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“Nonsense,” Liam said cheerfully. “We’re following an angry bear into the woods. What could possibly go wrong?”
“Tracks.” Bear pointed to large shoe prints in the mud ahead of them. The impressions were fresh, with deeper indentations on the balls of the feet like he was running.
“We have to hurry,” Cora said.
They picked up their pace, trudging through the rain until Bear turned left at a rotting log, leaving the main trail to charge through the underbrush like a bulldozer. Cora stayed as close as she could, but it was hard to go fast when the mud sucked at the bottom of her tennis shoes. She wished she’d worn her hiking boots, but she hadn’t planned on wading through a forest when she went in to work that morning. Wet branches slapped at her face, and her clothes were completely drenched, but she was so driven by their goal that she barely felt it.
Bear stopped suddenly in front of her. She bumped into him before she could slow down, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Sorry,” Cora said, rubbing her forehead. He was like hitting a brick wall.
“We’re headed that way.” He was pointing across a deep ravine.
“Sure thing,” Cora said, staring down into what looked like a hundred-foot drop. “Where’s the bridge?” The gaping maw of the ravine was riddled with sharp rocks that jutted out like teeth near the bottom.
“There’s a suspension bridge about fifteen minutes’ hike from here, but this way’s much faster.” Bear walked over to a tree and yanked something from a crevice. It was a weathered-looking rope as thick around as his fist, with a large knot at the bottom. The top of the rope was secured to an overhanging branch above the ravine.
“I want to go first,” Liam said, rubbing his hands together in excitement.
Cora rolled her eyes. “You would say that.”
Liam grinned as Bear dropped the rope into his hands. “Come, Cora,” he said, holding out one arm. “I’ll carry us across.”
“Hard pass,” she said, taking a step back in case he tried to insist. “This isn’tStar Wars, Liam, and I’m not a damsel in distress. Besides, it’s raining, and that rope doesn’t look like it could hold two people. Just go. I’ll do it myself.”
Liam looked like he wanted to argue, but she threw him a look that shut him down. With a nod, he pulled back, placed one foot on the bottom knot, and swung out. Cora cringed as he swooped over the ravine, then felt a wave of relief when he landed effortlessly on the other side. He tossed the rope back with a look of pure, boyish glee. Cora half expected him to ask to go again.
Bear swiped a paw out and caught it. “You’re up next, sweet chee—”
“Don’t,” she said sharply, yanking the rope from him. “My name is Cora. Or Officer McLeod. Notsweet cheeks, orgirlie, ordoll face. If you call me any more of your derogatory nicknames, I’ll—”
“Okay, okay,” Bear said, holding his hands up in surrender. “You got it, babe.” When her eyebrows shot up, he quickly corrected himself.“Cora.”He stood back and swept his arm out toward the ravine with a mocking bow. “Please be my guest, Cora.”
Cora wasn’t fooled by his obsequious attitude for one second, but she had other things to worry about. Like swinging from a ratty-looking rope over a dangerous cliff. Refusing to think on it too long, she gripped the rope with both hands, placed her feet on the knot, and swung out. She didn’t realize her eyes were closed until Liam’s arms wrapped around her like steel bands.
“I’ve got you,” he breathed in her ear. He waited until she was steady, then tossed the rope back to Bear.
Bear joined them and secured the knot on a small branch nearby. “We’re making good time, but no more talking from here on out. We’re getting close, and we don’t want to be heard.”
“How much longer?” Cora asked, checking her phone. “We promised Eli an hour. In exactly twelve minutes all bets are off, and I’m calling in reinforcements.”
Bear glanced at her phone, then smirked. She didn’t like the look on his face, and it suddenly dawned on her.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She wanted to slap her forehead in frustration. Or better yet, slap Eli. He’d played them like a fiddle. How could she have forgotten something so basic?
“What’s wrong?” Liam asked, glancing between her and Bear.
“There’s no cell phone reception this high up the mountain,” she said in disgust as Bear started to chuckle. “That’s why Eli made us promise to give him an hour. He knew where we were headed, and he knew we’d likely be out of range. Now we can’t call the station for backup.”
“You aren’t going to need it,” Bear said, continuing through the woods. “Booze Dogs are heading here soon, and if you can agree to quit yapping, we’ll get your captain even sooner. Now, come on.”
“And you saywecan’t be trusted,” she muttered to the solid wall of his back, angrily kicking up dirt as she trudged after him.
Bear didn’t respond, and by unspoken agreement, they all stopped talking. The rain had picked up again, muffling the sounds of their footsteps through the underbrush. They took several turns, zigzagging in an odd pattern around jutting rocks, fallen logs, and other unnoticeable landmarks that Bear seemed to be familiar with. Finally, they came to a large rock formation surrounded by trees. Cora could hear the roar of the waterfall off in the distance.
Bear stopped in front of a gnarled, rotting trunk surrounded by bushes. Then he turned sideways and disappeared behind the trunk. She did the same, only to discover a crevice in a wall of rock that was hidden from view. It was cooler inside, and the air smelled like damp earth that had never seen the sun.
“Limestone caves,” Liam murmured from behind her. “Fascinating.”
It was dark as pitch, but Bear’s face suddenly loomed in front of them. “Follow me,” he said, turning on a tiny penlight that must’ve been hidden near the entrance. “Do not turn on your phones. Too much light, and he could see us, depending on where he is in the tunnels. Keep your left hand on the wall and stay close. There’s a lot of places you can drop off if you’re not careful.”
