It’s just my luck that this shit show landed on my day instead of Zeke’s.
I’m tempted to force the fucker awake so he can deal with this cold instead of me. I’m already grouchy that I won’t be able tohold Sunshine’s hand during the plane ride tomorrow.Zekegets to. It’s not fucking fair.
A helicopter flies overheard and I glare at it as it goes.
We’ve been searching for hours and haven’t caught a single lead yet. For one, the dickheads who radioed for help can’t seem to keep their story straight about the last time they saw their friends or where they were going when they disappeared, which makes it harder to establish a searchable grid.
And two, their camp doesn’t look lived in. It looks more like it was staged to give the impression of camping, which also doesn’t make any sense. I get lying about your friends going missing if you murdered them. But why would anyone drag all of this shit out here just topretendto camp?
Nothing about this makes any sense, and I can tell by the matching scowls on Thorin and Khalil’s faces that they’re thinking the same thing. We have no reason not to trust the sheriff though, so we stay and hope that the alarm bells that have been going off in our minds for the past hour are wrong.
And then there’s Aurelia.
We still can’t get ahold of her, but it’s probably the storm interfering with the signal. Nevertheless, I’m getting ready to bow out and head back to the cabin to check on her when the sheriff walks over to where the three of us are searching an abandoned wolf den.
“So the witnesses now think their friends might have gone to explore a system of caves near Maia. I’d send some volunteers out there, but they’re all pretty weary and spread out checking the other leads. You boys think you’re up for it?”
“Sheriff, how sure are you that this is legit?” Khalil barks. “It doesn’t seem off to you that their story keeps changing? I mean, what the fuck?”
“I’ve had those thoughts myself, but we can’t take that chance. Either a terrible accident occurred or a terrible crime. Either way, I’m not leaving until those hikers are found.”
“Fine,” Thorin says. “We’ll go and let you know if we find anything.”
“Take Deputy Green with you, will you? Show the new kid the ropes?”
I glare over at the creepy fucking deputy who keeps staring at me like he has an eye problem. I can’t actually see his eyes behind those dark shades, but I know he’s watching me and has been ever since we arrived.
“Nah,” I snarl. “I don’t like him.”
The sheriff’s brows raise at the unprovoked hostility in my tone, but I ignore him and walk off to stand near the ATVs. I hear Thorin murmur something to the sheriff, and then he and Khalil join me with deputy fucking Green.
I straddle my ATV and try again to radio Aurelia.
To my immense fucking relief, she finally answers, sounding like she was asleep. “Seth?”
“Sunshine,” I greet with an exhale. “Where were you? We’ve been calling you.”
“Sorry. I fell asleep. How’s the search going?”
I press on the receiver. “Shitty. We haven’t found a thing. Not even a set of footprints.”
“Really?” Aurelia sounds surprised. “Why?”
“My theory? We’ve been using the wrong M. I’m thinkingmurdered, not missing.” I release the receiver, and Aurelia’s tone changes.
“That’s…disturbing.”
I grin and press the receiver. “Aren’t you glad you told us to come?”
“Be careful, Seth. I don’t like this.”
“Is that Goldilocks? What’s she saying?” Khalil asks before I can reply to her.
I turn my head toward where he’s sitting next to me on his own ATV and smirk. “She wants us to come home.”
Thorin snorts and shoves his helmet over his head.
“Seth?” Aurelia calls over the radio when I take too long to reply.
