by Kim Fox
“Phil,” she said. This was her last chance. She had exhausted all of her favors with her boss. He had very reluctantly agreed to let her come on this shifter story and she was determined not to mess it up. “I’m close to breaking this story.”
“You’re close to breaking my streak of three weeks without an ulcer. I need you in Korea.”
“Send Mitchel,” she pleaded. “He speaks Korean.”
“He speaks Mandarin. And he can’t eat Asian food. He has IBS.”
Chloe squeezed the phone and bit down on her tongue. “Phil. Imagine the headline: Werebears are real. That would sell more papers than Kim Jong baby-face having another hissy fit because no one likes him.”
“Imagine the headline: Famous reporter Chloe Sparks eating out of dumpsters for believing in urban legends.”
She took a deep breath. She had to buy herself some time. Phil would never let her come back to Montana to investigate werebears again. It was now or never.
“I have another great story for you,” she said.
He paused on the other line. “A leprechaun sighting?”
“No. I met a bunch of really hot guys. A crew of Smokejumpers that parachute into burning forest fires and put them out with their bare hands. They offered to take me on a jump.”
Phil was silent on the other line. It was time to drive it home.
“Phil these guys are gorgeous. The women would eat it up. Imagine six shirtless, muscular firefighters on the cover of CMN Magazine. They would fly off the shelves.”
She could hear him thinking on the other line. “We have been trying to up our female demographic.”
“Imagine all of the leading, laundry detergents fighting for ad space. Perfume ads. Tampons.”
“These guys better be hot,” he said. “Like Tom Hanks hot.”
Tom Hanks?!? “They’re Channing Tatum hot.”
“Who?”
“Never mind. The women will love them. I promise.”
He paused on the line for a while. “I’ll call Mitchel and tell him to pack some Immodium and extra toilet paper.”
Chloe pumped her fist.
“But Sparky.” Chloe froze. “You have one week.”
“What if there is no fire?”
“Then you get some matches and you light that shit up.”
three
Chloe slipped back into Jessica’s clothes and exited the cabin. The camp had a dark blue tone to it as the night turned the dimmer down on the sun. The campfire was large and hot, casting a warm, orange glow on the smiling faces around it. It crackled and popped in between bouts of laughter.
She glanced back at the cold, dark road and then walked towards the warm, inviting fire. Keene stood up with a hopeful look on his face as she approached.
It wouldn’t be so bad. She would do the Smokejumper story and plaster it with pictures of the American flag. People would love it. She would probably even get the cover.
She could continue making contacts here and come back for her two weeks vacation and try to break the shifter story then. These monsters had to be put to justice. She had made a vow to her dying father and Chloe Sparks was not one to break vows.
Keene pulled up an Adirondack chair next to his and snatched Finch’s blanket off of his lap.
“Hey!” Finch complained.
Keene stared him down as the tall man was about to stand up. “Want to bear blast for it?” he asked.
Finch slunk back down in his chair, crossed his arms and stared at the fire.
Chloe sat down in the chair and Keene spread the warm blanket over her legs with the widest grin that she had ever seen.
She would keep trying to get this guy to talk. He was bound to break eventually and she would find out if he really knew anything or if he was just trying to nab a city girl. In the meantime she would enjoy the outdoors, the fire and the handsome men lavishing her with attention. It wasn’t like she had a ton of guys lining up at her door back home. She spent the days and evenings working and the nights with sushi and Netflix.
Keene tossed a log on the fire and orange sparks flew up into the air, trying to join their cousins, the stars, in the sky.
“Quint was just telling the story of how I saved a toddler in a forest fire,” he said, poking the burning logs with a stick.
“No I wasn’t,” Quint said.
Keene flashed him a look. “Or he was just about to.”
“No I was going to tell the story of the first time that you parachuted and landed in that senior citizen nudist colony.”
Finch scooched closer to Jessica and slid under her blanket. “How about the time that Keene put a hole in the ceiling of the Park Ranger’s office with his fat head?”
Keene sat down beside Chloe and put his feet up on the edge of the fire. “If we tell stories about all of the ceilings that I put my head through we’re going to have a really long night.”
Chloe pulled the blanket up and smiled. “I’d like to hear them.”
“You didn’t notice all of the sky lights in Keene’s cabin?” Beckett said. “Before we raised the ceiling his cabin looked like a whack-a-mole game.”
Chloe checked Keene’s reaction and to her surprise he was the one who was laughing the hardest. She always admired a guy that could poke fun of himself. The guys from work at the magazine and the Network were always so serious and full of themselves. God forbid you tease Grayson. He would have his lawyers on you claiming harassment.
“What’s it like living in the city?” Sander asked her.
“It’s noisy. There’s a lot of people,” she said. She looked up at the blanket of stars over her head. “It’s easy to become a cog in the machine. You forget to look up at the stars and breathe. Sometimes I get so caught up with work and bills and groceries and traffic that the days fly by and before I know it another season has passed and I didn’t once lay out in the sun or take a walk under the falling leaves or throw a snowball or stop to smell the newly budded flowers.”
“That sounds horrible,” Quint said.
Chloe laughed. “I guess when I put it like that it is. Netflix makes it easier.”
“What’s Netflix?” Jessica asked.
“It’s a subscription with a ton of bad movies with a couple of mediocre ones hidden inside.”
Finch tilted his head. “You watch these with friends around the campfire?”
Chloe looked at her fidgeting hands, feeling all the eyes on her. “Yeah kind of.”
Sander disappeared and came back with a tray full of squares. He bent over in front of Chloe first. “What are they?” she asked.
“Smores bars,” he said. “Graham Cracker bottom, with a layer of milk chocolate topped with a layer of roasted marshmallow.”
Chloe’s mouth watered. She picked the biggest square and thanked him.
“Take two,” he whispered, with a wink.
She thanked him and took another. He served the ladies first, before moving onto Beckett, Ellis and then the other guys.
“I have a nice Irish Cream that I made that would go great with this,” Quint said, before sprinting to the kitchen.
Not more of this guy’s alcohol. She could still taste his wine. Even after brushing her teeth three times.
Keene leaned over. “Don’t worry. His Irish Cream is drinkable.”
Quint returned with a tray full of snifters. He handed one to Chloe and then moved on to the rest of the girls. “Chocolate milk for you my lady,” he said, as he handed Alexi a glass.
Chloe took a sip of the delicious liqueur and moaned when she bit into the smores bar. She looked around at the happy faces and the big guy beside her, and smiled. She was glad she stayed.
Don’t get too comfortable. Remember why you’re here. These people have information that you need.
“So you guys just hang around here telling funny stories, eating good food, drinking wine, and enjoying each other’s company while waiting for forest fires?” Chloe asked.
“Yup,” Finch said.
&
nbsp; “Pretty sweet,” Chloe replied. It was the complete opposite of her stressful on-the-go life of deadlines, traffic and high anxiety environments.
“Well some of us have to work in the morning.” Alexi yawned while she rubbed her pregnant belly. She took her last bite of the smores bar and drank down the rest of the chocolate milk. “I’m so tired. This cub is sucking the life out of me.”
“You better get some beauty sleep,” Ellis said. “You need it.”
Alexi cursed as she threw her blanket at him and stormed off to the cabin. “What?” he asked with his hands open.
Amanda was shaking her head. “Are you really that dumb? I find it hard to believe.”
Ellis looked at her with genuine confusion on his face.
Beckett was about to say something when Ellis cut him off. “Right. I’ll go apologize.”
He followed her off to the cabin and Jessica and Finch said their good nights and left too. Sander and Quint were next, leaving Chloe, Keene, Beckett and Amanda.
“I’m tired,” Beckett said, stretching. He looked at Amanda. “Want to head to bed?”
Amanda was watching Chloe with a smile, the orange glow from the fire sparkling in her eyes. “Remember when we were falling in love and you stayed with me by the fire talking all night?”
“Yes and remember when we all left so that you two could have some privacy?” Keene asked with his eyes wide. He motioned to their cabin with his eyes.
“Fine,” Amanda said, standing up. “It’s all yours.” She tapped Beckett on his shoulder. “Come on lover you can give me a foot massage in bed.”
Beckett stumbled up from his chair. “Yes ma’am.”
“No one is falling in love,” Chloe called out to them. “I’m here for work.”
“Right. Work.” Amanda said, with her back to her and her thumb in the air.
Keene was grinning and holding the bottle of Irish Cream up. “Another glass lover?”
She held out her empty snifter and he filled it up. “I’m going to pretend that I didn’t hear that last part.”
She leaned her head back against the chair and listened to the toads talking to each other in the forest. She sipped on her liqueur as the fire warmed her up. “Pretty nice life you got here,” she said.
She felt his eyes on her. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.”
She turned her head. His eyes were sparkling, his face hopeful. “I’m just here for a story Keene.”
“Say that again,” he said, closing his eyes.
“What?”
“That was the first time you said my name. It sounded glorious,” he said, grinning.
“I’d rather not. Keene.”
He put his hand to his chest and smiled.
She took a long sip and her glass was empty. Keene was quick on the refill. This would be her last one. She was already feeling a little giddy.
“So,” he said. “I couldn’t help but notice that you were wearing high heels all day…”
“And?”
“And a…” he trailed off. “Your feet must be really sore,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I can give you a foot massage. You know…if you want.”
She looked at him sideways. “You don’t have some sort of weird foot fetish do you?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head.
“Alright,” she said, slipping off the flip flops that Jessica had lent her. Maybe it was the alcohol or the fact that her feet were killing but she couldn’t turn down a foot massage. Especially one from such a hot guy. “But if I get one weird vibe I’m screaming my head off.”
“Scout’s honor,” Keene said, holding his hand up like he was swearing an oath.
She placed her feet on his lap. “And no tongue.”
“But that’s my best technique,” he said. She tried to pull her feet back but he held them by her ankles. “Kidding.”
He gripped her feet and rubbed her inner arches with his thumbs. She moaned and melted into the chair. This was not how she had expected to finish her day. He moved up to her toes and massaged them skillfully while putting pressure on her instep with the palms of his hands.
His hands were large and strong, his fingers swift and deft. He knew how to use his hands and Chloe was starting to feel her panties get moist. She was beginning to imagine what it would be like if she invited him into bed with her.
The low grumbling was back. She whipped her legs down and sat up in her chair. “Okay what was that?” she said, staring him down.
Keene glanced over his shoulder into the darkness of the night. “Might have been a coyote or something. We get them around here.”
“Was there a coyote by your cabin this afternoon? You’ve been making that noise all day.”
“It’s just something I do with my throat,” he said rubbing his Adam’s apple with his finger and thumb. “It’s a bad habit.”
“Are you a…shifter?” she asked. Had she missed all of the signs? Could he really be a shifter? But he seemed so nice.
He laughed and shook his head. “No. Me? A shifter? Pfff.”
She slipped her flip flops back on. “Why are you so large?”
“Wheaties? I grew up next to a nuclear power plant?”
“You’re freakishly large.”
“In a hot way though, right?”
“Tell me the truth,” she said standing up. “Are you a shifter?”
He shook his head, looking at her with wide eyes and a shut mouth.
“Keene!”
“That one didn’t sound so glorious.”
“Are. You. A. Shifter?”
“Are you?” he asked. “How do I know you’re not a shifter trying to throw me off your tail?” He looked at her accusingly. “Do you have a tail?”
“Ugh,” she said throwing the blanket on the chair and storming off, back to the cabin. This guy is so frustrating. All of the signs pointed to him being a werebear, except, he seemed genuinely nice. Maddening as hell, but nice.
But that noise. It came from him.
She entered his cabin and locked the door behind her. She would find out tomorrow if he really was a shifter or not. To think she actually thought of what it would be like to invite him into bed with her. She would invite someone else to bed tonight instead. Someone cold and hard.
Her gun.
four
Chloe sat on a tree stump away from the campfire. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. She hadn’t slept much the night before and it wasn’t just because of the Keene shaped hole in the mattress. She felt bad. Keene had been really nice to her and she accused him of being the worst possible thing in the world: a shifter.
It was chilly this morning and Chloe rubbed her arms wishing that she had brought one of Jessica’s sweaters. Her toes were cold from the wet dew on the grass. She tucked them under her legs to warm them up.
The Crew was just getting up. Sander was brewing some coffee and cracking eggs onto the flat grill. Alexi waved to everyone as she got in the car with Ellis. She was heading off to work.
Keene was by the fire breaking thick sticks over his knee and feeding them to the flames. He glanced over at her and she waved. His face lit up like a big, happy dog’s. I guess there are no hard feelings.
Keene ran to the outdoor kitchen, fiddled around inside and then walked over to her holding two big, steaming mugs of coffee. He handed her one with a smile. She warmed her hands on the hot mug as he went and got a chair and a blanket by the fire. He placed the chair in front of her and wrapped the blanket over her legs.
“I’m sorry I called you a shifter,” she said as he sat down in front of her.
“I’ve been called worse,” he said. “This morning.”
“Still,” she said, taking a sip. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you so against shifters?” he asked. “Have you ever met one?”
Chloe looked down at her coffee. She could still see his face, the blood on his paws, on his hands.
“They are monsters that get away
with murder,” she said. “They deserve to be punished.”
“What did you see?” he asked.
She breathed in hard. The last time that she told somebody what she saw she got sent to a mental institution. But she felt like she could trust Keene. She didn’t know why but that’s what she felt.
“When I was a kid, I-”
A loud, piercing alarm ripped through the camp. Keene jumped up, spilling coffee on his shorts.
“What is that?” Chloe yelled over the noise.
“It’s go time.”
Beckett and Amanda burst out of their cabin. “Lift off in five,” Beckett yelled, stepping into his pants and nearly tripping. Amanda ran past him to the hangar in her red pajamas.
This is it.
Chloe placed her mug down and sprinted to Keene’s cabin. She grabbed her note bag with her notebook, GoPro and gun inside, and ran to the plane. Keene caught up to her, holding a handful of bacon, and ran beside her.
“This is going to be fun,” he said, with his mouth full.
They jumped in the plane and Keene helped her strap into the seat by the window. The engines came to life and the plane shook underneath her as the rest of the Crew entered the cabin.
Beckett stepped in and looked to see if everyone was there. He nodded and went into the front to speak with the pilot, Amanda.
Chloe took her GoPro, the portable video camera, and turned it on. She strapped it onto her bag and pulled out her picture camera. Her pulse was racing as adrenaline flowed through her veins. This would make a great story.
The plane jerked and started to roll as Amanda came on, over the speakers. “Welcome back to Amanda Airlines, the sexiest airline in the world. Today’s destination is the lovely Red Mountain and today it is redder than ever. If you have any problems or complaints about your flight please write them on a piece of paper, fold them up and stick them up your-”
“Amanda!” Beckett interrupted.
“We take care of the takeoffs on Amanda Airlines but unfortunately landings are not included. Sit tight, have a nice flight and don’t forget to tell your friends!”