The Camp

by Karice Bolton

  “A few hours ago, actually.”

  “Who’d he take with him?”

  She paused, not answering as she followed me into my tent.

  “Who?” I asked again.

  She let out a huge sigh, and I knew exactly who it was that Liam hauled with him.

  Why would he do that? Why would he take Luke? I felt sick. How or why would he trust a guy he clocked out the day before? Luke was probably looking for any opportunity to payback Liam.

  “And a CL, right?” I bit my lip, waiting for the answer. Two against one was always better.

  She nodded. “Dan and Luke.”

  “I can’t believe it.”

  “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “Then why are you?” I quirked my brows, and folded my arms in front of me.

  I reached in my bag and pulled out a pair of jeans and another sweatshirt, this time teal. I shrugged off my sweats and sweatshirt and pulled on my new panties, bra and outfit. I unwrapped the towel from my hair and picked up a brush to run through it.

  “I can’t even concentrate.” I told her, attempting to fight with my non-conditioned waves.

  “I know. I was rearranging my tent for the third time before you came over this morning. Listen, I don’t know if this will make you feel better or what all Liam has told you about his upbringing, but he’s used to taking care of himself. He knows how to handle things, and he’s had a lot of practice using his fists to solve problems because —” she stopped, realizing she said too much.

  “Because why?” I prodded.

  She shook her head. “It’s not my place to say. I shouldn’t have brought it up even.” She was completely backpedaling now. “If he hasn’t told you, I shouldn’t either.”

  “Does it have to do with his mom’s death?”

  “Partly.” Her expression softened. “His father became distraught after his mom died, and Liam had to fend for himself and learn to defend himself, not only around the village he grew up in but from his own brothers. If he’s already told you about his mom, I’m sure he’ll tell you everything else. I just don’t feel comfortable…”

  “I understand,” I whispered. We all had secrets. My stomach twisted thinking how selfish I’d been assuming I was the only who needed comfort. My mind began racing, thinking of what could have happened to Liam. He’d only shown me such a wonderfully kind and soft side that it was hard to imagine him as anything but that. Although, he did take care of Luke in pretty rapid order.

  My brush kept running into snarls and knots, and I yanked the brush through anyway, the pain tearing at my scalp.

  “I really should’ve used conditioner,” I groaned.

  “Let me do it. I’ve got the technique down for curls.”

  She grabbed the brush from me and started sectioning my hair, from the bottom up, gently working the tangles out.

  “I’m so frustrated. I can’t believe he’d be so careless to take off when there’s some crazy guy on the loose.” I exhaled sharply and took another deep breath in.

  “All done,” Steph said, tossing my brush on top of my bag. “Let’s get some breakfast.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “I’m not either, but it will take up some time at least. Nothing is simple in the woods, and you need to eat when you can.”

  We climbed out of the tent and zipped it back up.

  “Where’s Chelsea?” I asked.

  “She’s collecting with Mark, one of the CLs you met yesterday.”

  “Hi, Emma.” Justin waved at me, stepping back respectfully. That was the guy who thought his fingers had an all-access pass to me last night, interesting.

  I furrowed my brow in confusion at Steph. “Why are they being nice all of a sudden?”

  Steph smiled widely. “Word got around about Liam. Apparently it only took one example to set everyone straight, and Luke was the lucky one. Wait until you see him. He’s a constant reminder of what could happen if someone even looks at you the wrong away.”

  A tenderness rose up in my body. I didn’t want to think I was a damsel-in-distress chick, but it was pretty sweet to have a guy care enough to handle a problem if one arose, especially like that. The memory of Liam jumping over the bench and landing on Luke warmed my heart.

  “You’re blushing,” Steph teased.

  “Whatever.” I swatted at her.

  We were standing at the base of one of the fir trees, and she began climbing up to the platform where the bear proof vaults and containers were. My hands got clammy just thinking of having to hike up those tiny pieces of wood that she scaled.

  She reached the platform and opened one of the containers.

  “Cereal bars coming up,” she shouted. “Anyone else need anything?”

  “Granola bar, please,” a guy said from behind me. I turned to see who it was and realized how few people I knew here.

  He lifted his head in a knowing nod. “Hey, I’m Sam.”

  “Emma.” I replied, turning my attention back to Steph as she managed to climb back down with one hand. God that seemed dangerous.

  “Next time it’s your turn.” She grinned, walking over to me.

  “No way.” I shook my head and grabbed the cereal bar, while she handed Sam the granola bar. “But I’ll always be down here waiting for you.”

  The wind began gusting again, and I realized it would be impossible to eat at one of the tables that we were standing next to, even though it was only a lousy cereal bar.

  “Things aren’t as they normally are with the storm and everything.” Steph said as we walked back toward our tents.

  “How so?”

  “Usually everything is very structured…up at a certain hour, eating, and then off to do chores or service in the field. I’m gonna go grab my bag and meet you in your tent, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sounds great to me.”

  I made my way through the tight space between my tent and Liam’s and fought the worry that was creeping through me. Why did he have to go play hero and why wouldn’t he have told me?

  I sat down on my sleeping bag and ripped into my cereal bar, polishing it off before Steph even arrived. I slid open the bear proof disposal bag and stuck my wrapper inside and closed it back up. That was going to be really annoying for the next few days.

  Steph finally arrived and tossed her sleeping bag and pillow inside the tent just as a huge downpour began.

  “I’m really worried about him,” I confessed, looking over at Steph. Judging by the look in her eyes she was too.

  “I fully believe in my cousin’s ability,” she stated, but it was more like she was solidifying that thought in her own mind by reciting it.

  “Is he armed?” I asked, thinking of all the bear precautions that I was taking just with a food wrapper.

  “Most definitely.”

  We both snuggled into our respective sleeping bags and listened to the rain pounding on the tarp outside as we talked incessantly about how stupid it was that he’d left until we both fell fast asleep.

  The yelling outside the tent roused me out of my sleeping bag. I looked over at Steph who was just starting to wake up. I shook her to speed up the process. It seemed pretty dark outside, but I think that was only the storm clouds producing the effect. The shouts were getting louder and coming closer. It sounded like the entire group was at the opposite end of the clearing from where my tent was.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, throwing her bag off.

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” I slid my boots on and climbed out of the tent, barely waiting for Steph to catch up.

  I ran through the maze of tents. The voices were getting louder as I went until I finally came to the center where we’d had our camp meeting.

  There was a crowd congregating and yelling, throwing their fists in the air, and my body began to fill with terror with every step closer. Did something happen to Liam and they’re all happy about it?

  I stopped suddenly as the fear pulsed through me
, and Steph put her hand on my shoulder, paralyzed with the same mounting fear. The disorganized shouting turned into a rhythmic chanting, and I realized that they were now chanting Liam’s name. I ran through the crowd, pushing everyone aside as I made it to the front and what I witnessed shocked me beyond belief.

  There was a guy bound and tied to one of the logs we had used as a bench the day before. Liam was completely drenched and muddy, sitting next to the guy. His head was in hands as he looked down at the ground, breathing heavily. I scanned for Luke and Dan, but I didn’t find either of them.

  “Liam?” I called quietly at first, but the chanting from all the guys drowned out my voice so I kept walking, calling his name.

  “Emma?” Liam lifted his head, his brown eyes connecting with mine.

  He stood up quickly, smiling at me. There was something different about him, his eyes. They were more primitive, virile than I was used to seeing as he scanned quickly up and down my body, before holding out his arms.

  I ran around the fire and directly into his arms. He hugged me tightly, bending his head down to mine. His soft lips touching my ear as he held me.

  “I told you I’d take care of the problem,” he whispered, sending chills down my spine. I hugged him back as his words sunk in.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you, ever.”

  ChapterSeven

  “Hey, I want to show you something,” Liam said, grabbing my hand, pulling me through the camp.

  “Okay…” I said surprised, looking behind me back at Steph. I waved at her quickly as Liam pulled me along with him.

  We walked through the camping area and up a trail about fifty feet when I saw something off in the trees.

  “What’s that?” I asked. “Is that where we’re going?”

  He didn’t say anything but kept hauling me up the trail. The ground was still soggy, and I really didn’t want a repeat of the night before so I was grateful that he held onto me.

  As we got closer I saw a building that looked ancient, with darkened timbers for walls and very few windows. The building itself was fairly large, but there was one big issue that I saw with the structure. It was missing a wall on the side. The conifers towered over the building, but the structure still looked pretty substantial. The roof was completely covered in green moss but that probably helped to keep the water out at this point.

  “What was this place?” I asked, looking into the building. There were a few wooden tables that looked as old as the building, and some large chains and hooks hanging from the ceiling but nothing else inside.

  “It’s a smokehouse,” he replied, letting go of my hand as he motioned for me to follow along the side of the building.

  The glass in the windows rippled showing age, but they were all intact, which I thought was pretty amazing for around here. On the ground, I saw what was probably the missing wall of the building. Vegetation had completely swallowed it whole, with only the worn corners sticking out.

  “How old is it?” I asked, staring at the chains that dangled down. That was definitely creepy.

  “From the 1940s. That wall was actually a sliding door. I’m showing you this because I haven’t been comfortable with the new layout of the camp since I got here, and even though I managed to find the dick who did that to you, we’ve still got the issue of brown bears…” his voice trailed off.

  His eyes darkened as he looked back at the building. There was something else bothering him.

  “I just don’t agree with the new management of this place. I’ve lived up here. I know the dangers, they don’t. No matter how much I tell myself that people go camping on the island and nothing happens, the truth of it is, we do get bear attacks. And it’s usually only the tourists who go camping, not locals. There’s a reason for that.”

  “Huh,” I broke off, not sure what to say. I was hoping to make it a couple more days before I left.

  “We still have another yurt we could put up so we’d have two, and then we could rebuild this section and use this to house people too.”

  “You think you could get the guys to help rebuild it?” I asked.

  “That’s what they’re up here to do. We’ve had an odd couple of days because of the weather. But usually all we do is work them, give them responsibility, and skills to take with them when they leave.”

  I shook my head and crossed my arms in front of me. The chill in the air was getting colder by the minute. “In all honesty, I’d feel better in either a yurt or this compared to my piddly tent.”

  “I thought so. Steph would too. I’ll coordinate with the CLs and hopefully get the guys working on it as soon as the weather lets up.”

  “I hope it does. I’d like to see a little bit more of the island before I go back home.” I flashed him a smile and held out my hand. “Are there more places like this? This is actually kind of creepy.”

  The thought of going back home really wasn’t appealing. Having to deal with my stepfather’s taunting or whatever else he conjured up seemed horrible.

  He nodded. “There are abandoned hunting cabins and all sorts of weird things around here. It would be pretty cool to show you around. And some of the stuff is far creepier.”

  He began walking toward me and grabbed my hand as we made it back down the hill.

  “How did you find him?” I asked, his grip tightened.

  “It wasn’t that difficult, but he wasn’t at his camp when we tracked him down so we had to sit and wait awhile,” he said.

  “I wonder where he was while you guys were waiting?”

  Liam shrugged his shoulders as we made it back into the camp. It was still pretty empty since most people were choosing to huddle in their tents to keep warm and dry. The rain would come on suddenly and by the time anyone made it back to the tent, they’d be drenched. But I liked being outside, mainly because it bought me more time with Liam.

  It was going be getting dark soon, and I hoped that Liam would still be willing to stay in my tent overnight, even though the guy was caught.

  “Did you figure out who he was or why he was doing what he was doing?” I asked.

  We sat on a wooden picnic bench together and Liam turned to face me.

  “I grabbed his identification and Dan called it in. The authorities might be able to track down what flight he came in on and all that stuff.” I could tell he was hiding something. “When they come for you, once the storm is over, he’ll be put on the plane.”

  “The same plane as me?” My voice trembled unexpectedly.

  It would make sense, but I guess I didn’t think that far ahead.

  “He’ll be restrained. There won’t be any issues,” Liam offered, his eyes narrowing as he watched my reaction. The protectiveness continued to build behind his caramel eyes, and he gently touched my arm that was shaking slightly. I hadn’t even realized it until his finger touched my wrist.

  I shook my head. “That just doesn’t sound appealing. I mean those are small-ass planes, and it was bad enough flying in with these guys.” I motioned around the campground. “And they seem harmless in comparison.”

  “I know. I didn’t really want to bring it up, but I thought I’d better.”

  I let out a deep sigh. My life kept getting better and better.

  “What’s with that look?” he asked, a ghost of a smile touching his lips.

  “I keep hoping my life will turn around soon,” I mumbled.

  He reached over and cupped my chin in his hand. “It will. I promise. Once you get to college, you’ll see how quickly things can change. I won’t pretend to understand the kind of shit you’ve had to deal with back home, but it’ll get better once you can distance yourself.”

  “Did that happen for you?” I asked, enjoying the tenderness of his touch along my jaw.

  He nodded his head. “I actually wouldn’t be coming back to the island at all if it weren’t for this job. After this summer, I don’t even know how long it will be before I come back, if
ever.”

  Wow. What’s haunting him back at home?

  His hand fell from my face and he turned around, facing the campsite.

  “Wanna go sit in front of the fire?” he asked, standing up. “You look like you’re freezing.”

  “I’d like that very much.” I hopped up and followed him, listening to my boots making the soft squishing sound with every step. But this time I was twisting and lifting with each step to make sure I’d make it without getting an Alaskan spa treatment.

  “So you really believe things will get better once I get to college?” I questioned, sitting down on one of the logs near the flames.

  Liam was placing more wood on the fire, and sparks rose with every crackle.

  “I do.” He started grinning an overly cocky grin, and the desire began stirring deep inside me, but then, unexpectedly, so did a bit of jealousy.

  I recognized that expression in his eyes. Carnal desire flickered behind the caramel color, and I flushed realizing he must have been thinking about his conquests over the year. Of course, leave it to a guy to go there first. No wonder he loves college. I mean I couldn’t blame him. As good looking as he was, I couldn’t even imagine the number of girls falling at his feet, but I wanted to imagine myself as one of them — possibly the only one. Knowing I had to get my thoughts on something else less absurd, I flopped my hood over my head and tucked the strands of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ears.

  “So what college do you go to anyway?” I asked.

  He strode over to me, sexy confidence bursting with every step, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what drove this abundance of maleness all of a sudden. Maybe it hit him how enamored I was with him or that he managed to capture someone almost singlehandedly, and he was pretty proud of himself.

  He sat down next to me, his energy radiating over my body. The warmth of him spread through me at an unexpected rate. It was hard to even remember what question I had asked as I watched the circle of his lips begin to part. I couldn’t break my stare away as his mouth slowly moved. I was really doing a terrible job of hiding everything. This was definitely not the Emma from back home. I glanced away quickly and stared at the roaring fire. I had to maintain control of myself.