What an idiot. They could be passing the endless hours doing all kinds of naughty things in the woods together. Instead, she was stuck here, bored out of her freaking mind.
She turned to stare out the bedroom window at the fading sunlight when she spotted Derek sneaking away from the cabin. He took cautious steps and kept glancing back at the building. He was up to something.
Partially from boredom and partially because she was miffed at his lack of interest in her, Sierra made the split-second decision to follow him. Derek was a man of mystery. Whenever he spoke about his past, he only gave vague details. Sierra wanted to know his story. Maybe then she’d be able to figure out why he didn’t like her back. There had to be a reason.
Come on, Derek. I’m hot, you’re hot, we’re hot. So why not?
She crept out of the cabin. He was almost out of sight when she made it to the edge of the woods. She hurried after him, careful to watch where she stepped as Dad had shown her.
Her lips twisted into a wry grin. What do you know? The old man was useful for something, after all. She’d become a much better tracker in the last few days, which would be helpful tonight. Derek was up to something for sure; otherwise, he wouldn’t be sneaking out.
Keeping up with Derek’s brisk pace without stepping on twigs was hard work. She debated turning around and heading back to the cabin, but this was still far more interesting than anything going on back there.
She lost her focus for a moment and accidentally stepped on a rotted, fallen tree limb. A loud crack punctured the air. Derek stopped. He spun toward her, scanning for the source of the sound through the scope on his rifle.
She ducked behind a thick oak and held perfectly still, afraid to even breathe. As the seconds passed, her lungs started to burn. She couldn’t release a breath now without sucking in a huge one, which would make a ton of noise. He’d probably shoot her. There’s no way he’d be able to tell it was her in the darkness. Shit! She was going to die if she didn’t call out to him.
As she opened her mouth to suck in a breath, he lowered the scope. He frowned, then turned his back on her and continued deeper into the forest.
She sagged with relief. Part of her screamed she should turn back. But curiosity kept her rooted in place. He was up to something for sure, and she wanted to know what it was. She gave him a few seconds to get ahead before taking a tentative step in his direction. He didn’t turn around, so she continued to follow him.
Where was he going? He appeared to be searching for something, but what? The Children of the Bomb’s new compound? Was he going to take them all on with one gun by himself? Was he that crazy?
She continued to track him, staying back as far as she could without losing sight of him. After the broken branch incident, he would occasionally stop and look around, as if he were expecting an ambush. On those occasions, Sierra flattened herself against the nearest tree. To her relief, he hadn’t spotted her.
As Derek resumed his hunt, he seemed to perk up. His pace quickened as he strode faster into the woods. He stopped to examine what looked like a tree stump, then he rose to his feet and jogged out of sight.
She hurried to catch up. When she came upon the stump, she realized it was actually a rusted iron pipe jutting out of the mountainside. It seemed out of place amongst the boulders and gently flowing streams. She’d passed through this area before but hadn’t noticed it. What was it?
Determined to find out what was going on, she hurried after Derek. As slipped silently through the trees, she hoped she hadn’t lost him. She nearly collapsed in fright when she spotted him a few hundred yards ahead.
She froze.
When he didn’t look at her, she followed his gaze. Her eyes widened when she spotted what he was staring at.
Holy crap! So this is what he was looking for. Her lips peeled back into a smile as he moved toward it. Now I know one of your secrets.
4
Three days earlier …
A rush of adrenaline shot through Derek as he stared at the steel door. It stood several hundred yards away. A thicket of snow-dusted bushes partially obscured it, but there was no mistaking it. This was it. He could feel it in the depths of his soul. Who the hell would build a compound into the side of the mountain? The US Government, that’s who.
An invigorating rush of heat spread through his body. His mind raced with hope and anticipation. He studied the landscape. They wouldn’t have left any traps behind, but a dense blanket of snow-covered leaves would block any potential hazards from sight. The last thing he needed was to step into a tangle of rattlesnakes.
Dusk cut across the mountain. He didn’t want to turn back. He had to confirm his find, but he also couldn’t risk getting caught in the frigid night with no shelter. His clothes were warm enough for now, but the emergency blanket in his pack wouldn’t keep him comfortable for the night. It would keep him alive, but hours of shivering weren’t all that appealing.
If this place was what he thought it was, then he could conceivably stay inside. But it wouldn’t be much warmer, and he sure
