“I’ll double back for Duchess.” Free brushed the dirt off her jeans, very deliberately not mentioning dancing at all. “She could use some cheering up, too. You up for hiding this round, K?”

We’d played this game a million times before. At one point, Cady had banned it, because Extreme Hide-and-Seek had gotten a little too extreme. Duct tape, rappelling equipment, and paintball guns were now permanently outlawed from game play.

“Cut Saskia loose if she’s getting antsy,” I told the others. “And let Duchess know she can bring it on.” I hesitated, then nudged Jude in the side. “You can tell Free what I told you,” I said softly. “About Gabriel.”

He nudged me back, and a split second later, I took off running. The three of us needed this as much as the dogs did. The longer and faster I ran, the easier it was to push the events of the past couple of days out of my mind. I didn’t have to think about what I’d seen in Gabriel’s cabin. I didn’t have to think about missing persons reports, or hold the image of that flyer with Bella Anthony’s picture in my mind.

I didn’t have to think about the blanket.

I didn’t have to think about Girl.

I just ran. I dodged through the trees. I pulled myself up into one, allowing the branches to hide my body from the naked eye. I sat there, and I waited, freer than I’d felt in days.

And then I caught sight of another figure moving through the forest—lean and lithe.

So much for not thinking about Gabriel Cortez.

I willed myself to stay where I was. Gabriel passed under my tree, and I realized that he was wearing a pack and carrying a flashlight.

It’s still light outside. Without even thinking about it, I dropped down from the tree, landing silently in a crouch. I watched Gabriel hop the fence at the back of the property.
I watched him hang a right.

Toward the mountain.

Chapter 31

I followed Gabriel, hanging back far enough that he couldn’t sense my presence. I should have been thinking about Jude and Free and the game I’d left behind. But promises and worry and logic—those were just words. They were abstract. Tracking, trailing, stalking, waiting—those were now. I might have started off curious about where Gabriel was going and why, but the act of following him pushed all conscious thought to the back of my head. There was nothing but the hum of anticipation and my own silent, liquid movement through the brush—until we hit the base of the mountain.

I stopped. Gabriel started to climb.