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PROLOGUE
Throat choked with dust,the man scrambled up the last dry waterfall. His fingers were bleeding now, his golf clothes covered in dirt. Sweat trickled down the sides of his face, and his chest heaved.
Maybe an hour every other day at the gym wasn’t enough cardio. He’d remedy that once he was out of the country. The thought made him laugh. Who was he kidding? Once he settled into his new identity, he’d spend his days on luxury yachts and Mediterranean beaches, surrounded by stunning women and smart alpha-males.
Successful, self-made men. Like him.
All he had to do was get out of the country before the feds found him. A good thing he’d persuaded them he planned to help take down his good-for-nothing partner in crime. That bought him weeks of prep time, of which he still had at least twelve more hours.
The chink in the wall of rock came into view ahead, sending his heartrate spiking even higher. Stashing a go-bag with ten thousand in cash had been a brilliant idea, even for him. Legs burning, he broke into a run.
His toe caught on a rock, sending him sprawling. Gravel dug into his palms, but he barely felt the cuts. What was a little pain compared to his freedom?
A lizard escaped into the shadows.
Yeah. You better run.
He was feeling lean and mean. Good thing he’d overheard those agents talking about their plan to double cross him. Wouldn’t they be surprised to find him gone tomorrow when they came by to escort him to the last meeting with his supposed partner?
That schmuck, Bronski, thought he’d be the one walking away with the money they’d embezzled, leaving him to take the fall. It never would have occurred to the arrogant Special Agent that he might cut his own deal.
A deal he planned on breaking. Wasn’t it just good business to pivot?
Oblivious to the dirt dug into the knees of his trousers, he scrambled to his feet and lunged toward the narrow chink in the center of the boulder straight ahead. He thrust his hand toward the dark space, but pulled back at the last second.
Snakes.
He wasn’t an outdoor guy, but he knew enough to realize the stupid reptiles liked shade on a hot day. A dumb idea not to bring a tire iron or a shovel. He looked around, spotting the bleached remnant of a palm frond. He snatched it up and stood back, poking it furiously into the hole, standing as far back as he could.
Silence.
Now he grinned. Hard. He was two seconds away from putting the last part of his plan into motion.
The thwack of rotor blades overhead made him cringe. No way he’d been followed out of Los Angeles, right?
But he couldn’t completely convince himself. There was always the possibility. Heart in his throat, he scrambled away from the hiding place, pressing himself under a rocky overhang. The granite was still hot from the sun. He winced, hating the feel of sweat running down his back. A couple more days and he could honestly say he’d never have to sweat again.
The helicopter came into view, its big white belly cutting between him and the sun. One glance at the National Park logo on the side and he slid down the side of the boulder, his legs weak with relief.
Park rangers. Just stupid park rangers.
See? Those FBI agents had no idea he’d run. They wouldn’t realize it until tomorrow morning, when they stopped by his place to take him to his last meeting with his so-called partner.
Wouldn’t they all be surprised to find him gone?
The thought pumped him up, giving him a jolt of energy. Legs lighter now, he hurried back to his hiding place, poking the crack one more time for good measure before he whipped out his phone and shone the flashlight inside.
Nothing.
He raised the phone higher, sending the beam into the very back of the space. Panic blurred his vision. He wiped the sweat out of his eyes, blinking hard, but the image remained the same.
Dirt and rocks. Just dirt and rocks.
A deep, keening cry warbled out of his throat. Where was his money?
Staggering backwards he studied the ground around him. He should have paid more attention. Now it was too late. Not that it mattered. The gravelly ground wouldn’t hold footprints.
Plus it wasn’t like whoever stole his stash would leave a note.
