“I have proof that the conversation I overheard is true,” Maggie said, holding up the book. “It’s all right in here in blackand white. That cave and those ruins belonged to supernatural creatures and not just witches and vampires; shifters have used those caves too.”
“You can’t expect our audience to believe that, especially after the archeologist in charge gave her statement,” Jeremy Gilbert said, shaking his head, then Stephanie appeared on the screen denying the rumor.
“I have the proof right here. There are stories, lots of them. People have known for hundreds of years that paranormal creatures haunted these woods; it goes all the way back to the Native Americans,” Maggie said, holding up the book again. “It’s time we faced facts. There are things on this planet that we don’t understand. Maybe this discovery will change things. All I know is I can’t wait to see them.”
“Well, there you have it, folks,” Jermey Gilbert said. “It’s up to you to decide: are there really ghosts and goblins running around in the woods behind the old stadium, or are these just stories written to entertain people?”
There was dead silence in the room for several minutes. “I’ve got to go call Stephanie,” he said. “She needs to know about this.”
“And I’m going to start doing some research,” Ryan said. “If there’s even the smallest chance those ruins are really a shifter sanctuary, we’d better figure it out before Stephanie does so we can stop her.”
He knew that Ryan was right, but it still bothered him, “This was her big chance,” he said. “I hate to spoil it for her.”
“Would you rather be exposed?” Malcolm asked. “Because that’s where this could be headed.”
“Stephanie would never do that,” he said. “I trust her.”
“But she’s not the only one involved,” Malcolm said, shaking his head. “She doesn’t have the final say on what gets released tothe public. I don’t know what kind of proof they could find, but we’d better be prepared just in case.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach. “You can’t destroy the ruins, that would be such a waste, there has to be another way.”
“Nothing has been decided yet, and we wouldn’t do anything without talking to the elders' council first,” Jackson assured him. “Let’s not get upset over something that might never happen, but I do think you’d better keep a closer eye on Stephanie.”
“I will, but I know that she’d never give us away, she’s not that kind of person,” he said, pulling out his phone. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go call her and warn her about the story on the news.”
***Stephanie***
After a nearly sleepless night, Stephanie stumbled out of her hotel room just before dawn, made a quick stop in the lobby to fill up her biggest travel mug, then headed to the ruins. She sipped the coffee as she drove through the deserted town, trying not to think about what she might find when she got to the college, but blocking that from her mind only made her think about Cooper and the kiss they’d shared.
She’d replayed it in her mind so many times that she remembered every second of the most amazing kiss she’d ever had, the only problem was it only made her want more, a very dangerous desire. Cooper had awakened something inside her, made her yearn for things she never had before, and she knew that she’d have to tread very carefully with him until he was no longer her intern.
A thrill rushed through her when she thought about what might happen then, the possibilities making her feel warm allover, and she let out a long sigh, wishing she didn’t have to wait. There was a small part of her that was afraid Cooper would lose interest if she kept pushing him away, and no amount of telling herself that if he did it would be for the best helped quiet that little voice. Realizing what she was doing, she told herself to stop obsessing about Cooper. He would either be there or he wouldn’t, and even if it was the best kiss she’d ever had, she wasn’t about to risk her professional reputation for anyone.
When she pulled into the stadium parking lot a few minutes later, she was relieved to see only a few cars, but knew that as soon as the sun came up, people would start showing up. After grabbing her backpack, her purse, and the mug, she climbed out of the car and made the short walk to the site, keeping her eyes open for anyone lurking in the early morning shadows. She made it to the gate without incident and was relieved to see a guard already on duty, bundled up against the early morning chill.
“Good morning, Dr. Warner, Kendra said you’d be here early,” he said. “I’m Frankie, I’ll be on the day shift during the week.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, shaking the man’s hand. “How did you know it was me?”
“Kendra gave me a bio on everyone who has clearance to be inside. I did my homework,” Frankie explained with a shrug of his shoulders. “I like to be prepared; it makes the job easier.”
“I appreciate your dedication. It could get a little crazy around here later, so don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it,” she said. “People can be aggressive when they get worked up over something like this.”
“We’ve already got a plan in place in case I get swamped,” he said. “I learned that lesson the hard way on one of my first jobs, and never made that mistake again. We’ll be fine, I promise, but thanks for the warning. Kendra is waiting for you in that bluetent over there. Everyone has to get security badges; after this morning, no one gets in without one.”
“I have to tell you, I feel much better after meeting you,” she said, smiling at him. “Now I guess I’d better go find my assistant and get my badge. I need to be a good example for everyone else after all.”
“Yes, ma'am,” Frankie said, smiling back at her. “I’ll see you later.”
When she walked into the tent, Kendra was sitting at a folding table, a laptop in front of her, holding a giant cup of coffee in one hand, texting on her phone with the other. “I can’t believe you beat me here,” she said, shaking her head. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
“A litle. I spent hours putting this all together and a couple more this morning getting everything ready for the security company,” Kendra said, shrugging her shoulders. “I’m going home after everyone gets their badges and taking a nap.”
She looked around the tent for the first time, surprised to see a camera set up with a white background behind it and a machine that would make the badges. “Where did you get all this?” she asked. “Don’t we usually pay the security company to do this?”
“I thought I could save some money doing it ourselves this time,” Kendra said, then a little blush appeared on her cheeks. “I might have met someone who works in student administration, he might have been with me last night when you called, and he might have accidentally borrowed this stuff for us.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of mights,” she said, trying not to laugh. “Do you think I might be able to meet him sometime so I could say thank you?”
