Micha put down his pack and grabbed his canteen, then eased past the others who were also looking for places to sit. She took a long drink from her canteen, the cool liquid doing a lot to refresh her mood. He stepped near a tree and swatted his hands at something. His face contorted in the first sign she’d seen of distress in the man. Maybe there were bees and he was allergic.
“Bees?” she asked when he stood in front of her, breathing deeply.
“What?”
“You were swatting. I thought it might be bees.”
“No bees. Just a spider web.”
Was he afraid of spiders? Couldn’t be, right? Not a guy who spent a lot of his time in the Oregon wilderness. That would be a big problem, wouldn’t it?
He nodded at her canteen and settled on a fallen log next to her. “You’ll want to ration that. We have another hour’s hike.”
She eyed him. “Did you have to pick a location so far from the compound?”
“This area is the best place to simulate off-grid living, and that’s what everyone is expecting us to provide.”
“Yeah, but…” She shrugged.
“But this is harder than you expected?”
She hated to admit it, but why lie just to save face? “It is. But I’ll get through. I always do.”
He studied her face. “I like your determination. I saw it yesterday, too, when you didn’t give up on the fire. It’ll serve you well out here.”
She appreciated his compliment, but…“We’ll see how much it helps in the next hour.”
She forced a laugh she wasn’t feeling, but he didn’t take his assessing gaze from her face. She had to direct the subject away from her. “How did you get involved in this business anyway? Seems like a far cry from military investigations or even working with weapons.”
He shifted on his log but kept watching her. “It can be hard to find civilian employment that a military background fits with. Especially if you really don’t want a nine-to-five office job. Which I don’t. I like being outside. A lot.”
“But weren’t you in an office in military investigations?”
“I was, and I hated that part of the job, which is why I didn’t want to go into law enforcement when I got out. Besides which, I would’ve had to start as a patrol officer and would have to put in my time to get to a detective slot. A car is actually more appealing than an office, but the hassles patrol officers go through these days isn’t appealing at all.” He clutched his hands together. “So when Russ called about this job, I didn’t hesitate. As a bonus, this location is perfect. It’s near to my sister and her daughter.”
He frowned.
“Why the frown?”
“Tristin is battling some health issues that I want to fix but can’t.”
“I’m sorry,” she said and resisted asking the private details that he would share if he wanted to. “Are you close to your sister?”
“Very. Our parents died when Tristin and I were kids, and we grew up in the foster care system. Had to look out for her, and she’s relied on me for years. Grows a bond you can’t imagine.”
She could imagine all right. She’d had the same experience. Minus an older brother to help her navigate foster care living. She’d had to become determined. Scrappy even, or she wouldn’t have made it out of the system without even more emotional issues than plagued her now.
She didn’t talk about those days. Best left unsaid, and she wasn’t going to tell him about her past. Not only because it would open old wounds but because the backstory she’d invented for Kari Curtis didn’t include growing up in foster care. Kari had the perfect, idyllic childhood with two doting parents, living in one of those big two-story white houses with black shutters and a two-car garage. She also had a brother and sister who adored her and even a dog named Bella, who was totally devoted to her.
Yeah, she might hurl if she had to explain that, too, because it was her dream. Had been her dream. Now it was gone. Who would believe the former foster girl who’d gotten into trouble most of her life and didn’t pull herself together until her twenties to go to nursing school wasn’t the one who killed Holly Boyle?
Move on. Let it go. “I’m sorry for the loss of your parents, but it sounds like you have a special relationship with your sister.”
He nodded, but stared off into the distance. “Like I said, we have an hour left to go on this hike. I can slow down a bit if you need, but if we’re to accomplish everything today, I’ll need to keep moving at a solid pace.”
“No need to make an exception for me. I’ll be fine.” She tried not to sound testy, but she didn’t like his assumption that she couldn’t hold her own. She could and would. Always had and didn’t need anyone else’s help. God’s maybe, but not people.
He held up a hand. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that. Just trying to help.”
