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So far, he’d shared that he’d set this up as a contingency if he got caught burning down Camp Grizzly.

That plan? Get her at a trailhead where there was an old mining shaft that he was able to go and hand dig a spot for her to die. He’d set up a way to get her out there, too.

A part of the plan that he hadn’t shared with us yet, though Shelby had been asking him.

Over and over again, might I add.

We were now on the eighteenth time of her asking him, and finally he’d decided to share.

“I have a couple of friends from the camp that were willing to help,” he drawled.

“Are they adults?” Shelby asked.

My hands clenched on the steering wheel as we finally slowed to make the turn into the trailhead that he’d shared was where she was at.

“They’re almost adults, does that count?”

I growled low under my breath.

No, that doesn’t fucking count, you complete sick fuck.

“How old are they, Leo?” Shelby asked. “What are their names?”

I looked in the rearview mirror behind me to see him staring at her with an almost dreamy expression on her face.

“They were kicked out a couple of months before I aged out. They’re probably long gone now, but I’ll share their names with you after.” He turned ahead and met my eyes. “Keep driving, Sheriff Adkins. We’re almost there.”

I knew where “there” was when it ended at a gate that said “mine closed” on the chain link.

“The gate’s open,” he said.

I could see that.

The lock had been cut and dropped to the ground.

I got out and pushed the gate open wide, then hurried back to the cruiser.

My heart was literally hammering, and panic was starting to set in.

We were at seven hours.

What if she really only had eight hours of air?

What if she didn’t even have that?

Leo might be as smart as a rocket scientist, but some things were out of his control.

“She’s about half a mile in the shaft. You’ll see.”

I didn’t waste time trying to get more information.

I got out and ran inside.

It took me three minutes to get to the spot, and he was right.

I would see.

Because the motherfucker had made her a headstone.