“Yeah, Boss. I got it.”
“You ever hear of sleeping with a cryptid?”
“Those creepy fuckers that hide in the woods in the South? No,” Fisher says with a laugh. “Why?”
My jaw clicks. Was Arbor just fucking with me or something? I don’t know. My brain is too muddled to think straight.
“You ever see shit in these woods?”
“Like literal shit?”
“No, like…anyone lurking?”
“Just the odd protestor or two, but nothing since Declan left.”
I scrub at my tired face. “Yeah.”
“You okay, Boss?”
“Been better.”
“Mr. Barrett!” I hear Arbor shout, and all eyes turn toward the door of the trailer.
“Shit, you’re in trouble. I bet he was spying on you, Boss. You aren’t operating on all cylinders right now,” Tyler, another worker, says.
“Fuck off,” I reply as I pull my hard hat off and swipe a hand through my hair.
“Hey. Hey. You find out why he smells different? The guys have been asking,” Fisher says, and I nudge him roughly.
“None of our business. He’s getting the job done. That’s all that matters.”
I force my feet forward, and the closer I get to the trailer, the more I think Tyler is right. Maybe I am in trouble. My performance today isn’t the best, and my men have noticed.
Might have almost nailed my foot to a beam earlier.
Not that I told anyone that.
When I pull the door to the trailer open, Arbor is standing there, a cup of water in his hand.
“Hello, Mr. Barrett. Glad to see you’re still standing and haven’t killed yourself yet.” He thrusts the cup at me and demands, “Drink this.”
I stare down at it and then do as I’m told, feeling a little better after hydrating.
As I crumple the cup up, I hear the click of the lock, and I turn to arch an eyebrow at him.
“Get your mind out of the gutter. It’s nothing like that. Just—” He grabs the crumpled cup from me and tosses it away.
“I may be able to help you.”
“How so?”
“I’m just concerned about you getting yourself killed. Don’t think I didn’t see you wielding the nail gun a little too close to your foot.”
“You spying on me?”
“No. I’m monitoring my employees. Now,” he clears his throat. “I learned something from…”—he pauses a moment before adding—“…from a family member, and I think it could help you. But it involves touching.”
My eyebrows rise at that.
