The Bad Boy of Butterfly Harbor

by Anna J. Stewart

  “It’s knowing I have a few days off Simon patrol.” She shouldn’t be feeling this free, but she was going to embrace it while she had the chance. They’d be back to their routine—and the grindstone—soon enough. “Have I thanked you for coming to Butterfly Harbor?” she said to Paige. “And by the way, I love your kid to pieces.”

  “So do I,” Paige agreed. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’m going to get a cavity with all this niceness,” Abby grumbled as she dumped out a bag of ridged chips into a bowl. “I want to hear about Holly and the sheriff. Spill, would you? Tell me all about those smooches of yours with our bad boy of Butterfly Harbor.”

  Holly ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “He’s not so bad.”

  Abby and Paige hooted. “I knew it. She’s hooked!” Paige announced. “You owe me twenty bucks.”

  “Best bet I’ve ever lost. You seem happy,” Abby added as Holly nodded.

  “Yeah.” And Holly was. “For the first time in a long time, I don’t have this weight pressing on me. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this way about someone. As if he’s what’s been missing. I don’t know.” She shook her head, still trying to puzzle everything together. Was she in love with Luke Saxon? “I’m confused.” Except...she wasn’t.

  “A good kiss will do that.” Paige toasted her with her topped-off wine. “At least that’s what my memory says.”

  “You’ve got your own deputy to deal with,” Holly joked.

  Paige’s face fell. “What? Deputy Bradley?”

  “Deputy Bradley.” Abby snorted. “So formal. You need your eyes examined if you haven’t seen the way Fletch looks at you. He’s smitten.”

  “And I’ve been transported into a chick flick.” Paige reached for a handful of chocolate. “He’s cute. And nice. But I don’t go for guys in uniform.”

  “I’m sorry.” Now it was Holly who blinked in disbelief. “Is that even a thing?”

  “It is for me,” Paige insisted. “Me and cops, not a good mix.”

  “Oh, there’s such a story there. Hang on. I’m going to get another bottle.” Abby scrambled to her feet and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Holly’s stomach twisted at the pained look on her friend’s face. “She gets excited about everyone else’s love life, even potential ones. I’ll detour her.”

  “Thanks.” But a good chunk of Paige’s apparent happiness had disappeared. Abby was right. There was a story to be told, but Paige wasn’t ready to tell it.

  “Not a problem. But when you’re ready, we’re here. Abby!” Holly yelled. “Tell me you made your blue-cheese guacamole?”

  “What do you think I’m getting?”

  “Here’s to a great weekend.” Holly hoisted her glass and knocked it against Paige’s. “And to new friends.” And...new loves.

  * * *

  JAKE AND LUKE put an end to the evening’s camping festivities at just before ten, about when Luke had to catch Charlie before she dropped sleepily into the roaring campfire, her flaming marshmallow hitting the ground. Calling Milkweed Lake a lake was stretching the definition, especially after the years he’d spent in Chicago. Illinois had lakes. Butterfly Harbor had...puddles by comparison. But the campground was an easy one—a starter for want of a better term. If trips like this became a thing, they’d venture farther out—and increase the difficulty.

  Watching the kids haul themselves toward their tents, Luke felt Jake drop a hand on to his shoulder. “You’re doing great with them, Luke. Smart thinking pairing Simon up with Mikey Nelson.”

  “I figured they had some stuff to work out.” Luke checked off another goal completed for the weekend. He’d wanted to find out what had been behind Simon’s Wi-Fi attack on the Nelsons’ computer system a few months ago. Discovering that Mikey had been bullying a sight-challenged student in his and Luke’s class explained everything. Once again, Simon had defended the little girl and fought for what he believed to be right. Albeit it not in the right way, but they were getting there. And Mikey had promised to apologize to their classmate once they were back in town.

  “Thanks to you, my grandson is expanding his circle of friends.”

  “Thanks to your grandson, I’m going to be lucky to get any sleep.” Holly’s warnings had echoed in his ears all day. Keeping an eye on Simon was definitely a full-time job, but he’d learned the same lesson Holly had. With Charlie nearby, Simon didn’t get away with nearly as much as he used to. She didn’t have any issue calling him on any misdeeds or perceived wrongs. Nor did she have any problems making friends with the rest of the campers. Luke had even caught the solitary Kyle grinning on a few occasions at some of Charlie’s antics.

  Simon, on the other hand, refused to be convinced Kyle was anything other than trouble. Luke sighed. He couldn’t have everything. Not yet anyway.

  “Once that boy’s asleep, you’re in the clear,” Jake said. “Stop worrying so much. Besides, your tent is right across from his. If you don’t hear him, Cash will.”

  True. Of course, Cash was in doggy seventh heaven with all the attention he was getting from the campers. The few times he’d approached Kyle, however, the teen had moved away, ducking his head. It wasn’t the first time Luke wondered if Kyle had been responsible for the tied vines Cash had withstood, but if that was the case, why wasn’t Cash more leery of Kyle?

  Luke was too tired to try to figure it all out tonight. He’d overdosed on hot dogs, lemonade, s’mores and ghost stories, and was more than ready to call it a night.

  He and Jake made the rounds, checking on each pair of campers as they settled into their tents. Tomorrow was filled with the promise of swimming, games and a few character-building exercises Luke had implemented in Chicago. Building trust, building a sense of community around these kids, was the first step to keeping them moving forward.

  As he crawled into his tent, confident the sleeping Simon and Charlie were down for the count, Luke patted Cash’s head and found himself wondering if maybe Holly was right. Maybe there was a place for him in Butterfly Harbor for longer than he’d planned.

  Maybe, he really had come home after all.

  * * *

  “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” Charlie’s exaggerated whisper had Simon glaring over his shoulder from where he’d been peering out of the front of their tent.

  “Shh!” Simon pointed outside, where he could hear rustling, before folding his surveillance notebook and stuffing it into the back of his pants. “I think Kyle’s up to something.” Kyle might have been all nice and polite to Sheriff Luke last night, but Simon overheard him telling Henry he’d only come on this camping trip to check on something in the surrounding woods. Simon didn’t know what that something was, but he was going to find out.

  “Wh-what?” Charlie rubbed her hands against sleepy eyes and slogged forward on her sleeping bag, her hair mussed from sleep. She yawned. “It’s too early to go anywhere.”

  Simon looked down at his Proton Patrol watch and hit the illuminator button. 6:00 a.m. “That’s why I’m watching,” he whispered and poked his head outside the flap. The rest of the camp was silent; the campfire from last night was still sending up exhausted smoke tendrils.

  Simon spotted Kyle heading away from camp, up the path Sheriff Luke and Grandpa had told them to avoid. “I was right. I’m going to follow him.”

  “Simon, no!” Charlie grabbed him by his jeans and pulled him onto his butt. “You’re not supposed to get in any more trouble. Not if you want to go to that school. You promised your mom and Sheriff Luke. You promised me.”

  “I’m just following him.” Simon rolled his eyes and stood up. It was creepy the way she could tell when he was lying. “I promise I won’t do anything else. If I see him doing something wrong, I’ll come back and tell Sheriff Luke.” If he didn’t find a way to stop him. “Okay?”

  “I’m going wit
h you.” She tugged on her shoes.

  “No.” If he got caught it was one thing, but Kyle could be mean. Even to girls.

  Charlie glared at him. “If you’re not doing anything bad, why can’t I go?”

  They stared at each other. “Fine.” Simon sighed. “But be quiet.”

  “You’re the one who makes too much noise.”

  Simon ignored her as he pulled the zipper of the tent the rest of the way up and crawled outside. When Charlie stumbled out, Simon glared at her and pressed a finger against his lips. She stuck her tongue out at him. Girls.

  Simon took the lead, keeping Kyle in sight, but was still far enough away so he and Charlie could dash into the trees to hide. At least ten minutes had passed when he heard Charlie’s teeth rattle. “You didn’t bring your jacket?” he whispered.

  “I f-for-g-got.” Charlie shivered, hugging her arms around her body, the short-sleeved pink T-shirt looking thin.

  Simon pulled his sweatshirt over his head and handed it over. “What?”

  Charlie stared at the sweatshirt and frowned as she slipped it on. The sleeves covered her hands and made her look like an undersize Muppet. “Thank you.”

  “Welcome. Now let’s go.” Simon ran a little to warm up as he scanned the thicket and brush as the path dropped away. The trees loomed and Simon stopped, looking up into the sky, listening.

  “Where did he go?” Charlie clutched at his shirt as she peered around him. “Are we lost?”

  “Nope. We’re not lost.” But he didn’t look at her. Simon dug out his father’s old compass. “Camp is due west.” Where had Kyle gone? “If you want to go back, go that way.”

  “I’m not going anywhere without you.” Despite trying to hide it, Charlie seemed scared as she looked to Simon for answers. “We’re a team, remember?”

  “I remember.” Simon’s stomach jumped and he thought about returning to camp, but he heard the scrape of wood. “There he is. Come on.”

  Another hundred yards or so and he saw a rickety cabin lodged under a bunch of crooked trees. There weren’t any windows, just gaps in big and small boards. He ducked down and crept closer, waving Charlie to stay behind him. She practically glued herself to him. A branch snapped under his foot and he froze. Charlie’s fists clenched harder, but she didn’t make a sound.

  Simon went down on one knee, bringing Charlie with him to try to stay out of the line of sight. They waited to see if anyone appeared. He strained to listen, but only heard rustling and grunting from inside the cabin.

  “Stay here,” he whispered to Charlie and pointed up the hill behind the cabin. “I’m going around to see if I can see anything.”

  “Simon, no.” But he dashed away before Charlie could grab hold of him again. He walked along the side of the cabin, able to be more quiet now that he didn’t have a second pair of feet to worry about. The cabin was larger than he thought and was wedged hard between trees, as if the trees had grown up and around the structure. The slanted roof sagged in spots and the slats were warped and filled with knotholes. He skidded down a slight slope and braced himself against the back wall. After he pulled out his notebook and a pencil, Simon bent down and stuck his eye against one of the larger openings.

  The only light he could see came from a flashlight Kyle had brought with him. It looked like a weird torch standing on its end like that. Simon angled his head and saw a table piled high with batteries, pipes, cords and other electrical items. His jaw dropped as he spotted a shotgun against the far wall and a pile of handguns on the floor. He started to write it all down, making sketches as quickly as he could, then felt his heart hammer in his ears as Kyle turned and bent down to wedge open a heavy wooden box and stare inside.

  Suddenly, the slick, dewy ground gave way and Simon’s feet went out from under him. He clunked against the cabin.

  Kyle shot up straight and Simon ducked, afraid of being seen. His chest hurt as he struggled to stay silent and dug his fingers into the wood to steady himself. Barely breathing, he pressed his eye back to the knothole. As soon as Kyle left, he was going to get inside and see what was there.

  That was what deputies—even junior deputies—did, right? They investigated. And Simon had sworn an oath when Sheriff Luke had given him his trainee badge. If only he could get closer... He shifted position, but skidded in the damp leaves, his elbow banging against the cabin as he caught sight of Kyle racing toward the entrance.

  Simon pushed his glasses up his sweaty nose as he scrambled away. Kyle had heard him that time. He was coming! But the first person he’d see would be...

  Charlie.

  Simon gasped, running as fast as he could, feet slipping and ankles twisting as he fought to keep his balance. “Charlie!” She jumped to her feet when she saw him flying around the corner of the cabin. “Go! Back to camp!” He wouldn’t have time to find anything else out. “Go get the sheriff!” Simon didn’t care if anyone heard him now.

  Charlie darted out of sight as Simon skidded to a stop. He had to keep Kyle from chasing Charlie. He couldn’t let his best friend get hurt. Not when it had been his idea to follow Kyle in the first place. Kyle darted toward him and Simon felt his confidence drain.

  “I saw what you have in there,” Simon lied, squeezing his hands into fists as his entire body started to quake. “I’m going to tell the sheriff.”

  “Why are you always following me?” The rage on Kyle’s face made Simon’s entire body go cold. “This isn’t any of your business, you stupid little—”

  Simon turned to race after Charlie, but his foot caught on a tree root and he slammed forward. His notebook flew out of his hands and skidded into the underbrush. He hit his head on the ground so hard, his glasses snapped at the nose. Stars exploded in his eyes; his head screamed as he shoved himself onto his back, something wet streaming into his eyes. Kyle stepped over him, fists raised as he leaned down. Simon scrambled away. Tried to call for help.

  Everything went dark.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “THEY’RE NOT AT the lake.” Jake limped up the narrow path from the shore, his sour expression matching Luke’s. “Anyone know anything?”

  Luke glanced around the sleepy campers, none of whom seemed surprised. Nor did they appear anywhere near coherent. Who would at six thirty? It was never a good start to the morning to find three of your charges missing. It was Cash’s barking that had woken him out of a sound sleep, like a canine alarm system gone crazy. The second Luke emerged from the tent, Cash had padded over to Simon and Charlie’s and sat in front of it as if to ask where his playmates had gone.

  Luke’s heart beat an unsteady and, in this case, unfamiliar rhythm. He’d served his country, chased down drug dealers and gangbangers; he’d detonated and defused dozens of explosive devices and even watched as one of his men was blown to kingdom come.

  None of that equaled the terror coursing through him when he thought of Simon being missing.

  His training kicked in. Control and calm settled. The solution for finding Simon and the others was to remain rational. They were kids. They couldn’t have gone far, and knowing Simon wasn’t overly fond of the dark, chances are it had been light when they’d ventured out of camp.

  At least wherever Simon had gotten to, it seemed Charlie had gone along. “None of them know anything.” He pointed at the other campers.

  “Simon doesn’t go wandering. Not without a good reason,” Jake added at Luke’s skepticism. “He knows better.”

  That meant it couldn’t be a coincidence Simon had gone missing at the same time as Kyle. The kid had been adamant for days that Kyle was up to something. Obviously Luke’s attempts to distract him from focusing on the older, troubled teen had failed. “I’m going to head east,” Luke told Jake, gesturing toward the overgrowth leading into the brush. “You stay here with the rest in case any of them come back.” He
went to his tent, grabbed his backpack and pulled out the two satellite phones he’d brought in case of emergency. He tossed one to Jake and then grabbed a couple bottles of water. “Don’t worry. I’ll find them.” He whistled for Cash.

  “Be careful,” Jake told him, but Luke heard the worry in the older man’s voice. It was his grandson out there.

  Somehow he and Jake had managed to find the one camping area Luke didn’t remember venturing near when he was growing up. None of this was familiar, and even if it had been, the overgrown trees and brush obscuring the path would have erased any memories. Cash raced ahead, then came back for him, as if afraid he was going to lose Luke on their outing. Try as he might, he couldn’t forget Simon was Holly’s son. He’d promised her Simon would be safe, that he’d look after him. That he wouldn’t let anything happen.

  He was zero for three.

  He should have listened to her and put a tracking device on the kid. “Simon? Charlie!” Luke called occasionally, aiming his voice in different directions in case they’d ventured off the path. “Kyle!” Please answer. Someone please answer me.

  There was a slight clearing over the next slope, and for an instant, he thought he saw movement. He pulled out the phone, clicked it open to update Jake as he called, “Simon? Charlie? That you?”

  Leaves rustled. Cash barked. Branches snapped and he heard the distinctive sound of huffing as Charlie crested the hill and catapulted into his arms. “Hey, it’s okay.” He hauled her up and felt his heart tip as the little girl wrapped her arms tight around his neck, her legs looping around his waist as she trembled. Thank goodness she was safe. “Charlie, you’re okay. I’ve got you.” He pressed a hand against the back of her head. “Where’s Simon? Is he with you?”

  She shook her head and looked at him, big brown eyes wide amid dirt-stained cheeks. “Kyle,” she panted, pointing behind them from the direction she’d come. “We followed Kyle and...”