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She laughs. “I know. Too bad, huh? But I’ll try to keep my hands to myself until we have what we came here for.”
As we make our way to Cliff Point, I breathe in the fresh air filled with pine trees and wildflowers. There’s no place in the world where I’d rather spend my life than here. The mountains are what make me whole. They keep me sane and grounded.
After a quick water and snack break at mile marker three, we continue for another hour until we arrive at our destination. Harper and I exchange a glance. Even though Isabella’s backpack was found here years ago, the air still holds a chill. I’d love nothing more than to help Harper get her scoop, but we both dread what we might find.
We get to work without speaking a word. Harper knows the spots the police have investigated already, so we decide to search beyond the boundaries of that area.
“Titan, over here!” Harper’s voice cuts through the quiet hum of the forest.
She’s on her belly, near the cliff's edge, her eyes fixed on something below. I hurry over to her and let my gaze roam the area she’s pointing to.
“Look. Is that what I think it is?”
I nod. “I’ll go down and retrieve it.”
I attach a rope around a big, sharp rock with practiced movements. After securing my lines and myself, I rappel down. The rugged terrain below seems to stretch endlessly, a dangerous labyrinth of jagged rocks and tangled vegetation. But I keep my focus, my gaze fixed on the object that Harper spotted from above.
Once I get there, I gently disentangle the red fabric my girl saw. It’s tiny, torn, and weather-worn, but it might lead to a breakthrough. A faint shimmer, barely visible in the sunlight, makes me suspect that there’s some sort of chemical residue on it. I carefully put the fabric into a protective bag before starting the ascent.
“You’ve got it,” Harper says when I’m safe and sound back at the top of the cliff again.
“I did. I think we’d better head down and hand this over to the police right away.”
Chapter Six
Harper
Titan and I go as fast as possible without risking our safety and head straight to Bearclaw Ridge’s police station. Titan bursts inside, not even waiting for the officer at the front desk to let him through.
“It’s okay. I know Sheriff McLeary. He’s going to want to see this,” he says, waving away the officer’s angry protests about barging in like that.
Shit, he’s sexy when he’s dominating the room like this.
I follow him to Sheriff McLeary’s office. After knocking once, we get called inside. Sheriff McLeary looks surprised to see us.
“Titan? What are you doing here?”
He places the protective bag with the torn piece of fabric on the sheriff’s desk. “It’s a long story, but we found something that could crack open the cold case of Isabella Cinder.”
Sheriff McLeary takes the bag in his hand and inspects it. “Okay, color me intrigued. Why don’t you start from the beginning?”
We take a seat, and I tell him everything. From hearing about the new lead to interviewing some of Bearclaw Ridge locals to finding the same color fabric as the red cowboy hat Mrs. Jenkins talked about.
Sheriff McLeary leans back in his seat. “I’m impressed. Seriously. I tip my hat to you. This is going to help us tremendously. I’m surprised my men didn’t find this when they combed the area after Isabella went missing.”
“Well, it wasn’t visible from the top of the cliff. I had to lean over the edge to spot it,” I explain.
“You should be proud of yourself,” the Sheriff says. “Your discovery could finally bring peace to Isabella’s family.”
Titan gives me a heartwarming smile. “I’m proud of my girl, too.”
Sheriff McLeary promises to keep us updated about our discovery and thanks us again for our offer of help.
As soon as we’re back outside, I punch the air with my fist. “That was epic. I’m so happy, Titan. Did you hear what the sheriff said? We might have ensured that Isabella’s family finally gets an explanation. I know I wanted a scoop, but that’s not even the most important thing. The fact that I might’ve made a difference to a grieving family is worth a ton more than that.”
His mouth lands on mine. The tingling his passionate kiss causes reaches my toes and fingers, as well as the place between my thighs.
“Do you want to come home with me, Harper?” he asks in a strained voice as if he can’t bear another second of us not being naked.
