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Oddly, the flags, signs and caution tape were gone too.
What the Sam Hill?
“Hello?” I called louder, checking in all directions for her. “Maggie?”
No. She wouldn’t have made good on her threat to leave me here just to make her budget meeting on time.
Would she?
“Maggie?” I called louder.
Then another more sinister thought occurred to me. The earthquake. Had it been manmade? If so, and with Margaret Thunders herself now conveniently and safely out of the tunnel herself and nowhere to be found...
“No,” I muttered, my gut clenching. “She wouldn’t.”
Would she?
No. Even though I didn’t know the woman from Eve, it was difficult to imagine her involved in some conspiracy to kill off her academic competition. Not when she could easily discredit my findings without resorting to sabotage and murder.
I checked around, again noting the lack of flags and caution tape. And I was sure I didn’t recognize that large cedar tree a hundred feet away.
Of course. I had just exited the cave at a different point, that’s all.
Mystery solved, I relaxed and looked around. I would have to hike around the hillside itself to find the original entrance then, since I wasn’t about to go back inside that tunnel.
I took three steps around the corner when I heard the distant voices echoing through the trees.
Awesome. Either Maggie or casual day hikers...
“Over here!” I called out, waving my arm above my head. “Maggie, I’m—!”
A large palm reached from behind and covered my mouth, an arm banding me against its owner with an iron hold, as the man body-slammed me to the brushy ground with a painful thud.
Just as a bullet shot over our heads.
FATED MATES
CHAPTER 4
Run to the Hills
Another shot whizzed over our heads.
I held myself stock still beneath the man’s muscular frame, until my brain caught up with my deadly situation. Then I viciously struggled against him, trying to scream for help.
“Hush, woman, or you’re going to get us both killed,” he hissed as his palm clamped hard over my mouth.
Instantly I silenced and froze.
Killed?
Was he serious? Who would want to kill me?
Another bullet splintered a tree branch overhead. Cursing, the man gripped me tightly, then rolled us both into the dense thickets.
Suddenly Maggie’s warnings of foul play to shut down our archeological project came to mind. After all, I had barely escaped a cave-in from a very suspicious explosion a short while ago.
I stopped struggling. The man felt my compliance and relaxed his hold on me, then cautiously retracted his hand from my mouth, holding a finger to his lips.
