Page 77 of Wandering Wild

The pilot shrugs and pops another bubble. “Tell your people to give me a five-star review. I need the business.”

I’m unsure what to say to that, so I just unbuckle my seatbelt, remove my headset, and grit my teeth against the deafening sound of the engine as I wait impatiently for him to open our door. Once he does, I jump down onto the grass with Zander beside me, and only then do I look around properly, becoming instantly confused by what I see.

Or rather, what Idon’tsee.

The flurry of activity from Tuesday morning is gone; there are no black-clad crew members moving gear or looking at maps or inspecting equipment. And while that makes sense, since all of that was in preparation for the trip, I still expected there to besomeof Hawke’s team milling about the now-empty hangars, ready to welcome their fearless leader back. Instead, the only thing in sight is a single dark vehicle with tinted windows and the same driver who delivered us here from the hotel four days ago.

“I thought you said Scarlett was waiting for us?” I shout to the pilot over the whirling blades.

I don’t think he hears me, because all he does is point toward the vehicle, before sliding the helicopter’s door shut and returning to the cockpit.

When it becomes clear that he intends to take off again, Zander and I hurry out of the way, keeping low as we run toward the hangars.

My stomach twists with apprehension as the helicopter leaves, and a million questions are on my lips when we reach the driver, but Zander gets in first.

“What is this? Where’s Scarlett? Gabe? Ember?Anyone?”

I hadn’t even thought of Gabe and Ember, my mind too distracted by everything else. But Zander’s right—they knew we were returning today, so why aren’t they here to greet us?

“Miss Hart, Mister Rune, if you please,” the driver says calmly, opening the rear door and gesturing for us to enter. When we don’t move, he straightens his suit jacket and explains, “Ms. Quinn intended to be here in person, but something came up last-minute. She’s waiting for you at the hotel. I assume your friends are with her.”

It takes me a moment to remember that Scarlett’s surname is Quinn, and when I do, I’m even more confused. What could possibly keep Hawke’s executive producer from meeting him upon his return?

“I don’t like this,” Zander mutters beside me, and I nod my agreement.

“We can remain here as long as you wish,” the driver says. “However, I don’t have the information you seek, so might I suggest...” He gestures to the open door again.

Zander and I look uneasily at each other, aware that we have little choice unless we want to walk however far it is back to the hotel.

Warily, we enter the car, and the driver closes the door behind us. My eyes need a second to adjust to the darker interior, but when they do, the first things I see are the bottles of water in the center console, along with the protein bars. Zander notices them at the same time, and we snatch them up, him cracking open a water and tossing back its contents, while I shove a whole protein bar into my mouth, barely chewing before swallowing.

Only when we’re well on our way to Katoomba and have finished gorging and hydrating ourselves do we finally sit back and rub our satisfied stomachs. It might not have been a three-course meal, but it’ll keep us going long enough to reach Scarlett and share our news about Hawke and Bentley—news I’d hoped she would already know by now.

“This is weird, right?” I ask Zander quietly. “It’s not just me?”

“Definitely not just you,” he says, peering out the window. There’s a frown on his face as he watches the forest-lined road start to reveal houses at the outskirts of town, but it clears when he asks the driver, “Do you have a cell phone we can borrow?”

The man glances at us through his rearview mirror. “I’m afraid not.”

I share a look with Zander, before I clarify, “As in, you don’t have a phone, or we can’t borrow it?”

I get my answer when a ringing sound fills the car. I look at Zander again, both of us even edgier now, and I wonder if we’re going to end up on another kind of television show—the true crime kind. But the driver only answers his call politely and a moment later says, “Yes, I have them, Ms. Quinn.” Then, “No, no problems.” Followed by, “Uh-huh,” and “Mm-hmm,” and then finally, “We’re about five minutes away.” There’s one last long pause before he says, “Understood. I’ll deliver them as close to the entrance as I can get.” He then disconnects the call, his eyes returning to his rearview mirror as he tells us, “Ms. Quinn is waiting for you in the lobby along with your friends, Miss Ember Ashley and Mister Gabriel King. They’re all very eager for your reunion.”

My growing fears about being abducted vanish and I turn to Zander in relief, seeing the same expression on his face. But then I look through the window beyond him to see that the sun is beginning to set, and I nervously ask, “Do you think they’ll still send out a rescue in the dark?”

“It’s Hawke and Bentley,” Zander says, as if that’s answer enough. And maybe it is. He reaches for my hand, entwining our fingers as he adds, “They’re going to be fine. I promise.”

He has no authority to make such a promise, but once again, the reassurance in his tone soothes me and I allow myself to relax slightly, knowing we’re doing everything we can, and anything else is beyond our control right now.

But any peace I feel vanishes as we pass through the center of Katoomba and approach the hotel only to see what’s awaiting us.

No—who’sawaiting us.

Because it looks like the entire population of Australia is lining the street and the long driveway all the way up to the front doors of the hotel. The crowd is screaming and waving, most with their phone cameras pointed our way, many with painted signs that they’re holding above their heads saying things like MARRY ME, ZANDER! and I PRINCE TYRON! and I’LL BE YOUR QUEEN! among numerous other messages and requests.

“What on earth?” I breathe as I stare out the tinted windows.

Zander groans. “Hawke’s team must have started their early promo for our episode and revealed the location to build hype.”

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