“We’ll probably hike back,” Marco says.

There is a subtext to these words. Marco and Jasper will hike back because they don’t want any witnesses to say the boat pilot transported four people into the wilderness but only two came out.

CHAPTER 17

THE BOAT SPEEDS across the water, leaving us alone on the lake’s edge. Claire starts crying, as if she’d been holding out hope that something would happen to keep us from going through with this.

“I’m sorry,” I say to her, putting all the earnestness into my voice that I can. “I hate myself for putting you in this position.”

She says nothing, but her eyes communicate all of her emotions: anger, confusion, fear, sadness, and—rising through all those to the surface—a feeling of betrayal.

Marco insists that I lead and he follow behind. Claire will be between him and Jasper, who will bring up the rear. If we pass another hiker or a ranger, we are supposed to act normal, like we are just four friends out enjoying the day.

“Don’t forget,” Marco says before we start, “no matter how fast you think you can run, our bullets are faster.”

We begin hiking uphill. When we pass the wooden sign stating that we are entering Desolation Wilderness, Marco quips, “Sounds ominous.”

We hike in silence for an hour, and then Marco says, “So, where’d you find the girl, old friend? She’s cute.”

I don’t answer the question. Instead I say, “Where’d you get your new partner? Mercenaries-R-Us?”

From the back of the line, I hear Jasper chuckle.

“Is it love?” Marco continues. “Back when we were pulling jobs, I never figured you for the settling-down type.”

“Back when we were pulling jobs, I never figured you for the betraying-your-partner type,” I say. “Looks like neither of us ever really knew the other.”

“I sure as hell don’t know you,” Marco says. “You’ve got millions of dollars in diamonds and you hide them out here in the woods? You live in a shithole when you could be living in a mansion. What the hell are you thinking?”

Instead of answering, I pick up the pace so Marco will be too out of breath to keep asking questions.

We hike for two more hours, and then Marco insists we stop at an overlook to rest. The sky is completely overcast now, and the temperature is dropping. There’s a real autumn chill in the air.

We sit on a fallen tree in the order we hiked, with Marco between me and Claire.

Marco turns to Claire. “What about for you? Do you love him?”

She is quiet for a moment and then says, “I did.”

Marco laughs. “Did you hear that? She did. That’s gotta hurt.”

I say nothing.

“How did you meet?” Marco asks Claire.

“Leave her alone,” I say.