THEY WENT INTO THE OFFICE THROUGH A DOOR DOWNSTAIRS IN the atrium entrance to Gage’s apartment, Abby with her laptop slung over one shoulder, and her digital camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T-8i, draped over the other. The camera shot excellent video and stills. It wasn’t cheap, but it was worth it.

As they walked down the back hall, she noticed a room filled with workout equipment: weight rack, sit-up board, benches, squat rack, and treadmill.

Abby thought of Gage’s amazing body, the well-defined pecs, rippling abs, and thick biceps, and a little zing slipped through her. Clearly, the effort he made to stay in shape was also worth it.

Continuing into the main office, Abby set up her laptop on one of the desks, and Gage brought her a list of internet sites he used to order mapping information.

“That ought to get you started,” he said, then turned and disappeared into his office.

Abby took a seat in front of her computer screen and went to work. She typed in “Imagehunter” and discovered the company had a hundred million images from fifty-three satellite and aerial databases. Another site, Open Topography, had high resolution topo data. Digital elevation models came from a company called Lumina.

It took most of the day to work through the process of selecting the right areas and choosing the digital information that was needed. When she finished, she ordered wilderness area maps to pick up at the Tonto National Forest Ranger District Office not far from Apache Junction.

It was way past lunchtime, but until her stomach growled, she’d been too busy to notice. Her head came up as she caught the aroma of roast beef sandwiches and spicy dill pickles.

“It’s a little late for lunch,” Gage said, “but I realized I was hungry, and I figured you must be too.” He set a sandwich and a Diet Coke on the desk. “I sent Maggie over to Tony’s Deli. They have great food, and I thought a working lunch would be better than no lunch at all.”

She smiled up at him. “Thanks. All of a sudden, I’m starving.”

Gage absently nodded, his mind already back at work. The man was focused, to say the least. Since they’d walked into the office, Abby seemed to have become all but invisible.

“I meant to ask you,” he said. “When was the last time you had a physical? You need to be fully checked out before we leave.”

“One of your rules?”

He nodded. “An important one. If you need me to set something up—”

“My grandfather had the same rule. He didn’t want anyone getting sick while they were off in the middle of nowhere. You don’t have to worry. I had a complete physical before I came to see you.”