Page 29 of Fire Bear

Eliana’s heart fluttered with a mix of anxiety and relief. “Then let’s go. We can’t waste a second.”

Her mind spun while texting Talia that the orchard needed to close until further notice. She slid into Ash’s truck, face grim. The orchard’s once-busy season felt far away now, overshadowed by missing footage, a missing apprentice, and scorched earth.

Within minutes, Ash steered down the orchard’s lane. She watched the rows recede behind them, leaving her with a pang of guilt. It angered her that her orchard was closed again, but she told herself it was only temporary.

The drive to the Bright Institute breezed by in tense silence. Eliana gripped the armrest, eyes flicking from the passing pines to the small communities dotting Fate Mountain’s outskirts. Anxiety gnawed at her gut.

They pulled into the Bright Institute’s parking lot. Ivy was waiting in the lobby, her arms crossed, posture rigid. She spotted them instantly, beckoning them over. Her usual smile was missing, replaced by anxious lines around her eyes.

There was no small talk, only a worried hush to her voice as she led them down a corridor lit by fluorescent lights. At the very end of the hall, Ivy swiped her ID card, and the door clicked open.

Inside the IT lab, Marta sat in front of a bank of monitors. Her teal-dyed hair was pinned back with a small clip. Eliana noticed the circles under Marta’s eyes. The tension in the air matched Eliana’s own racing heart.

“Thanks for coming so quickly,” Marta said, pushing her rolling chair aside so they could gather around her desk. “I ran a deeper analysis on that phone. The encryption was complicated, but I managed to break through large chunks of it.”

Eliana took a steadying breath. “What did you find?” Even hearing her own voice felt surreal, as if she were outside herself, listening from a distance.

Marta tapped a few keys. A window opened on the central screen, revealing lines of text that looked like partial chat logs. “These messages indicate a plan to set fires at certain locationsaround Fate Mountain,” she explained, voice hushed with urgency. “It appears someone was paying for destructive acts, specifically mentioning your orchard.”

Eliana’s lungs tightened. “Who would pay for that?” She could barely wrap her mind around the idea that her orchard was singled out. She clutched the edge of Marta’s desk. “Are there names or anything that might identify them?”

Marta shook her head. “The logs use code names. However, there are references to a sum of money and demands to ‘create a convincing accident.’ That lines up with the orchard fires.” Another few keystrokes brought up more lines of text. “They wanted to intensify pressure. Possibly to force you to sell, or maybe to sabotage your orchard’s reputation. I can’t be sure.”

Eliana’s heart sank. The orchard had been building up to an amazing season. Now it was closed, and her apprentice was gone. A wave of anger tightened her fists. “This is monstrous,” she whispered.

Marta nodded, swallowing. “There was another file on the phone.” She opened an image viewer, calling up a grainy picture. At first, it was too small and pixelated to make out. Marta enlarged it, and Eliana’s stomach turned over.

The photo showed Mateo with bruises and dried blood across his face. His hair was matted, eyes half-lidded, as if in pain or partially unconscious. Eliana felt tears rush to her eyes. She covered her mouth and let out a small cry. This was her bright, eager apprentice who had wanted nothing more than to preserve rare apple varieties. Now he was battered and at the mercy of criminals.

Ash pressed a hand to Eliana’s back, steadying her as her shoulders shook. The tears she had tried to hold back now spilled freely. She forced herself to keep looking at the screen, to face the awful truth. Mateo was not simply missing—he was in real danger.

Marta’s voice grew softer. “The metadata suggests the image was taken about two days ago. I found location logs too, partial GPS data pointing to an isolated area of Fate Mountain. It matches the timeline of when your orchard first started having trouble. This phone’s user likely abducted Mateo, or was connected to those who did.”

Eliana’s knees felt weak, so she sank into the chair nearest Marta’s workstation. Ash remained standing, fists clenched in anger. Marta tapped a few more keys, transferring data.

“I’m emailing the packet I prepared to Detective Parker.” Marta glanced at Ash, then back at Eliana. “I’ll keep digging for more. If I find anything else, I’ll call immediately.”

Chapter

Twenty-One

The next morning,Ash found Eliana standing by the couch, phone in hand, looking as though she had not slept enough either. Dark smudges marred the delicate skin beneath her eyes.

“Morning,” he said gently, coming closer. “You’re up early too.”

Eliana nodded, managing a small smile of greeting. “I’ve been awake for a while. I keep thinking about Mateo.” She locked her gaze on his, worry etched on her face.

“Any updates from Detective Parker?”

“Not yet,” she replied. “But they are patrolling that forest area. I’m sure we’ll hear something as soon as they learn more.” She set her phone aside, exhaling shakily.

Ash closed the distance between them and reached out, gently tracing her shoulder. “You are not alone in this. The police patrolling the orchard.”

She nodded again, though anxiety still flickered in her eyes.

“I have to head into the station for a while. But if you need me, call immediately. I’ll have my phone on.”

“I’ll be okay. The police are on-site. Talia and Gerald will be in. And… we still have to handle the orchard’s basic business even without the rest of the staff here.”

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