Hot as Sin (Hot Shots: Men of Fire #2)(39)
Author: Bella Andre

Slowly, inch by inch, they climbed up together. She couldn’t see the ground around his large body, which was a very good thing given what had happened the previous time she’d looked down. She focused all of her energy on the peak, and although rock climbing ranked as one of the most difficult things she’d ever done, before she knew it, she was actually making it up the side of a mountain.

“We’ve got it under control,” Sam said.

Safe in the curve of his large body, Dianna almost believed him.

The muscles in her arms and legs and stomach ached as she hugged the wall. Even the rest periods where they held on to a small ledge so that she could catch her breath were hard work. And then, after what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only twenty minutes or so, she was gripping the edge of the rock and pulling herself up to the top of the cliff.

Standing at the peak brought an unexpected smile to her face. She couldn’t believe how powerful she felt after facing down one of her biggest fears. Her first climb safely behind her, she was able to see what a huge adrenaline rush it had been. It was a new sensation, totally different from the rush of taping a live show for millions of viewers.

She’d assumed she’d be a complete wreck after climbing up the rock, but the reverse was true. She felt invincible, ready for any challenge that came her way, which was good because the challenges were lined up before her, one after the other.

Why, she suddenly wondered, had she been afraid of heights for so long?

And what else was she afraid of that she shouldn’t be?

They donned their heavy packs, and when they hit the hiking trail Sam said, “You set the pace. If my coordinates are right, we should be there in about thirty minutes.”

She led the way up the narrow deer trail, moving steadily, and she was actually grateful for the hard physical labor, for anything to focus on besides her worries about her sister, which only increased as they hiked closer to the commune.

Constantly looking at her watch, the minutes ticked down. Twenty-five, then twenty, then fifteen as they traversed a steep switchback, until suddenly, Sam grabbed her arm.

“We’re here.”

She looked around and saw nothing but tree stumps and bushes, but she knew the GPS on Sam’s watch was accurate. He motioned for her to give him her pack and when she did he slid both of their bags into the bushes. “Are you ready to do this?”

Dianna’s heart jumped into her throat, but she said, “I’m ready.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“I’M GOING to take the lead now,” he told her quietly. “If anything looks dangerous, if it looks like we’re in any kind of danger, I want you to get the hell out of here.”

She shook her head. “You shouldn’t even be here. April’s my sister, not yours. And no matter how dangerous the commune is, I’m not leaving without you.”

His expression was harder than the granite they’d just climbed. “I can take care of myself and I will find your sister. But I won’t let you risk your life. And I won’t let you get hurt. Promise me you’ll go for help if something happens or we aren’t setting one foot onto the commune.”

“Okay,” she finally said, accepting that Sam couldn’t shed his protective instincts. He needed to hear her say it. “I promise I’ll go for help.”

Slowly, they moved through thicker and thicker brush until they reached a chain-link fence. She wasn’t sure what she’d do if they came upon someone with a gun. The only ones she’d ever seen were the ones who moved in with her mother’s boyfriends and, fortunately, moved out when they left. No one had warned her not to touch them as a kid; she’d just known.

“Who are you?”

The high-pitched voice startled her, and she jumped against Sam. He put his hands on her shoulders and she was thankful for his reassuring strength.

A short, plump girl with dreadlocks and bad skin stood in the bushes. “This is private property. Go away.”

Dianna was surprised by the hard words out of the baby voice. But she was relieved to see that, as far as she could tell, the girl didn’t have any weapons on her. Based on what Will and Sam had both said about the suspected drug-related activities on the commune, Dianna had almost expected armed guards.

“I’m looking for April Kelley. I’m her sister.”

The girl’s eyes widened before she shifted into a sneer. “You must be the rich celebrity, huh?”

Dianna was taken aback by the stranger’s vitriol and it took her a few extra seconds to find the words, “Is she here?”

She held her breath as she waited for the girl to reply, never having been able to let go of that small shred of hope that her sister would be alive and well on the commune when they arrived.

The girl looked at her like she was extremely slow. “Of course not. She went to see you.”

The crushing blow came too quick for Dianna to deflect it. Fortunately, Sam was right behind her with an arm around her waist.

Picking up the questioning, he asked, “Has anyone heard from her since she left?”

The girl shook her head. “When she didn’t show up for chores this morning we figured she’d decided to head back to San Francisco without telling anyone.”

“No,” Dianna said, finding her voice again. “That’s not what happened. She called me yesterday. She’s in trouble.”

Dianna didn’t know what she’d expected. A little panic on the girl’s part might have been nice. Instead she just shrugged.

“I’m sure she’s fine.”

Something told Dianna that this girl didn’t care for April much. She wanted to know why—and if it could have something to do with her sister’s disappearance.

But before she could give her the third degree, Sam said, “Could you show us where she’s been living so we can see if she left any clues as to where she went?”

The girl looked wary. “We don’t normally allow strangers onto the Farm.”

“I’m not a stranger. I’m her sister.”

Narrowed eyes scanned her, top to bottom. “Whatever. I guess, since you’re her sister and all. Although I’m sure Peter will kick you out soon enough.” But rather than lead them inside the gates, she turned to Sam. “Who are you?”

“Friend of the family. You lead the way.”

It was a barely masked command that the girl couldn’t help but obey.

As she motioned for them to follow her through the brambles, Sam whispered, “Let’s see what we can learn from April’s friends before we jump to any conclusions. They probably know more than they think they do.”