Page 100 of Enthrall Shadows
She reached up and grabbed the handrail. “I brought my bikini.”
“I’m serious.”
“Have some faith in me,” she said.
“Stay close.”
“Close? With you? Deal’s off.”
“We have one tent.” I glanced her way.
“Which is practical,” she said.
“We’re a team. We need to maintain open communication and stick to our objectives. Remember to stay hydrated.”
She threw a salute. “Sir, yes, sir.”
“Obedience,” I said. “It suits you.”
“Ha! This is going to be good for us.”
I reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. Her fingers curled around mine and I felt a jolt of excitement for what lay ahead.
“We’ll do this together,” she said softly.
“Together it is.”
I intended on protecting her with every cell of my being.
The Land Rover had taken us into the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve as far as it could possibly go—we’d now have to leave the car behind and set off on foot.
It had taken us just over an hour and a half to get to this point.
We exited the vehicle and stretched our legs, standing on the verge of a subtropical landscape with pinewood flats and endless mangroves. We would soon explore the lush marshes and wilder terrain.
Beyond where we’d parked there stretched a pathway we would soon take. Somewhere, in the middle of these everglades, Henry’s ex-girlfriend was living her best life.
Or someone had set one hell of a trap.
Either way, I felt ready.
Thankfully, the humidity in the air felt bearable. The moisture had already flattened my short hair, my bare nape keeping me cool. It wasn’t my best look, but I loved the freedom of not caring about my appearance and going makeup free. No need for pretense. No need to impress.
It was like Henry and I had always been good buddies and that felt right.
He folded the map over and inserted it into the left pocket of his pants. “Let’s check your kit.”
He leaned into the backseat and unzipped my backpack. “We have to throw this away,” he said, holding up a packet of mixed nuts like they were radioactive.
I went to grab it.
He held it out of my reach. “We can’t have anything that’ll attract bears.”
“They can smell that?”
“Yes.” He strolled over to a trash barrel and threw them in.
I envisioned a bear diving in there later for a snack.
