Page 77 of Wild Child
Steve pushed away from the tree where he leaned. “Something else?” he asked quietly.
As one, they moved closer to the sound. Devin had wisely positioned himself so they stepped away from the bag instead of returning. They slanted at an angle to where I lay, allowing me to crawl forward again.
Five feet.
The sound of bracken crunching under their shoes echoed through the meadow as they continued to advance. I scooted my body across the dirt with the terrible realization that they could probably see Devin now. He'd face a decision point soon: he'd have to reveal himself and draw their attention or stop acting like a bear. If he stopped the noises, they might abandon the search, which would possibly expose me when they returned.
Which meant he’d reveal himself soon.
As if they sensed Devin's hesitation, the two of them paused. Frantic, I scurried the rest of the way to my bag, clamped my hand on it, and pulled. Steve glanced up, as if he heard the pull of canvas against the ground. I froze, my breath held, as Steve started to scan. His gaze roved to the left and headed right for me. I lay in the open, sprawled on the ground. He’d be able to cross the space between us in less than ten seconds. There’d be no matching or dodging those giant fists.
The cry of a voice broke the air.
“Hello, the camp!”
Steve and Kimball jerked to attention and swung their heads the opposite way. A body appeared across the meadow, brought by a familiar pair of green pants. Neils! Sweet baby pineapple, but he had fantastic—and terrible—timing.
Indecision warred within me. Did I call out a warning to Neils, or finish the task? The rustle of bushes not far away reminded me why we were here. With a shake of my head, I turned back to the mission. Once I had the keys and the radio, I'd call out to Neils. Doing so before would doom all of us.
I reached for the outside zipper of my bag seconds before Kimball returned the cry.
“Over here.”
Kimball and Steve tensed as Neils approached. I gently tugged on the zipper as Neils slowed to a stop a few steps away. He eyed each of them, as if he could also feel the tension in the air. My heart began to pound. Neils was only doing his job. What if they harmed him? This wasn’t fair for any of us, but at least I’d signed onto this hike.
Steve stood with his arms at his side, the permanent glower more apparent on his face. His suspicious glare dodged back to where Devin’s bush-shaking had now stopped. Silently, I slipped my fingers into the canvas material and felt around, hoping to feel cool metal against my fingertips.
“What took you so long?” Kimball asked.
I froze.
Did he just ask that question?
“I could ask the same," Neils replied, with his distinctive accent and crisp intonation. "I saw the fire. What happened? Where is Ellie?”
With a sense of deepening dread, I gazed over my bag in their direction. Their heads and shoulders were the most visible part of them from here. Did I have something wrong? Was it Neils that just acted so friendly to them?
Yes, it had to be. The slight accent in his words was a dead giveaway.
“Lost everything, including her.”
“What?” Neils snapped.
Kimball sighed. “It was her fault. We started with the hike she suggested, just like you wanted, and then cut across the mountains to the cabin. They almost didn't buy the stupid treasure story, or whatever, but I figured it out. No one knew where we ended up, and nothing appeared suspicious, just like you demanded. When we got to the cabin, we subdued her. Just like you said."
"And?" he drawled, murderous.
A slight hesitation followed. "She . . . got away. She set fire to everything.” Bitterness lined Kimball’s voice. His words rang with halted frustration. “And by everything, I meaneverything.”
“The dust?”
His voice had hardened into an unmistakable rage that confirmed my worst fears. Neils was in on this. Although the details weren't clear yet, the fact that he had something to do with the pixie dust was abundantly clear now. What did Devin think of this development? Now, we also had to escape a park ranger who knew these mountains even better than I did and hadwantedme there.
A shiver scooted down my spine and pushed me back to my purpose.
Radio.
Truck keys.
