Perhaps shewascrazy.Instead of taking a step back and agreeing with him, she stood on tiptoe, reached up and took his mouth, and placed her lips on his.Softly, an exploration, but leaving him in no doubt that she wanted more if he would give it.The searing sensation was immediate, swift and devastating, filling her with heat and blinding light so overwhelming she could only think of one thing.More.She wanted more.
And his response was exactly what she’d hoped for.Dropping her hands, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up so he could meet her lips fully with his.His tongue flicked over her lips, asking permission to be allowed entry.And so she opened her mouth, letting delicious sensations flow over her as their lips locked and he delved deep, desperate to taste her.
They kissed for moments untold as she lost track of time and was set adrift by him, and she savored every taste, every pull, every suck of his mouth.Until he jerked back, leaving her bereft.But it was only so he could unzip the top of her jacket, finding the soft skin of her neck beneath, leaning in and nipping with his teeth and sending heat flooding straight to her core.She almost melted in his arms right there.Then, he lifted his head to stare into her eyes.That look.No one had ever looked at her quite like that.It was haunting, as if he understood something about her that no one else did.
Removing one of his gloves, he traced gentle fingers down the side of her cheek.The touch was electric.Their thick snow jackets hampered their movements, and she wanted to rip hers off and throw it down in the snow so she could have more access to his body.So he could have more access to her body.God, she wanted to feel his hands on her hips, on her stomach, on her thighs.Wanted him to stoke the fire raging within her.
If only they weren’t standing in the middle of a clearing right now, they could… The thought brought her back to reality with a thump.
They were standing in the middle of a clearing because they had a job to do.Giving in to this attraction wouldn’t solve anything, and it certainly wouldn’t help Taro.
Slowly, she pulled away.Both of their breathing was labored.His eyes locked with hers, and she saw deep regret swimming in their depths.“Not the right time or place, huh?”he said softly, but his hand remained resting against the side of her face.
“No,” she replied.
“Can I just say that I’ve wanted to do that for a while now?And I would like to do it again.Soon.”
“Okay.”His response buoyed her, but she wasn’t going to admit to feeling the same.She couldn’t see how or why they would have another chance.
He was the one who finally broke their embrace.She looked away, readjusting her hair beneath her beanie and closing the zipper on her jacket.She opened her mouth to apologize; that kiss had been her fault after all.But then decided against it, because she wasn’t sorry, and it seemed as if he wasn’t either.One thing Mårten had taught her was that she needed to stand by her convictions.He probably hadn’t been referring to kissing a witness connected with an ongoing case, but it was still a valid point.
“I’ll go back to the car and get the snowshoes,” she said determinedly.While he looked fit and strong, she was more used to working in these conditions.It would be better if he stayed here and rested, then they could start the arduous hike as soon as she returned.
Shockingly, he didn’t argue, and for a second, she thought she’d won.
“You can wait in the cabin if you like,” she said, already turning to start the ten-minute trek back to the car.But of course she’d only taken a few steps when he fell in beside her.
“What did I just—”
“I’m not letting you go anywhere alone.I don’t think either of us should be alone out here.”There was sense in his statement; this time, it was her turn not to argue.
“Fine.”She made a show of stomping through the snow; her way of letting him know that even though he might be right, she didn’t have to be happy with it.They may as well cut across the clearing now rather than take the longer route around the edge.While they walked, she told him the strategy in mind.“When I get back to the car, I’m going to send an email to Mårten...Inspector Viskten,” she said, looking back over her shoulder at him.“I’ll schedule it to send in twelve hours’ time, telling him what our plan is.If we’re not back by then, we’re going to need help,” she added.She really hoped that she was back in time to stop that email from going out.But they needed a backup plan, and she knew Mårten would act first and ask questions later.
“Good idea,” he replied.Finally, something they both agreed on.
Back at her car, she grabbed the snowshoes and handed them to him, then dug around in her trunk to find the spare water, candy bars, and the survival kit.Most people who lived in the frozen north carried one, usually in the car, or in a backpack, if they were partaking in outdoor winter activities.It was the size of a large lunchbox but contained essential items such as a lightweight Mylar blanket, bandages and other first aid equipment, storm matches, as well as a flint and striker, a torch, a large multi-tool with a knife edge and a saw, a length of rope, a compass, and even fishing line and hooks.And last of all, but definitely not least, a flare that could be set off to show their location.The black bag was attached to a single strap so she could wear it slung across her shoulder and it wouldn’t get in the way.They would have to carry the water and food inside their jackets to keep it from freezing.She removed the compass and put it in her pocket.They would need that if they were to stay walking due north.She’d learned to navigate by the sun, but if the clouds returned and obscured it, then she wasn’t going to take the chance of getting lost.
“Take a drink now,” she commanded.“We can fill them with snow, and it will melt as we walk.
“Cool.”He seemed pleased with the idea, but his gaze was focused back the way they had come, clearly itching to get going.
She sent the email to Mårten while he restocked their water bottles.Curiously, there was still no reply from Millie, but there was nothing Aurora could do about it now.She’d made a quick lunch for Karl and left it in the fridge for him.He shouldn’t need anyone until dinnertime, and hopefully by then Millie would have got the message.
It took them less than ten minutes to get back to the cabin on the now-familiar trail.She stopped, pulled out the compass to get her bearings, and then glanced at Jiro.“Are we ready?”
“As we’ll ever be,” he replied with a genuine smile that went straight to her heart.He was so handsome, and she really, really wanted to kiss him again.If only they could be two normal people out on a winter’s day expedition.But life was never going to be that easy.She’d learned that the hard way.
It was hard going, threading their way through the tall birches and spruce pines.The snow wasn’t of an even depth throughout because there was no trail or road to follow and often drifted into deeper piles where there were no overhanging branches.There were traps for the unwary as well, even with the snowshoes on.Hidden beneath clumps of fresh snow there were hollows formed by leafy undergrowth, and more than once she or Jiro fell in up to their waist, or even deeper.If someone had brought Taro this way, she could see no sign of anyone else going in this direction, either on foot, or more likely, riding a snowmobile.They could be following a slightly different route.Or they could be on a wild-goose chase.
If Aurora had the time or energy, she might have admired the sheer beauty and tranquility of the area.With the sun riding low on the horizon, glowing rays of sunlight slanted through the tree trunks, turning the snowy vista into a magical, perfect forest.
They stopped every fifteen minutes or so, ostensibly to take a drink and a breather, but Aurora was keeping a close eye on Jiro.Watching for signs of things like hypothermia or fatigue.Jiro had already mentioned he spent time outdoors—even if it was mostly in the warmer climes of California.And she’d noted his athletic physique—more than once—so his fitness was standing him in good stead as he barely seemed to be out of breath.She also checked in with herself; the last thing either of them needed was for their guide to become incapacitated.And she also made sure they weren’t being followed.Or watched.There was no sign of anything out of the ordinary, however.But that didn’t mean a lot.Someone could be hiding behind a tree thirty paces away, aiming a gun at their hearts, and they probably wouldn’t even know.
She examined the compass to make sure they were headed in the correct direction, and on they went.And on.And on.For an hour, the forest just kept going, and the mountain didn’t seem to get any closer.Aurora started to think about what might happen if they had to spend the night out here.She had the backup of her email to Mårten, but that wouldn’t help them until the following morning.Her mind wandered back to the problem of how this kidnapper was tracking them.Because neither of them had any reception now; they were too deep into the forest.So even if he had been tracking them through Jiro’s phone earlier, surely he was no longer doing that.
Perhaps it didn’t matter anymore.Perhaps they needed no more clues, and it was up to them to find Taro now.Which might mean they were close.Or never going to find him.But Aurora had a growing suspicion that there was something else at play here.Whoever was on the other end of the phone wanted her and Jiro out of the way.But to what end?Was he holding Taro somewhere back in town instead?Interrogating him?Or forcing him to do something he didn’t want to do.Jiro’s reluctance to let Aurora know what Taro was involved with was becoming increasingly frustrating.If they didn’t find his older brother soon, Aurora might just refuse to go on until he told her everything.It was like she was walking around in the dark with only a torch to guide her, so she could only see what was directly in front, when really she needed to turn on the overhead lights and illuminate the whole scene.
Hopefully, Tuckburg had done as she’d asked and both her father and Kenichi were safe.Had he caught up with Tory yet?Perhaps even now he had a description of the man in the barbecue hut.Would Tuckburg follow up on the information if he got it?He would probably know by now that she was off the case, but he’d been a cop for a long time now, hopefully he had enough experience and wisdom to see beneath the surface and wonder why she was asking this of him; perhaps figure out that Dalström wasn’t covering this case as fully as he should.
