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Sean
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Geri cuts the forty-five-minute hike to Mark’s truck down to twenty-five. Her steps are fast and sure-footed as we descend the steep slope, her focus on getting out of the woods leaving little room for talk. Thank God. There’s no way she bought the coyote story, and I’m too preoccupied—correction, fucking livid—that not only is a Saurian here uninvited, but that it threatened Geri and showed itself to her. And I’m real interested to know just how long it had been harassing her before Kasnid roared out a warning.
I climb into the passenger seat and unintentionally slam the door because I’m so preoccupied with what I’m going to do to that Saurian when I get my hands on it.
“Something wrong?” Geri nervously looks out all of the windows, scanning the perimeter.
“Sorry, I guess I closed that a little hard.” The brand-new-car-smell hits me. “Nice ride. Mark’s you said?”
“Yeah. New wife, new life.”
She’s pensive as she starts the Land Rover, and I wait for the questions to start.
“So, you didn’t find anything at all while you were ‘working on your tan’?”
Just Lisa’s cell phone. “Nope,” I say.
She puts it in reverse, spins around, and starts driving back toward the main road.
“Because if you did,” she says with a hopeful look on her face, “I’m hoping you wouldn’t mind letting me get the scoop on it before investigators share it with the press. You know, help your best friend’s sister boost her career.”
I turn my head to look straight at her because I just figured out what a fashion columnist is doing here, investigating a missing person. “Global didn’t send you here, did they? You’re on your own.”
“Oh, c’mon,” she says, her eyes on the road ahead of her. “This story practically landed in my lap. Do you know that the report on the Sasquatch hunters had over five million hits on every single social media outlet three hours after it was released? They’re the number one Google search in North America and the second highest search in the UK. It’s high profile, Sean, and it’s happening right here in my backyard. It’s a golden opportunity to show Global the kind of reporting I’m capable of, and I’m not just going to let it slip by.”
My mind is suddenly jockeying between adoration for her passionate determination and how I’m going to convince her to go home. This is the Geri I’ve always remembered—beautiful, smart and determined to get what she wants. But she needs to find another story to get her scoop, because I can’t have her getting mixed up in this.
I shrug nonchalantly. “I don’t know, Geri. Do you really think looking for Bigfoot is the best way to audition for Global?”
“No, I do not,” she says matter-of-factly. “I’m well aware of all the buzz that Bethany Moulton is delusional for claiming to have been terrorized by Bigfoot. And popular opinion seems to be that she’s either hiding something or is straight-out lying, so unless I find solid, indisputable evidence that either proves or disproves her claims, I’m not touching that angle with a ten-foot pole.”
“Turn here,” I say, pointing to the narrow side road where my SUV is parked. “So what’s your angle, then?”
“The Sasquatch hunters. They’re the news. I started my investigation at the site of the disappearance, hoping to find evidence—a large footprint, or a tuft of animal fur, or poop, or whatever—something I can give the hunters as a way of ingratiating myself into the group as an observer.”
“Now wait just a second.” I’m shocked that she’s even contemplating it. “Are you actually planning to go into the woods with a group of male hunters you’ve never met before?” She nods, glancing away from the road to give me a questioning look. “Jesus, Geri, have you lost your mind? No,” I say firmly, shaking my head. “You’re not going.”
Her plump lips thin into a straight line, eyes glaring and fixed on the road as she hits a pothole with too much speed, jostling both of us. “I wasn’t asking your permission, Eastman.”
Great. Now she’s mad. I shift my eyes heavenward, thinking that I didn’t ask for this. “I didn’t mean—”
“To play big brother?” she cuts in. “You know, in case it’s escaped your notice, I’m not a kid anymore.”
No, it certainly had not escaped my notice that the skinny little spitfire I knew eight years ago has morphed into a voluptuous, self-possessed woman that I can’t get off my mind. But as much as she has changed, I’m willing to bet that there are some things that have stayed the same—like when she sets her mind on something, trying to talk her out of it will only make her angry and strengthen her resolve. Which means I need to rethink my strategy of trying to get her to give up and go home.
She pulls up behind my SUV and shifts into park with more force than necessary. The air between us is heavy with my stupidity, and I accept that my choices on how I’m going to handle her have just been narrowed. It’s clear that she’s not going home empty handed, so I need to stay close and protect her while she gets her exclusive with the hunters.
I put my hand over hers, which is still resting on the gearshift. The soft warmth of her skin sends a current of pleasure through me. “I have no right to tell you what to do. I’m sorry.” I give her hand a squeeze before I pull mine away, cautious about holding on too long. “And of course I’ll help. I know every square inch of this area of the park, not to mention, I have the guns”—I flex my bicep—“to protect you against coyotes and any weirdos you might meet in the woods.”
Her lips relax, and the corner of her mouth twitches up into a hint of a smile. “What if the only weirdo out there is the one I’m with?”
“I deserved that.”
“You did.”
“Are we even now?”
She nods. “And... I guess I overreacted,” she says grudgingly.
“Not at all. So how about it? Do you mind your other big brother tagging along while you get the scoop on the hunters?”
A shadow of something crosses her features—disappointment?—but then the smile is back on her face. “It’s too good of an offer to pass up. Thanks, Eastman.”
“Great. It’ll be fun.” I open the door and get out. “You know how to get to the lodge?”
“Back out onto the main road, drive to the end, and turn left, and then keep driving until I bump into it.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
There are times, this being one of them, when I would give anything to be able to contact the emissary without having to put myself into a deep state of concentration. If I weren’t driving right behind Geri—by the way, Mark would have a cardiac if he could see her taking the ruts—I would pull over. The lodge is still fifteen minutes away, and I need to talk to the emissary about the Saurian before there’s an unfortunate incident. I’m not worried about warning him—if the Pleiadians haven’t already picked up on the reptile’s presence, Kasnid has probably told them by now. My immediate concern is how I’m supposed to handle the situation. If it turns out the Saurian is here by invitation, which I highly doubt because I would’ve been informed, then I have to treat it as a diplomat. If it’s here uninvited, which is more likely the case, then it’s a potential hostile.
And I’m getting a headache just thinking about the EUC catching wind of this. They have a real knack for taking control of a situation and whipping it into a shit show. It’s going to be difficult enough keeping this thing low-key with Bigfoot hunters staking out the park, let alone tripping over egos at the EUC.
A big sign on the side of the road looms ahead, announcing Lake Lodge Retreat, and I feel my blood pressure come down a little. The familiarity of the place brings me some peace. Between the ages of five and fifteen, I spent every summer here for school. And by summer school, I mean the other half of my education—learning how to be human.