The morning air was cool against my flushed skin as I marched across the gravel lot toward the office. My pulse hammered in my ears, drowning out all the sounds that would have normally calmed me: the rustle of the trees in the breeze, the crunch of the gravel, the birds chattering.
I was going to find Reese or Kade and demand to know what was going on.
The office door was propped open, and the anticipation of unleashing my wrath made my jaw clench hard enough that my teeth ached. Perimenopause and a stubborn man did nothing to quell the inner beast.
I pushed into the office. “I need to talk to—” The words died in my throat.
The man behind the desk wasn’t Reese or Kade. He wasn’t Lucan either, thank God, because I might have actually thrown something at him.
This man had black hair and sharp features that made him look like he’d been carved from stone. His blue eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made me take an involuntary step back.
“Can I help you?”
I swallowed, caught off guard by the stranger’s intense stare. “I’m looking for Reese or Kade.”
“Kade has the morning off.” His voice was clipped, and he leaned back in his chair, eyes never leaving my face.
I clutched the check tighter, wrinkling it further. “When will they be back?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re the woman who was camping in the woods.” It wasn’t a question, but more of an accusation.
My spidey senses tingled, and I straightened my spine, suddenly aware of my sleep-rumpled appearance. “And? Will Kade and Reese be back soon?”
“Where exactly were you camping?” He’d completely ignored me again, and my anger was reaching its maximum velocity.
I frowned. “Why do you care?”
“Forest safety.”
I saw no reason to lie, and I sighed in frustration. “First at a spot I found about a mile out from here, then about an hour in the other direction.”
“For how many days?”
“Five total.” My irritation flared further. “Why are you interrogating me? Who even are you?”
His expression didn’t change. “Why were you camping alone?”
I crossed my arms. “Would you ask that if I were a man?”
“It isn’t safe.”
“I felt safer than when I lived in a house with a man,” I shot back.
Something flickered across his face, and his eyes narrowed. “Who hurt you?” The question came out softer than his previous ones.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, now you’re concerned? Two seconds ago, you were treating me like I broke the law by sleeping in a tent.” I took a step forward, refusing to be intimidated. “What’s your problem? Because I don’t think this is about forest safety.”
He didn’t answer immediately. His gaze traveled to the crumpled check in my hand.
“What’s that?” He nodded toward it.
“None of your business.” I shoved it into my pocket. “If you see Reese, tell her that Liz is looking for her.”
I turned to leave, half expecting him to stop me, but he remained silent, his stare following me all the way out the door.
The sunshine hit my face as I stepped outside, and I forced myself to walk slowly, even as my heart hammered against my ribs. Only when I was back in my RV did I allow my shoulders to sag.
What the hell was that? First Lucan with his bizarre naked woods story and knife, and now this guy with his interrogation? Something was off about this place.
