“Where are you, Everlee?” I whisper to myself, veering off the path into the center.
I pause, waiting for an answer, a hint, a noise, but I’m met with silence. Aside from water off in the distance?
Suddenly, voices yell out. Knox, Jax, then last, Emmett.
Ohhh, that woman. She’s teasing us.
If my calculations are correct, she’s only wearing panties, but I doubt that because she’s Everlee. We just haven’t found her panties yet.
Leaves and sticks crunch under my feet, and then I pause, waiting to hear any sign. I’m closer to the front, and know she has to make her way past me. I don’t think she has yet, at least I hope so.
I take another step and a twig breaks, so I remove my shoes. Both Knox and Jax did, so there has to be a reason.
When I stand, Emmett and Knox are rushing me.
“What are you doing?” I ask, confused.
“I thought you were Everlee.”
“Did you even look at me?” I scoff.
“You were hunched down. I just saw a figure getting low,” Emmett says.
“I saw Emmett rushing you, so I thought you were Everlee.”
“No. She seems to be a little more difficult to catch than expected.”
“We’ll catch her, though,” Knox says confidently before darting off again.
“We don’t have a chance, do we?” Emmett asks.
“Not a chance in hell.”
Emmett laughs. “Well?” He holds his hands up.
“True. Although if this is hell…”
“It won’t be so bad when you arrive?” Emmett chuckles.
“When we arrive.”
“Don’t buy yourself long.”
“Ok Knox, with your random opposite sayings.”
“How else would you say the opposite of not selling yourself short?”
“Should we go wait in the room for Everlee to get back?”
“Let Knox and Jax have fun?” He scrunches his nose.
“True. We shouldn’t give up. Who knows what will happen?”
A bush shakes up ahead, closer to the back of the room.
JAX - TRACKER
Mybloodispumpingso fast and hard. The feel of the warm soil under my feet, the smell of pine in the air. I’m hunting.
