“What about your dead friend, Boyd McGrath?” Gage asked. “I guess you don’t consider that a problem.”
“I-it was an accident. Boyd was scouting ahead when it started to rain. When he didn’t come back, we figured he’d holed up somewhere till the storm was over. We didn’t realize what had happened until we saw the chopper. We followed it, and there he was, dead, pinned in the rocks below.”
“Who hired Peters to follow us?” Gage asked.
“Boyd did. I wanted to go back when I realized Boyd was dead, but Ray refused to quit, and I couldn’t get back on my own.”
Gage nodded sagely. “I get it. Rock and a hard place, right? Next time, consider the consequences before you do something stupid.” Gage looked over at the big bald guy. “Your buddy over there . . . what’s his name?”
“He’s not my buddy. He’s a friend of Ray’s. His name is Mack Ringo. He’s from Phoenix. I helped you, okay? So will you put in a good word for me with the cops?”
“That’s up to Abby.” He turned toward her. “We need to talk.”
“I got this,” Kyle said, his grip relaxed on the pistol he kept pointed at the men.
Gage walked Abby to a place at the edge of camp where they were out of sight behind a formidable stack of boulders.
“You okay?” he asked.
A trembly breath whispered out. “I’m okay.” It was only half true; her legs still felt shaky.
“When I saw you with that gun pointed at your head . . .” Gage swallowed. He glanced away, then back. “Peters could have killed you, Abby. One second you’re alive, the next you’re dead, and there’s no going back, no way to change things.”
She thought that he was talking about the past as well as the present, and her heart went out to him.
He shook his head. “Just thinking about it makes my stomach crawl. I don’t want anything to happen to you, honey. I couldn’t handle it. Not again.”
She brought his big hand to her lips and pressed a kiss into his palm. “I’m okay. With all of us working together, we took care of the situation. We make a good team, Gage. Surely you can see that.”
Gage made no reply, but his fingers wrapped around the hand holding his, and he drew her against him, leaned down, and kissed her, a soft press of his lips over hers, gently coaxing yet unbelievably compelling. Abby melted into him, pressing her body the length of his, absorbing his heat and solid strength.
Gage was a man she could depend on. He had proven it again today.
Some of her tension drained away. Gage had a way of making her feel safe and protected. Though she knew the consequences of her increasing need for him, Abby rested her hands on his shoulders, leaned up, and deepened the kiss, stirring a hot lash of hunger that burned right through her. She wanted to touch him—all of him—wanted to be back at the pool, naked with Gage inside her.
The kiss lingered a moment more, then gentled. He kissed her one last time and eased away, but the heat in his blue eyes didn’t lessen. Abby finally came back to herself enough to hear the whop-whop-whop of the approaching helicopter.
Gage’s mouth curved up. “If we don’t stop now, love, the sheriff is liable to arrest us instead of them.”
Abby managed to smile, which wasn’t easy with her body still on fire.
Gage reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. “We’ll have time together once we get back. You can stay at my place till you decide your next move.”
Abby let the comment pass. She didn’t want to tell him she already knew her next move. She was going to Mexico to finish what she had started. She hoped he would go with her—she needed him now more than ever—but either way, she wasn’t quitting.
She was King Farrell’s granddaughter. She wasn’t going to let him down. Or herself. Not after coming this far.
She took a deep breath and walked with Gage back to camp.
They still had to face the sheriff. Then a hard, two-day journey out of the mountains to the second rendezvous point, where Walt would pick them up.
Denver was still days away. Abby couldn’t wait to get there.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
AFTER SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES FINISHED WHAT SEEMED HOURS OF ENDLESS questions, they took the three men into custody, the charges ranging from assault with a deadly weapon to attempted armed robbery. Gage and their small band finally set out for home but made little progress before nightfall.
Everyone was edgy after their run-in with Peters and his men, and exhausted from the letdown of not finding the Devil’s Gold. Anxious to get out of the mountains, they rose early the next morning and headed out beneath a brutal sun.
The two-day trek was uneventful, or maybe Abby was just getting used to the harsh terrain and living on packaged dried food. At least no one was shooting at them.
They arrived back at the Cedar Canyon Ranch that afternoon, checked on Smiley, who was recovering nicely, and were happy to learn the other mule had made its way back safely. Mort’s braying, joyful homecoming with his four-legged friend seemed to especially please Gage, who had grown fond of the hardworking animal.
Mae fed them sandwiches and potato salad, and Walt gave them the use of an empty cabin so they could shower and put on clean clothes before they left for the airport.
With an extra few minutes to spare, Abby pulled out her laptop and Googled her grandfather’s friend, Silas Cummings, the guy who had left the treasure box. There was scant information about him, nothing at all on social media. Then his obituary popped up. Silas had died two months ago at the age of eighty-one. He had spent his life as an outfitter and guide in the Superstitions. No mention of any living relatives. But in leaving the box for her, giving her the adventure she had always wanted, he had been a good friend to King.
Abby closed her laptop and hurried out to join Gage for a final farewell to the friends they had made on the ranch. She said a teary goodbye to Kyle and hugged him, holding on long enough for Gage’s dark eyebrows to narrow. But a journey like theirs made for lifelong friends, and she hoped Kyle would be one of them.
Mateo got another long hug, which he warmly returned. The man was every bit as amazing as Gage had promised. “I hope we’ll meet again soon,” Abby said to him, a subtle hint that she hoped Mateo would be joining her and Gage on their continued hunt for the Devil’s Gold.
Gage eyed her with a hint of suspicion but made no comment.
The flight home was easy, and it felt good to be back in a city surrounded by forested, snow-topped mountains instead of desert, cactus, and rattlesnakes.
The first thing Gage did after their charter flight landed at Rocky Mountain Metro was check out Trip Advisor and head for the closest place to get a steak, a restaurant called Hickory and Ash. They both ate until their ribs hurt, then Gage drove the rest of the way back to the city.
“We’ve got unfinished business with your cousin,” he said as the vehicle rolled along. “We’ll pay him a visit first thing in the morning.”
Nerves tingled through her at the hard edge in his voice. She didn’t blame him. Someone could have been killed—most likely her. Completely exhausted, she leaned back in the seat of the Rover and closed her eyes for the balance of the ride into the city. It was dark by the time they arrived in the LoDo district.