Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
The drive home was pleasant—I felt like it was kind of hard not to be pleasant seeing as I was in a brand-new car that cost more than most people’s first homes.
“Whoa,” I said as it came to a gliding stop in my driveway. “So smooth.”
Turning the car off, I rounded the corner of my house and stared in dread at the huge back porch.
“Should’ve put a box down or something already,” I grumbled as I walked closer.
I had to take everything off to set on the porch before I was able to heft my ass onto it.
Pulling out my key, I pushed it into the lock and opened it up, taking my usual hard look around to make sure nothing was stolen, or no one was hanging out that shouldn’t be.
Appearing empty, I did a walkthrough just in case, then stripped out of my work clothes and into my comfiest pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.
My next stop was the kitchen as I contemplated a box of ramen and an old container of chicken fried rice.
I’d just put the box of ramen back into the cabinet when a knock sounded at my door.
It only took one look through the sheer curtains of the front door to know exactly who it was.
Seventeen
I might be laid back, but I can lean forward real quick.
—T-shirt
Creed
“You out of here for the day?” Major asked.
“Not quite,” I said. “I have to stop by the hiking trail off Gunnery. I’m going to put some eyes on the ridge to get a lay of the land.”
We’d decided to put up some cameras along some of the most popular trails that led to the popular hunting spots in hopes of finding who was out there single-handedly destroying our moose population. I wanted to make sure that the cameras were still working, since I wasn’t getting any feedback from a few of them.
“Call in your location when you get there,” he ordered.
I gave him a chin lift and headed out, my mind once again on Birdee, and what I was going to do once I got done at the trails.
So lost in thought, I arrived at the trailhead with zero memory of taking any of the turns that would lead me there.
After rubbing my eyes furiously for a few seconds, I got out and shouldered on my jacket. I caught my rifle from the spot between the passenger seat and the console before slinging it over my shoulder. My bear spray came next, and I started heading down the trail, keeping my eyes on my surroundings.
When I got to the coordinates of where we placed the camera, I called in my location, then took a look around.
The camera was gone, as were any signs of it ever being there.
I called that in, too.
The second camera was gone, too, letting me know that this was probably the right place for the cameras. We just needed to put them in a place where they wouldn’t be seen…or stolen.
I called Major on my way back to my truck using my satellite phone.
“Both of them are gone?” he asked.
“Gone.” I narrowed my eyes at my truck. “Shit.”
“What?”
“There’s a moose currently using my truck mirror as a scratching post.” I sighed as I kept my distance.
“Bummer.” He chuckled. “Let me know when you get out of there safely.”
“Will do.”
Because who the fuck knew how long it’d be before I did.
Moose were stubborn and did what they wanted.
If he didn’t want to leave, I wasn’t going to be able to make him.
And so we sat, for a solid fuckin’ hour, until the moose decided that it had better things to do elsewhere.
By the time I got in my truck, I was fuming mad, because I’d wanted to be over at Birdee’s over an hour ago.
I pulled up to her place and saw an unfamiliar white car with the name “GREAT DANE” on it.
“What is that?” I wondered as I got out and headed to the front door.
My stomach all but sank when I saw the front door was still just as damaged now as when I left it a few days ago.
“Fuck.” I gritted my teeth and knocked.
Guilt swirled in my gut as I stared at the shattered wood. Wood that I’d shattered with a well-placed kick to her front door in a moment of anger. Then I’d just fuckin’ left it there, fully expecting her to fix it herself.
Only…she hadn’t.
Goddammit.
She’d been sleeping in a house that was unsecure for days, and it was my fault.
The curtains flicked, and I saw her glance at me out of the window beside the door.
“Let me in,” I ordered.
She narrowed her eyes, then cracked the window slightly to say, “I can’t. Sorry.”
Even though I expected the brush-off, it still annoyed me that it’d come.
“Why not?” I asked.
I mean, other than the obvious that I’m a huge asshole and know I don’t deserve to come inside?