “Don’t let this asshole suck the fun out of the journey for you.”

“It isn’t just the fact that someone wants to kill us, assuming that’s the goal, rather than to scare us away. In the beginning, we planned to enjoy the trip, take breaks and see a few sites along the way. Then the focus shifted and became all about getting to the next clue. Visiting with our families for more than a few hours would’ve been nice. Now, we’re just in this crazy rush to get to the prize.”

He glanced over but couldn’t see her face in the dark. “Do you want to stop or take a few days off? We can. We’ll reach the entrance to Yellowstone in less than an hour. Want to go see Old Faithful?”

“I wish, but we don’t have time. Obviously at least one of the other players is dead serious about this—with an emphasis on dead. We’ll finish what we started first.”

“Afterward we’ll take some time to kick back and relax. Maybe go look at old mines and missions or whatever they have to interest history buffs in California. I’m easy. I still have a few weeks before I need to focus on work again.”

“Don’t remind me.” Her tone was dour. “I have to
find
work, not to mention a place to live. I can’t afford to screw around for much longer.”

Griff wasn’t sure what to say. He was used to a cheerful, positive Ainslee, not one who sounded as if the problems of the world weighed her down. After opening his mouth, he closed it without speaking. At this point, chances were something stupid and guaranteed to piss her off would come out.

“Sorry.” She pushed a hand through her hair. “I’m just tired and worried and a little stressed. I didn’t mean to dump on you.”

“I don’t mind.” Not the complete truth, but not exactly a lie. If she needed to vent, he was willing to listen. But after what he thought he’d heard her say the night before…

She let out a sigh and straightened. “Everything will work out. It always does.”

“You’re right about that. Often the unexpected leads to something even better.”

They drove in silence for several minutes. As they bumped along, he couldn’t help reflecting on the past week. He’d certainly never planned to get involved with a woman this summer. Sure, a quick fling wasn’t out of the question, but not a relationship that involved his emotions. Was he in love with Ainslee? He wasn’t sure. Maybe. Having little experience with the
L
word, he wasn’t positive he’d recognize love if it jumped up and bit him on the ass—like the pit bull she’d mentioned. All he knew for sure was he didn’t want to lose her at the end of this journey. She might be an unexpected detour in his life, kind of like the road they were currently on, but she was better than anything—or anyone—he’d experienced in a long, long time. He glanced over at her profile outlined by the lights on the dashboard. Maybe ever. Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, he brought his concentration back to driving.

They reached the paved rural route and turned back toward the highway. Ainslee fell asleep as the car rolled along the deserted road. At least he assumed she was asleep based on her even breathing and lack of conversation. Nothing but blackness surrounded them except for a wealth of stars shining in the night sky. As the moon disappeared below the horizon, the clouds dissipated, leaving the promise of a spectacular day. Griff blew through the east entrance to Yellowstone, unmanned at this hour. When the first hint of dawn lightened the sky, he pulled over beside the shore of Yellowstone Lake and roused Ainslee.

“I thought you’d want to see this.”

She straightened and rubbed a hand across her eyes. “Where are we?”

“Yellowstone Lake. The sun is just about to peek over the horizon.”

They sat in silence as streaks of yellow and orange lit up the sky to reflect off the water. She drew in a sharp breath, reached for his hand and squeezed.

“Beautiful.”

Try as he might, he couldn’t take his gaze off her rapt expression. “It certainly is.” Long minutes later, he started the car then pulled back onto the road.

“Thanks for waking me.”

He smiled. “Sunrises should be a shared experience.”

Turning her head, she gazed out at the still spectacular view.

As they drove along a straight stretch of road, a couple of motor homes and a few cars passed going in the opposite direction, but no other vehicles caught up to them. The shooter was either somewhere ahead or had stopped to plan his next move. Griff hoped it was the latter but wasn’t counting on it. He and Ainslee had put together the photos with relative ease, which meant the other contestants would, too. Chances were they’d all converge again in San Francisco.

Leaving Yellowstone through the south entrance they headed toward Teton National Park. Mountains pushed up into the early morning sky, the sun glimmering on jagged peaks in a breathtaking vista. They stopped for a bathroom break and to walk the dog, then cruised along Jackson Lake. Ainslee’s delight in the panoramic splendor of mountains and water almost made up for the fact that he was going to die of starvation at any moment. When they reached Moose Junction, he gave up and turned into the parking lot near the lodge and restaurant.

“I know you aren’t a fan of early morning meals, but are you hungry yet? I’m going to faint if we don’t eat.”

“I seriously doubt that. You chowed down three cereal bars, a banana and a basket of strawberries.”

“Exactly. I want a real breakfast. Eggs, pancakes, hash browns… Is that a moose?”

“Where?”

“Over in the meadow.” He pointed.

She spun in her seat and craned her neck. “Oh, my God. He’s massive!”

“Guess that’s why they call this place Moose Junction.” Opening the door, he stepped out. After she shoved Rocky back into the car when he tried to escape, Ainslee joined Griff. They strolled across the parking lot to watch the huge animal munch grass. A moment later, the moose raised his head to stare at them. Deep brown eyes regarded them from beneath spreading antlers.

“He’s gorgeous.” She leaned against Griff’s shoulder, her gaze focused on the magnificent animal. “Moments like this make the whole trip worthwhile.”

He slipped an arm around her waist. “I agree.”

The worry and stress were gone, leaving nothing but pure joy shining in her eyes. That’s what he’d take away from the day. This moment, when all he wanted in the world was to make the woman beside him happy.

* * * *

“Do you want to keep going?” Griff passed a slow-moving big rig then pointed at the green freeway sign. “We’re almost to Reno.”

“You must be exhausted. You’ve been driving all day.” Ainslee straightened in her seat and tried to stretch the kinks out of her back. “We’ve never put in this many miles before.”

“That’s because we got an early start, but I’ll admit I’ve had enough.”

She waved a hand toward the cluster of casinos towering upward into the late afternoon sky on the south side of the freeway. “Not exactly a great place to camp. We could get a room again, I suppose.”

“I’d rather pitch the tent. I can manage another forty-five minutes if you’re okay with riding a little farther. We’ll head up the mountain to Truckee and camp at Donner Lake.”

She turned to face him. “Do you mind? I’d love that. The unit I teach on the Donner Party is one of the few to capture most of my students’ interest. They’re ghouls at that age and love hearing about cannibalism.”

“Why am I not surprised?” He flipped on his blinker to zip around a pickup towing a monster trailer. “We’ll be there by six or so…unless you want to stop to eat now?”

“Good grief, you had a snack in Lovelock an hour and a half ago.”

“Hey, driving makes me hungry, but I can probably survive until we make it to Truckee. We’ll grab some groceries and cook for a change. Even I’m getting tired of fast food.”

“Hallelujah! Now we just have to hope we can find a campsite. Since it’s midweek, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

Nearly two hours later, they’d filled the car with gas, bought groceries, set up the tent amongst the pine trees in the Donner Memorial Campground, started a campfire and had chicken cooking on the grill. Ainslee added sliced tomatoes and carrots to a salad, set the bowl on the picnic table then checked the rice simmering on the stove. Cooked to perfection.

She glanced toward Griff. “Is the chicken ready?”

He nodded and forked pieces slathered with barbecue sauce onto a plate. “Sure is. Let’s eat.”

Sitting opposite each other, they dug into the meal. A small motor home cruised slowly past and turned into the empty site across the dirt track. The man who climbed out of the vehicle straightened and stretched before disappearing around the front. Ainslee gasped.

“What?” Griff dropped his piece of chicken on his plate and turned when she pointed.

“Is that who I think it is?”

“I don’t see anyone.”

“Wait a minute…”

The man came around the vehicle and bent to put blocks behind the tires.

She pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, my God, it is.”