That first evening back at base camp, I stepped away for a quick bathroom break. The days were getting longer now, so there was still plenty of light.
As I walked past a group, I glanced over, my eyes landing on Chad. Tension jolted me. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.
After taking care of business in the trees, I heard a sharp scream. My nervous system recognized the fear in that sound. I scrambled through the brush, bursting into a clearing where Ashley stood, her eyes wide and her cheek red. Chad had ahold of her arm.
“You fucking asshole.” The next few minutes were a blur. I walked straight up to Chad and kicked him in the balls. Again. In all honesty, it was very satisfying. But then, of course, we were within earshot of the rest of the main camp, and someone must’ve heard the sounds. Lincoln arrived first, his gaze arcing over the tableau in front of him. Asher, Cole, Haven, and Grady appeared in a cluster behind him a moment later.
“I don’t know what the hell happened,” Lincoln said, looking straight at Chad, “but you need to back the fuck off.”
Chad’s eyes were still watering from the ball kick, and he was wheezing. “I haven’t done anything,” he managed between gasps.
Ashley looked horrified, tears in her eyes. I walked over to her. “What happened?”
“He tried to tackle me. When I shoved back, he slapped me.” Her cheek was still red, but she appeared more angry than distressed.
Although I didn’t want to share my story in front of a group of people, I did. Everybody needed to know. “This guy tried to attack me once before. I kicked him in the balls then, and I just kicked him in the balls on her behalf again.”
Chad dropped his head, still clutching his balls, and glared at me when he lifted his gaze again. “You fucking bitch.”
“When it happened with me, there were witnesses. Just like there are now,” I said.
Cole’s gaze locked on me for a long beat. I could sense he was torn. I didn’t know how to interpret his expression, but Lincoln seemed to know. He began moving in Cole’s direction.
“You don’t need to do a thing,” Lincoln warned.
But Cole was already in front of Chad. “You fucking asshole.” He clutched Chad’s shirt, lifting him off the ground while Chad was still trying to protect his balls.
Haven and Lincoln surrounded the two of them, and Lincoln deftly tugged Cole back. “Not worth it, man. They’re fine.”
Cole shook his head sharply. “Fucking asshole. I knew you had done something.”
“Dude, I didn’t do anything to anybody!” Chad looked at Ashley. “Ashley, I?—”
She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, you did. I was just here literally trying to go to the bathroom, and you tried to knock me over. Your pants are still undone, aren’t they?”
I hadn’t even caught that detail. Chad’s breath was heaving. Meanwhile, Haven and Lincoln were conferring all the while. They kept a firm grip on Cole, flanking him on each side.
Cole rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, not going to do anything. But what do we do in this situation?”
“There’s actually a state trooper here today,” someone offered.
“Fucking awesome,” Lincoln said.
The next hour was a jumble. The trooper actually arrested Chad for attempted assault of Ashley. When she laid out the whole story, he was even willing to interview me about my experience to add to the record.
When all was said and done—as far as the dust settling from the whole mess—my adrenaline was still pumping through my body so hard and fast, I was surprised I didn’t pass out from it.
I knew I needed to talk to Cole, though, and I couldn’t find him. “Where’s Cole?” I asked Lincoln.
“He’s over by the planes. You want me to go with you?”
“Is he upset with me?”
“No. Why would he be upset with you, Adele?”
“I don’t know. Because I guess he probably thought I would have told him everything that happened before. I just wanted to have this trip be okay.”
Lincoln studied me for a moment. “You know Cole’s in love with you, right?”
