Page 14 of Silent Shadows

Jax nods. “I’m in.”

Maya studies me for a second longer, like she’s deciding whether to push. She knows Four Corners means something to me. She’s heard the stories of Owen and me and our parents running around Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, looking for something more.

Then Maya nods. “Alright. I’ll start logistics. But before we break for the night… We need to talk about something.”

“Is it something that can wait until we hit the road in the morning?”

“It can’t,” she says.

That gets my attention.

I lean forward, turning toward her. “Okay. That tone is concerning.”

Jax glances up. “Yeah, that was a ‘we’re about to pivot the entire operation’ tone.”

Taylor sits upright. “Oh, I love that.”

“I don’t,” I say.

Maya closes her laptop halfway, like she’s physically containing the information. “I secured us a media opportunity.”

There’s a beat where they all stare at me.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

She doesn’t even blink. “Okay, hear me out. It’s a show, and the host would come and follow us.”

A million ways a media personality could make us look dumb flash through my mind. I can’t let that happen to this team.

“Sorry, Maya,” I reply, “but I don’t think so.”

Jax leans back, grinning. “Okay, but now I really want to know what it is.”

Taylor nods enthusiastically. “Same. I’m intrigued.”

“Maya,” I say, removing my glasses to run a hand down my face. “We’ve talked about this. We are not turning this into content for people to consume like it’s a joke. We’re not those people.”

“It already is content,” she says. “You just wouldn’t control how it’s seen.”

“That’s exactly my point. I don’t want any of us looking stupid or making fun of this.”

“No,” she counters. “Your point is that you don’t trust anyone else to represent it the way you would.”

“I don’t,” I shrug without hesitation. She’s right.

Jax lets out a low whistle. “Well. That was honest.”

Maya holds my gaze. “It’s not about trust. It’s about reach. It’s about support.”

“We don’t need reach,” I argue. “We just need results.”

“And how do you plan to support this long enough to get those results?” she asks.

“We’ve been… sustaining it.” I almost laugh, knowing I’m full of shit.

“Barely,” she says with a sad smile. We both hate talking about finances, but we know we won't be able to smile about our situation much longer. It kills me that she’s right on this one. But that’s why they say to surround yourself with people smarter than you. I just want to make sure we’re not setting ourselves up to be a joke.

Taylor shifts, glancing between us. “Okay, are we talking like… YouTube documentary? Netflix? Because if it’s Netflix, I vote yes.”