Page 42 of Silent Shadows

I climb into the backseat while they bicker and everyone else loads up around me.

Insecurity follows me instead of curiosity.

I think we need to hear what the first episode sounds like.

The words loop in my head as we drive. Marissa never says things like that lightly. Ever. She believes in me with her whole ass. If even she’s unsure…

I shove the thoughts down hard. Focus on the work. That’s what I do best.

By the time we reach the remote canyon trailhead and begin our mission, podcast mode is engaged and I’m Daisy Bennett, host extraordinaire.

Observe. Analyze. Control the narrative before it controls you.

"Jesus Christ," I mutter, catching my balance for the third time in five minutes. Of course the terrain is already trying to kill me.

Ahead of me, Taylor scales uneven terrain like a mountain goat two Red Bulls deep.

Miles glances back. “You okay?”

“I’m fantastic,” I lie, wiping sweat off my upper lip. “Love nature. Huge fan of suffering.”

“You’re stepping wrong.”

I glare at him. “Excuse me?”

“You’re fighting the terrain instead of moving with it.”

“That sounded incredibly spiritual for someone who owns fourteen satellite trackers.”

“It’s physics.”

“It sounded like a yoga instructor.”

I hear Taylor giggle five paces ahead.

I adjust my footing with false confidence. “I know how to hike.”

He just shrugs and keeps walking.

This is going well.

The farther we move into the canyon system, the quieter everything gets. Not silent. Just distant.

Wind snakes through the rock formations in low whistles while boots crunch over dirt and gravel. I’m surprised at how the land feels here. It’s way rougher than I imagined—juniper and pines tower overhead, while small canyons create depth and shadows. There are plenty of places to hide here.

Jax sends the drone overhead, its faint buzzing disappearing between the cliffs.

“This area lines up with three separate vocalization reports,” Miles says, slipping straight back into work mode. “All within a five-mile radius.”

“Okay, you guys know I’m new to all this, but do you ever hear yourselves?” I ask. “You sound insane.”

“Yes,” Maya intones. “Every day.”

Taylor points at me. “You’re still using a logical voice. You gotta let the desert humble you first.”

"Much like my exes, the desert can go fuck itself." I trip, my new hiking boots already bursting newly formed blisters.

Taylor loses it, only stopping when she sees Miles crouch suddenly near a cluster of trees ahead.