His gaze followed, and a small smile tugged at his mouth when he spotted the can of bear spray in the side pocket. Message delivered. Now they just needed a way to get to it.
“Now, where were we?” George set his mug on the floor next to him.
“Stop,” Kelsey said suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just stop.”
George shifted his gaze. “Stop what?”
“All of this. The waiting, the threats.” Kelsey stood up slowly, her hands shaking. “I’m here, okay? I’m the person you came to meet.”
Gina stared at Kelsey—sweet, nervous Kelsey, who worried about her career and never dated and always brought energy bars for everyone. She tried to process what she’d just heard.
“Kelsey?” Brooke’s voice was small and confused. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that I’m the reason he’s here.” Kelsey wouldn’t look at any of them. “I’m the one with the, uh...the merchandise.”
George smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Well, finally.”
“It was you,” Nick said to Kelsey, his voice flat. “You’re the contact.”
“Yes.”
Gina had known Kelsey for a couple of years now. They’d run together dozens of times. Not only as part of their Wednesday night running group, but on occasional weekends too.
She was the one who was always the most willing to join an impromptu run. She’d been to Kelsey’s house, to her office and met her coworkers, listened to her complain about difficult clients and office politics. And all of it had been a lie.
Well, maybe not a lie, but close. She thought back to the original plan that had brought them to these mountains. Brooke had laid out her training program months ago, telling the whole running group about her long runs.
Kelsey hadn’t shown much interest at the time. Even a few weeks ago, when Brooke brought it up again, Kelsey didn’t seem eager to join. It wasn’t until the Wednesday night club run, just days ago, that she suddenly asked if there was still room for her.
That was also the night Joe signed on. Until then, only Gina and Brooke were definite. Joe told Gina he was willing to go, which gave them a third, the minimum they all knew was smart in bear country, though Brooke often ignored that rule and ran solo. Others who had considered joining on the run had backed out.
Did Kelsey’s sudden interest in joining the run have to do with this guy and whatever it was she had that he wanted? That seemed the logical explanation.
“What merchandise?” Joe asked.
Kelsey reached into her running pack and pulled out a flash drive. “Client files. Financial records. Everything someone would need to know about the deals my firm handles.”
“You stole from your law firm,” Gina said, not really a question.
“I didn’t have a choice.” Kelsey’s voice cracked. “They have photos. Video. Things that would destroy my career, my reputation, everything.”
“What kind of photos?” Brooke asked.
“The kind that happen when you’re young and stupid and trust the wrong person with your phone.” Kelsey gave a humorless laugh. “Pictures I took in law school. Private pictures. The kind that would get me disbarred if they became public.”
“Disbarred?” Joe shook his head. “I can’t imagine it’s that bad. I’ve known a lot of lawyers, and—”
“Stop.” Kelsey raised her hand. “I know what they have. You don’t. I’ve worked too hard to get where I am to be destroyed by a stupid mistake made years ago.”
George stood up and held out his hand, a lazy smile on his face. “Flash drive.”
Kelsey hesitated for a moment, then pulled her hand back.
“Don’t mess with me, young lady.”
“I don’t intend to, but I’ll need some assurances. This is the mother lode. The final payment.”
“That was the agreement,” George said. “My employers told me as much.”
