“There isn’t much out here but roadrunners and prairie dogs.”
“We don’t want to kill any innocent bystanders.” She stretched and snuggled into the seat more deeply. “Don’t wake me ’til we get there.”
“Okay.” He promised himself he’d keep his gaze on the flat highway, the mountains and blue sky in his peripheral vision.
Holden had never skipped out of an op before. And he wasn’t now, not technically, as keeping Bella safe was his top priority. That, and luring in the killer.
At Bella’s risk.
Guilt sucker punched him for the second time in a day, but it had nothing to do with Spencer or their bond that would last a lifetime. His emotional discomfort had everything to do with the beautiful woman reclined in the passenger seat beside him, trusting him enough to keep her eyes closed and to nap on the way to an unknown destination.
Maybe he needed to learn how to trust, too. He could trust that Bella wasn’t using him for information for her exposé. She hadn’t sought him out, hadn’t even known an FBI agent was undercover at the pageant.
The sun set as he pulled into their destination. He’d driven here without thinking, knowing it was safe as he was certain they hadn’t been followed and he checked in with his Phoenix office and Spencer at MVPD regularly. His phone was connected to both to provide constant GPS location.
He’d reported that Bella needed a break from her house and it was a good security move to get her away from town for the night, until the pageant practice resumed at Mustang Valley High, as determined by Spencer. He’d received zero pushback on taking Bella away from either his boss or Spencer.
“Where are we?” Bella must have felt the road change and was sitting upright, peering through the windshield.
“My favorite getaway.” He waited for her to register the other cars and people milling about with binoculars and cameras, each equipped with a long lens.
“Wait—is this Carr Canyon?”
“Yes. I’m a member of SABO.” The Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory was a favorite amongst locals and tourists alike, and it had provided him with much-needed respite from his heavier cases. He had a feeling he was going to need to escape into his birding after this investigation wrapped up, too.
“I’ve done so many articles on them over the years. Have you ever been to one of the hummingbird bandings?”
“Only once, but I’d like to do more. With the long drive from Phoenix I can’t get here as often as I like, but it’s always great when I do.”
“So what are we going to see tonight?” She followed his lead and got out of the car and walked around to the back with him. He opened his trunk and handed her a ball cap, reflective vest and binoculars. He donned his birding vest over the black T-shirt, and retrieved his favorite camera.
“It’s a long shot that we’ll actually see anything, but we’ll hear the owls. I’m taking my camera but it might be fruitless.”
“I love owls. There’s a family of screech owls in a clump of dead saguaros behind my house. I feel like they’re my personal watchdogs at night—sometimes I hear them fussing when the neighborhood teens are playing flashlight tag.”
“Are you sure that’s all they’re doing?”
“No, but I’m not their mother.” They both laughed and headed toward the top of the trail, the walk steep as they were in the mountains.
Holden had tried to hang on to his belief that Bella had to be an opportunist because she w
as a reporter, just like Nicole, his ex. But as they headed into the canyon’s depths it occurred to him that unlike his ex, Bella was all about grasping all the joy life had to offer. And she wasn’t a martyr about being a serial killer’s target.
Bella was the woman he’d dreamed of finding. Why did it have to be now, during such a dangerous op?
Chapter 18
Bella surprised herself with how easy it was to forget their acrimonious dinner conversation and allow herself to enjoy the nighttime walk with Holden. The moon was full and she was able to make out his features with little trouble. It was always a bonus when she could see a handsome, sexy man as he spent time with her.
“We lucked out with the moon.” She looked at large white cactus blooms on the sides of the path. “The angel blooms are practically glowing.”
“Yeah, they are, aren’t they?” He moved his hand to her lower back, rubbed in soothing circles. It was a peaceful bubble, just the two of them. Until a family with several young children walked by.
“The full moon explains the crowds. I never realized how many folks would show up to hear owls and look at flowering cacti.” She turned away and began to walk farther down the path.
“Birding’s an early-morning and late-night sport during the summer here, as you know. We’re lucky it’s still cooler.” Holden hopped easily over a grouping of rocks and turned to hold her hand as she leaped from the four-foot precipice back to the ground. When her feet hit the sandy, graveled surface, he didn’t let go but instead intertwined their fingers and continued walking.
Bella knew she should pull her hand back, keep up staunch boundaries with Holden. He’d already proven to be the best lover she’d ever known and if she wasn’t careful the end of the pageant was going to mean more to her than losing a crown.