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She wasn’t sure why the thought of Duke being a tour guide seemed so anticlimactic.
The man was handsome, and he seemed strong and competent—maybe even a little arrogant.
When she imagined a tour guide, she pictured someone wearing a khaki shirt and floppy hat, holding a microphone, and riding on a trolley talking to a group of tourists and telling corny jokes.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but you being out here alone is not a good idea.” His voice turned hard and serious.
He clearly wasn’t ready to let this subject drop.
“Because I’m a woman?” Andi quipped back to him.
“Partially.”
Fire raced through her blood. “Women may not be as physically strong as men, but if it’s dangerous for a woman then it’s just as dangerous for a man.”
“I wish that were true, but it’s not.” This time, he sounded almost regretful. “I’m just saying a lot has happened on these roads that people don’t know about. Especially people new to this area.”
“Wait . . . can I get this on video?” Mariella’s eyes lit as she turned, holding up her phone. “It’s social media gold.”
“No!” Duke and Andi said at the same time.
“Have you considered that someone could have put a tracking tile on your truck?” Matthew asked, barely looking up from his computer.
“What?” Andi practically gasped out the word.
He shrugged as if his statement wasn’t a big deal. “I mean, I don’t know what’s going on. But there are ways to track to people.”
Matthew’s words sent another chill over Andi.
A sense of foreboding continued to seep into her muscles until Andi felt tight enough to snap.
* * *
Duke felt relief wash through him when the Almost Halfway Trading Post appeared in the distance. The beige, one-story building wasn’t much to look at. But it was warm inside with coffee, eight small guest rooms with cots, and indoor plumbing.
Duke couldn’t wait to get out of this drafty SUV and inside.
He hadn’t wanted to scare Andi, but she needed to know the reality of what could happen to her out here on this highway.
What had already happened to other women.
What had happened to Celeste.
Duke hadn’t told her everything.
He figured Andi had been through enough for today. He’d wait until later to share the crime history of this highway. Besides, he had Mariella and Matthew with him.
For now, the four of them needed to get inside where it was warm. As much as he wanted to get back to Fairbanks, the weather and the roads weren’t cooperating. Now with Andi being shot at . . . staying here seemed a given.
He parked on a pad of gravel originally placed here when the Trans-Alaska Pipeline had been built. This had been a staging area.
Many of those areas were now pull-offs. But in this case, it was the parking lot for the trading post. This was one of the only places a person could get something to eat as well as gas within an hour’s radius.
“Thanks for the ride.” Andi’s hand was already on the door handle before he even cut the engine of the SUV.
“Glad I could be of service.” He tried to hide the bite from his voice. He was usually easy to get along with, but he wasn’t comfortable with the secrets surrounding Andi—especially if they could be deadly secrets.
Without saying anything else, Andi climbed out and started toward the front door, which was only lit by a dim, cloudy exterior light.
