Death Cache (18 page)

“She’s the reason we get to eat.”

“Why would Mac be so hard to kill?” Nadia asked, once again bring the subject back around.

“Mac’s a former Ranger,” Gage said. “They’re worse than Marines and SEALs put together.”

“Yeah, but under the right circumstances, anyone can be killed,” Robert said, adding the chopped whatever to the stockpot of fish eyes and bones.

“Why are we talking about this?” Gage asked, the subject matter not sitting well with him. He glanced at Nadia. “Why you so interested?”

“I don’t know.” Nadia shrugged. “Curious, I guess. I never thought someone could get the jump on Lucky either. I guess that’s why I was wondering.”

“I’d think Lucky would be easy to take out,” Robert said. He flushed when all eyes focused on him. “I mean, he is,
was
, kind of a space cadet. It wouldn’t be hard to distract him, is all I’m saying. The man thought more with his dick than his brain.”

“Not a nice thing to say about a man who isn’t here to defend himself,” Gage said.

“I never said I liked the guy.”

“Tern left you for him, if I remember right,” Gage couldn’t help baiting. Could Robert have murdered Lucky out of jealousy? Had this whole geocaching charade be motivated by something so petty as jealousy?

“I know what you’re thinking and I didn’t kill him.”

“Your alibi sucks.”

“So does yours.”

“All right, guys,” Nadia said. “This pissing match is going to spoil dinner. Might want to check the rice, Gage, and Robert, time to turn the fish.”

“Nadia, why don’t you watch the rice?” Gage said. “I need some fresh air.” He stood and walked away, knowing he was damn close to taking Robert down. The man was a fucking asshole.

Gage decided to check on Mac, and tell him dinner was almost ready. He knocked on the cabin door. “Mac, its Gage.” There was no answer. “Mac?” Gage turned the knob and pushed the wooden door in.

The cabin was empty.

C
HAPTER
S
EVENTEEN

“Where’s Mac?” Gage hollered at Nadia and Robert. Neither one looked concerned.

“He’s probably taking a shit,” Robert said.

Why hadn’t the killer taken out Robert instead of Lucky? At least Lucky was fun. Robert was useless.

“Check Tern’s cabin,” Nadia said.

Gage headed to Tern’s cabin and knocked on the door, this time not waiting for an invitation. He opened the door and entered.

There were Tern and Mac, lying together on her cot. Mac holding Tern in his arms. Tern struggled to sit up and wipe tears from her face.

“What’s going on?” Gage asked. The tears on Tern’s face had his insides clenching. “Are you okay?”

Tern nodded. “Just upset over Lucky.”

Of course she would be. But why hadn’t she sought comfort in his arms instead of Mac’s?
You’re just as much of a fucking idiot as Robert. She tried and you pushed her away.

“Dinner’s ready,” Gage said, at a loss of what else to say.

Mac inclined his head. “We’ll be there in a minute.”

Gage took another look at Tern, but she’d hidden her face in the crook of Mac’s shoulder. Both his arms were wrapped around her, their legs comfortably resting alongside each other, stocking feet touching.

He wanted to rip them apart. Had this situation brought them closer together? Now that he had pushed her completely away, would she turn to Mac again? Of course she would. She had. He was seeing it with his own eyes and couldn’t look at it any longer. He shut the door behind him, dragging in deep breaths that failed to fill his lungs.

Gage had no rights to Tern and he respected Mac. He should be glad the man was there for her, since obviously he couldn’t be. He’d gone far enough to tell her she wasn’t worth loving and then tried to make the moves on her later. He was the asshole. At least Robert didn’t pretend to be something he wasn’t.

What did he really want from Tern? He’d thought he’d known. Nothing. But nothing wasn’t even close to what he needed. The reality of how much he’d fucked up his life came crashing down on him.

Dinner was surprisingly good, Tern thought. Robert did a fair job even though he’d messed up her instructions. Oh, well, nothing like trying something new. They ate, all of them too hungry to converse over dinner. The four graylings disappeared quickly followed by the slightly crunchy rice. They broke out the Almond Joys for dessert, and then Nadia helped Robert clean up. She also made a pot of coffee and poured everyone a cup. After warming enough to melt the snow, the temperature had dropped again, but the sky was clear and without threat of snow. The fire crackled soothingly, and Tern got lost gazing into the dancing flames.

“I could hike out of here on my own, while the rest of you stay here in camp,” Mac said.

“No,” Nadia said, her hair swinging around her face as she shook her head. “Haven’t you ever watched a horror movie? Once the characters spilt up, they’re massacred one by one.”

“I’ll move faster alone,” Mac said.

“Nadia’s right,” Tern said. She didn’t want Mac out of her sight. Not only did she feel safer with him around, she didn’t want anything to happen to him either. She didn’t want anything happening to any of them. It hurt so much to know that Lucky had been killed because of her. “There’s safety in numbers, Mac. Plus, how would we know if something happened to you?”

“We stay together,” Gage said. “We’re stronger as a group, and if one of us is the killer, I’d rather have them close, you know what I mean?” He took turns glancing at each one of them.

“It’s settled then,” Mac said. “We leave first thing in the morning.”

“I still want to go on the record that we should wait until the plane returns,” Nadia said.

They all looked at her and then back to Mac. Mac tightened his lips. “Pack only what you can carry. Leave the rest.”

“Are you seriously thinking this through?” Nadia protested. She gestured to the lake and surrounding forests. “We have fish here. There could be more food in the caches we have yet to find.”

“They could also be traps,” Gage said.

“The Almond Joys I found were okay,” Robert mumbled.

“Do we have to argue about this again?” Gage said. “We’re out of here. Lucky’s been killed. We aren’t staying. The authorities need to be notified. The sooner the better.”

Mac nodded. “I suggest we get an early night.” He yawned.

Tern had to cover her mouth as Mac’s yawn sparked hers. “I’m with you. It’s been a long day.” Horrific. One she’d like to forget as quickly as possible.

“Who’s on first watch?” Robert asked.

“Mac and I,” Gage said. “Robert, get a few hours sleep, and then I’ll switch with you. Nadia, you’re with Robert in four hours. Then Tern and I will have a go.”

What did he mean by that?

“Got it.” Robert stood and stretched. “I’m beat.”

“I need to hit the latrine,” Mac said, narrowing his stare back and forth between Tern and Gage. He’d picked up what Gage had said too. “I’ll be back in a few.”

Nadia and Robert headed toward their cabins. Tern stayed behind.

“Are you going to be okay?” Tern asked Gage. He’d be on watch the most tonight. She hated this incessant need to ask. It was on the tip of her tongue to offer to take Mac’s place on first watch, but she bit it back.

“Get some rest,” Gage said. “Tomorrow isn’t going to be easy.”

Nothing had been easy since they’d gotten here. She was balancing on the edge of an emotional crevasse; just a little push, and she’d tumble over into the abyss.

“Good night then,” Tern said.

“’Night, Tern.”

Maybe they should take watch in threes. Gage had his rifle and a knife clipped to his belt, and Mac was no slouch in the weapons department. He could kill with just his hands. She didn’t doubt that both men could protect themselves, but they didn’t know who they were up against.

“Be careful, Gage.”

His head popped up when she said the last. He must have thought she’d already left. For a moment his eyes burned her with need. He blinked, and she wondered if she saw only what she wanted to see.

“Don’t worry about me, Tern. Get some sleep.”

She nodded and turned toward her cabin, entering to find Nadia already in bed, her sleeping bag pulled up under her chin. A small flashlight was tucked into the crook of her shoulder and neck as she cracked the spine on another romance novel.

“Good book?” Tern asked while getting ready for bed.

“Really good.” Nadia sighed. “I just love a tortured hero. You’ll have to take a gander at this one. You’ll love it.”

Tern shed her clothes and stepped into her flannel pajamas, glad that she’d packed them. Summers in the arctic weren’t for the faint of heart as the blizzard they’d experienced earlier that day attested. Another yawn surprised her. She couldn’t remember when she’d been this tired. Climbing into her sleeping bag, Tern zipped up the side. “Wow, I’m beat.”

“Me too,” Nadia said. “I won’t read much longer so the light doesn’t bother you.”

“Don’t worry. I can barely keep my eyes open. Just don’t stay up too late. Mac’s going to push us tomorrow.” Her eyelids felt heavy as though someone had taped them shut. It was even hard to drag a deep breath into her lungs. Her legs turned to tree trunks and her arms felt tied down to the cot.

She had a moment of panic. This wasn’t normal exhaustion. Then everything went black.

C
HAPTER
E
IGHTEEN

Tern struggled to open her eyes. All she could think about was using the bathroom. She felt hungover as she fought with the sleeping bag’s zipper and pulled the cover back.

What time was it?

She glanced over at Nadia, who lay there with a book open on her chest. The flashlight had rolled along her shoulder, the batteries probably dead. Since this was normal behavior for Nadia, Tern didn’t think much of it until she tried to gather up the book and set it on the night table so it wouldn’t fall off onto the floor. Her fingers didn’t want to work. It took extra focus to pick up the book and mark the page.

What was wrong with her?

She wavered on her feet, and had to catch herself. It was like she was drunk. She yawned wide enough that she heard her jaw crack in protest. Scratching her head, she slid her feet into shoes and opened the door.

Gage was slumped over on the ground next to a dead fire. There was no sign of Mac.

A raven perched on a stump, meeting Tern’s gaze with his beady stare before spreading his wings and flying off.

No, she silently screamed. God, no.
Not Gage
. She rushed over to him, as fast as her stumbling legs would move. Her heart pounded loud in her ears, and she prayed he was all right.

“Gage!” She called his name, her voice coming out as a hoarse shrill. She collapsed next to him, terrified over how cold to the touch he was. She rolled him onto his back and he flopped over like a fish. “Damn it, Gage, if you let anything happen to you, I’ll hurt you myself.” Making a deal with God, she searched for a pulse in his neck, and crumbled with relief when she found one steady and strong. “Oh, God, Gage.” She pounded on his chest. “Don’t scare me like that.” He didn’t respond, which had her heart skipping again. “Gage, come on. This isn’t funny.”

What was wrong with him? She leaned her head down onto his chest and listened for his heartbeat, even though she’d just checked for his pulse. It was there, thumping away like it didn’t have a care in the world. Next, she checked his breathing, short breaths, spaced evenly apart.

He was asleep. But this wasn’t regular sleep. He’d been drugged. It was the only thing that explained why he didn’t wake when she’d hollered and beat on him.

She’d been drugged, too, she realized. That was why she’d fallen asleep so quickly last night after the horrible day they’d all had. Normally she’d relive the day, wondering what she could have done differently, what she could have said differently. But none of that. She’d dropped right off the planet the minute her head had hit the pillow.

“Come on, Gage.” She shook him. “You gotta wake up.” How had they been drugged? What about the others? She glanced quickly around the camp. She reached for Gage’s rifle and laid it next to her hip within easy reach.