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couldn’t she concentrate around the man? It was utterly ridiculous. “I’m not comfortable discussing this here.”
    â€œFine, let’s go to my cabin.”
    â€œNow?” Great . The two of them in even closer quarters—the exact opposite of what her heart needed. After five monthsapart without a word, she’d thought she could manage her emotions better. Frustration bubbled inside. She needed to be focused on finding Abby, not explaining herself to Gage.
    He smiled. “No time like the present.”
    Gage walked with Darcy to his cabin, his pulse increasing just being in her presence. He balled his hands into fists. It was going to be a grueling ten days.
    She kept her shoulders stiff, irritation lacing her brow. She clearly didn’t want to explain, but if she planned on using LFA’s excursions to conduct her investigation, at the very least he deserved an explanation.
    Opening his cabin door, he gestured with his arm. “After you.”
    She glanced up at him as she stepped past, the top of her head not quite reaching the bottom of his chin. She was a petite thing, but he’d never met anyone more full of fire—with the exception of his sisters, perhaps.
    He shut the door. “So, what’s this all about?”
    She strolled about the tiny confines, clearly stalling.
    â€œDarcy.”
    She stopped and plopped down into one of the sitting area’s egg-shaped chairs.
    He leaned against the desk’s edge, trying to keep some distance between them. “What’s really going on, and who’s Abby?”
    â€œAbby is my old undercover reporting partner.”
    â€œReporting partner?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œSo you’ve decided to go back.” He didn’t bother trying to mask his disappointment.
    â€œAbby and I haven’t seen each other in years, but she askedfor my help.” She explained how Abby had called out of the blue and asked for Darcy’s assistance on her undercover investigation, told her about the adventure journalist job she could use as a cover.
    â€œBut I thought you’d given that all up?” That’s what she’d claimed last winter in Yancey.
    â€œI had.” She leaned forward. “You don’t understand. . . . Abby and I have been friends since the first day of college. We roomed together at Baylor. Got our first reporting gigs together. We worked at the Times and then the Watch together.”
    â€œAnd then?”
    She sighed, crossing her legs. “And then I decided to leave undercover reporting.”
    He inched closer to her, shimmying along the desk’s edge. “But . . . Abby stayed?”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œAnd you two . . . ?”
    She shrugged. “Remained friends, but . . .”
    â€œIt wasn’t the same.”
    Darcy nodded.
    â€œThen why did you agree to come join her investigation? Why agree to go back to undercover reporting?”
    â€œBecause . . .”
    He scooted closer still, moving to the far edge of the desk, stopping only when his leg was nearly brushing hers. “Because . . . ?”
    â€œShe needed my help.”
    There was more to it. He could see it in her eyes—hunger, ambition. It was masked by real concern for her friend, but it was nestled in there nonetheless.
    Taking a deep breath, she stood, shaking out her hands.“It looks like I made the right decision, because something’s clearly happened to Abby.”
    â€œAre you certain she didn’t just leave, as Mullins said?”
    â€œShe wouldn’t do that.” Darcy shook her head. “Not after asking me to come. Besides, I only saw her for a minute when I first boarded yesterday. She was headed out on an excursion, so she couldn’t talk, but she looked scared.”
    â€œAnd that’s unusual?”
    â€œFor Abby, yes.”
    He hopped up on the desk, his legs dangling as Darcy