“Thank goodness for that,” Scout cut in. “We’d be hittin’ dead end after dead end without your know-how.” She glanced at Naki, who turned slightly to meet her look.
And that look lasted just a little too long.
Right there. Chase caught it. This guy was into her. Not cool. “So,” he said, to rein in the focus, “let’s start brainstorming. What do you think the weeping ocean could mean?”
But Scout had turned into a small gravel driveway lined with shrubs and come to a stop in front of a very, very modest cabin. Clearly park housing. “Since we’re passing right by my place, I’d like to change into a dry uniform. Then we take the gold to Ranger Rivers, and after that, we tackle the clue.” She had already unclipped her seat belt. “I won’t be but a moment.”
“Scout,” Naki said as she opened the door, “don’t forget gloves for your hands.”
She flashed a smile. “Yes, sir.”
“Naki will do,” he said, though she was already halfway to the door.
Chase watched her disappear inside before shifting his gazeto Naki, who was still staring after her. “Funny how she calls you sir. Y’know, you keep asking her to call you Naki, but she can’t seem to do it. I wonder why.”
Naki’s shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “She’s very professional.”
“Yep. Very dedicated to the NPS. I noticed that on our first date.”
The faintest lift of Naki’s eyebrows betrayed his surprise, but he stayed silent.
“Yeah, we met at church. Instant spark, y’know? Of course, you probably do—a guy like you, plenty of sparks, right? A girl in every port? That kind of thing?” Chase grinned, trying to pull something—anything—out of him.
Naki turned slightly, his dark eyes steady. “That’s a lot of questions.”
“Well, yeah. I’m a newspaperman. It’s what we do.”
“Doesn’t that mean sticking to facts?”
“Sure, but asking questions gets you to the facts.”
Naki tilted his head slightly, as if considering. “Then here’s one for you—what are the other clues?”
Chase paused, caught off guard. He’d been careful not to share too much, doling out the clues one by one. They were his leverage, his assurance that he’d stay central to this hunt. He didn’t trust Naki, not with that maddening calm. “We’ll get to them in time.”
Naki turned fully in his seat, his stare sharp enough to cut. “Whose time?”
Chase opened his mouth to reply but found himself coming up short. Naki had turned his attention back to the coins. For someone who’d barely acknowledged the gold at first, he seemed oddly focused on it now. His fingers traced the edge of one coin, almost thoughtfully, before tucking it back into the bag.
“So what’s going to happen to the gold?” Chase asked, keeping his tone deliberately casual.
Naki didn’t glance up. “That depends on who it belongs to.”
Chase leaned forward slightly. “Legally? Or morally?”
This time, Naki shifted in his seat to face him, dark eyes calm but unyielding. “Does that matter?”
It should matter. But the weight of Naki’s gaze and the ambiguity in his tone left something unspoken hanging in the air. Chase felt the question turn inward, like it had been directed at him instead. “Why do I always get the feeling that there’s something you’re not telling me?”
“I might say the same of you.”
Before Chase could respond, the clatter of Scout’s boots broke the silence. She strode toward the jeep with effortless confidence, a backpack slung over one shoulder. As she slid into the driver’s seat, she tossed the backpack over the seat to Chase.
“What’s in this?” he said, catching it.
“Snacks and water.”
Nice. Her hair had been pulled into a ponytail, a new pink ribbon tied around it, and there was a fresh swipe of lipstick on her mouth—subtle, but enough to make him notice.
