“Stop,” Mårten said again.What had he found now, she wondered, as she followed the tip of his finger?The photo was dark and blurry—the light had been fading rapidly—but she could just make out the shape of the nose of a small, white van poking out from the other side of the machinery shed.“Does that look like an official mine site vehicle to you?”
“I don’t know,” she answered again, but she was staring now as she moved to the next photo.This one was a close-up of the shed, and she could see at least half of the white van now.There were no obvious markings.Nothing to show it belonged to the mine.But if she zoomed in, she could just make out the number plate.“I guess we can get the company to confirm if this van was there on official business,” she said, only part of her concentrating on what she was saying.The rest of her was absorbed by the delicious feeling of Mårten pressed up against her.By the magnetic pull of his warm, solid body.
“Mmm,” Mårten was as unmoving as a statue beside her, focused on the screen.How could he sit so still?He must not be feeling the same electrical charge that she was, because all she wanted to do was turn her head and draw the slightly musky, slightly citrusy smell of Mårten deep into her lungs.God, if she tilted her chin just an inch, her lips would graze the dark stubble on his cheek.How long had it been since she’d been this up close and personal with a man?Her heartbeat doubled at the thought of what it’d feel like to let her mouth explore the contours of those strong cheekbones.
Blast, blast, double blast.
She multiplied her efforts to concentrate, edging away from him to create some much-needed space where she could breathe once again.
As she advanced through more photos, she realized she must’ve been moving along the fence, as the angles of the buildings changed.Paige had been chivvying her onward, and now some images had a blurry chain-link fence obscuring them.Ten or twelve photos on, they finally got to an image showing the other side of the machinery shed with the power plant in the background, with the figure of the man almost to the top of the tall structure.And there was the complete, clear picture of the entire van.
With a second person standing at the back of the vehicle.
There were two people at the mine site.This person had been obscured by the shed, and it wasn’t until Summer had taken a photo from this angle that he’d become visible.
The next photo jumped to a fire glowing with a dark forest as the backdrop; their campsite for the night.Blast, that must’ve been her last photo of the mine site.
“Go back,” Mårten said, at the same time as Summer hit the reverse button to return to the previous image.She didn’t need to be asked; she zoomed right in on the figure next to the van.It was a man, she could see his face now.And he was staring straight down her lens.Summer shivered, as if a cold gust of wind had blown over her skin.Whoever this man was, it appeared he’d seen her and Paige on the other side of the fence.And it seemed he didn’t like the fact that he’d been spotted.What were these men up to?Why were they on the site?Were they authorized to be there?Or were they doing something clandestine?
She turned to look at Mårten as he sat back with a grunt of surprise.
“That’s…unexpected,” she whispered.
“Did you know these guys were in these photos when you took them?”
“No.I think by this time Paige was rushing me along, and I was just taking random snaps, not really looking down the viewfinder.”She racked her memory to see if she could find any hint that she’d knowingly taken photos of the guys.“I’m sure it was a coincidence.I was clicking away as I walked, trying to keep up with Paige.”
“Well, he saw you.And he didn’t look happy that you were taking photos.”
Summer couldn’t help but agree.
“Do you think Paige saw these men?”Mårten asked.
“I’m not sure,” Summer mused.“I was using a telephoto lens and zooming right in on the buildings.They might not have even been conspicuous to the naked eye.I mean, I didn’t even know they were there until I looked at the photos.”
“Hmm.I reckon if we enhance the photo and get the registration of the van, I’ll ask Jacob to run it, see who it belongs to.It’ll be much quicker than waiting for the mining company to get back to us,” he qualified when Summer cast him a curious glance.
“I don’t mean to be crass, and I don’t want to get too excited because this is a long shot, but this could be the clue we’ve been looking for that links this guy to the man who ransacked your apartment.Could he have been searching for the SD card with the photo you took of him?Is that why he stole your camera?”
Summer considered him.Mårten might be right.The thief had escaped down the stairs with the camera she’d used on the field trip.But how would he have known?Was it mere coincidence he’d stolen that exact item?Or had he known what he was looking for?
A mounting heaviness in the pit of her stomach had alarm bells jangling in her head.If Mårten were right, then this photo made it even more real.She and Paige had seen something they weren’t supposed to—or rather, she had seen something and dragged an unsuspecting Paige into it—and now they were both paying the price.Did someone abduct Paige thinking she had knowledge of these photos?But Paige was innocent.And she could be in real danger.Summercould be in real danger.She fisted her hands into the bedclothes, fighting the growing panic clenching her insides into a tight ball.
“Then maybe he came back for your computer afterward,” Mårten mused, not registering that Summer was no longer listening.“He got the camera, but he’s smart enough to realize you would’ve already copied the photos across.And you had your computer with you that night.Am I right?”Mårten finally turned to her, his lips tilted upward in a question mark.He must’ve seen the distress evident on her face, however, because he immediately said, “Oh, shit, I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to upset you.I was thinking out loud.It’s a bad habit of mine.”
“No, no, you didn’t,” she proclaimed, cursing the stupid tears that were forming against her will in the corners of her eyes.“It’s just that… if Paige has been abducted, and that guy came to my house because of a photo I took, then this is all my fault.If I hadn’t been so nosy…”
“That is utterly ridiculous,” Mårten said with a snort.Then after a momentary hesitation, he added, “I could be on the wrong track.I’ve been known to get a little carried away sometimes, just ask Jacob.”Mårten was trying to backtrack to placate her.“Why don’t we wait and see if Jacob turns up anything before we—I—jump to conclusions?”
For once she didn’t feel like arguing, and so she nodded, lowering her head as she tried to regain her composure.She was surprised when she felt the heavy weight of his arm drape around her shoulders.
“Come on.You need to believe that none of this is your fault.You are the victim; trust me on that.”His masculine body was so substantial next to hers.Her skin tingled with awareness, her tears drying in an instant as something more carnal took their place.
“Summer, look at me.”
She didn’t want to lift her head, but the low command in his voice pulsed right through her until she had no choice.She found herself staring into his silver eyes.
“Repeat after me: I am the victim here.”
