He wanted to laugh, but sound carried too easily in the wilderness. He’d snapped that twig for her before because he’d just had to be sure, had to determine with one hundred percent certainty he was looking at Noelle.
The snow had fallen around her. Her red hair had been hidden under her cap. But when she’d called out—
I know her voice.
Noelle had changed so much over the years. Not easy prey any longer. Not like Jenny.
Noelle was following his trail. Hunting him.
She had a weapon. She had training. She was...
Perfect.
But Noelle wasn’t alone. The other agent was with her. Moving like a shadow in the darkness. The man was a killer; he easily recognized the type. Instead of alarming him, the knowledge had his grin stretching even more.
And Lawrence had just wanted me to end them so quickly. Lawrence had never understood. It wasn’t just about the kills. It was about the hunt.
He was about to enjoy the best hunt of his life.
Come to me, Noelle. Come in close, and let’s see if I can make you scream the way I did before.
* * *
THE TRACKS ENDED—vanished into the rough edge of stone that lined the rising wall of a mountain.
“Where did he go?” Noelle spun around, shining her light. Her voice was high, nervous.
Thomas glanced up at the mountain. He suspected the man they were after had climbed up, which meant...
You know this area, well, don’t you? How long have you been hiding in the Alaskan wilderness?
His light hit the edge of the mountain.
“Up there.” Noelle’s voice was fainter now as the wind began to howl more around them. The approaching storm was moving in fast. “We have to follow him!”
She tried to put her hands in the faint ridges between the icy rocks. Thomas pulled her back before she could climb. “We need to head back to town, Noelle.”
Shaking her head, Noelle jerked away from him. “Jenny could be up there! We have to find her!”
“You can’t scale the rocks.” She thought she was going to free hand her way up that frozen surface? Hell, no. She’d fall and break her neck. “We’ll go back to town and get help.” Maybe a chopper could fly them up the mountain. They’d do a search. Look for any cabins that would be a good base site for the man they were after.
“We don’t have time for that. Jenny needs us!”
There was no sign of the man on the face of the mountain. “He might not even be up there.” His gaze turned to the wilderness. “He could be watching us, from out there.”
Noelle shuddered. From cold? From fear?
“We’re not equipped for this search. We need supplies. Dogs.”
“And Jenny needs us!” Noelle shook her head. “I’m not just going to leave her.”
“Are you going to die with her?” His words were brutal, but Thomas had to make her see reason.
Noelle gasped and lurched back a step.
“Because if we stay out in the open, if we keep blindly following this man’s path tonight and that storm hits, you could die. You’re already shaking apart in front of me, and hypothermia will set in before you know it.”
“She needs us,” Noelle said again as her chin notched up.