Page 2 of The Wild Man
I raise my voice so she can hear me. “I like to believe people are innocent until proven guilty. There’s no evidence that comes even close to linking that hiker’s death with Wild Man.”
“Okay, so let’s forget about that for a moment,” she hollers back. “What about other dangers? Wild animals, for instance.”
I toss in some shampoo and conditioner into a small travel bag, along with bodywash, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a few other things. No make-up is needed where I’m headed. “I’ll have my taser and gun.”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?” she asks, her tone full of sarcasm.
“Yep,” I chirp, leaving the bathroom.
After dropping the bag on the bed, I sit on the side and face my friend. I reach out and grab her hand.
“You need to stop worrying. I’ll be fine. I’ll only be gone for a couple of weeks at the most. And I’ll have my sat phone with me. If it makes you feel better, I’ll call you every day.”
Her eyes narrow and she gives me a look I imagine moms giving their children. I can only imagine it because I’ve never had one. Or rather, I did, but she died when I was two from breast cancer.
“You better. If I don’t get a call at least once every twenty-four hours, I’ll send the Horde after you.”
I laugh, dropping her hand and getting up from the bed. “You won’t have to.” I pick up the thick notebook that’s full of notes from my nightstand. “They’ll already be pissed that I only told Dad, and didn’t give them a chance to stop me. I’ll be lucky to spend two days out there.”
“I still don’t like this.” She slides her ass across the bed to get up from the mattress. “I have a very bad feeling. Are you sure there’s nothing I can say to get you to nix this crazy idea?”
“No.” I shove the rest of the clothes on my bed inside the duffle bag, putting the notepad on top before zipping it. “You know how much this means to me. I’ve been researching Wild Man for years. I’ve finally found what I believe is his location. I can’t pass up this opportunity.”
She sighs, her shoulders drooping in acceptance. “Yeah, I know. Can’t blame me for trying.”
I walk around the bed and pull my friend into a hug. Her embrace is tight.
“Just promise you’ll be careful and smart,” she says, her voice muffled by my hair. “You don’t know what this guy is capable of.”
“I’ll be fine. Everything will be okay. I’ll be back before you know it.” I give her cheek a loud, smacking kiss. “Now walk me to the door.”
I grab my duffle by the handles, and she picks up my bathroom bag. We leave the room and go out to the living room. At the front door, I drop the bag and scoop up Mr. Bones. I snuggle the thick-haired ginger cat against my chest. His soothing purr vibrates in my ear.
“You be good for Auntie Rika.” I kiss the top of his head. “I’ll be back soon.”
I set him on the floor and he scurries off, having had enough cuddles for the moment.
“Thank you for staying here and watching Mr. Bones for me,” I tell Rika.
“You’re doing me a favor by letting me stay. The damn neighbors were at it again last night. It’ll be nice to sleep in peace for a change.”
After getting one more hug from her and reiterating my promise to call her every day, I finally make it out of my house and shove my stuff in the trunk of my car.
One obstacle down, one to go.
* * *
“The fuck you’re going, Everlee!” Dad’s harsh voice booms in my ear. “Have you lost your goddamn mind?”
I wince and pull the phone away from my ear. It’s not often Dad loses his temper and yells, which says a lot about his patience after raising four sons and a rambunctious daughter on his own. When he does, though, anyone who knows him knows to stay the hell back.
I wait until I’m not in danger of having my eardrums blown before I bring the phone back to my ear.
“Are you done?” I ask, keeping my tone calm, even though I want to yell right back at him. I learned as a child, you have to give as good as you get with the Adair men.
“Ever, so help me God?—”
I cut him off before he can start again. “I’m going, Dad, and you’re just going to have to find a way to deal with it. And to keep the guys away. I won’t have them or you mess this up. Dillon and Linzi are depending on this story. And besides, you know how important this is to me. I’ve been researching Wild Man for years.”