Moonlight (10 page)

“If swimming the rapids is ever an Olympic event, I might have another chance to make the team.”

She laughed, getting my corny joke, because I’d shared with her my almost making the Olympic team. “Most definitely.”

She put her arm around me and hugged me tightly. “God, I don’t know if I’ve ever been so scared for someone in my entire life.”

I laid my head on her shoulder. I thought I could go to sleep right there. The only thing that I would have found more comforting was Lucas’s shoulder. I was touched that he’d been in such a panic to find me that he’d raced right past me. He’d probably be angry with himself when he realized what had happened. He wasn’t perfect. Not that I planned to point that out to him.

Lucas and Rafe strolled into camp with an easy stride. With their dark coloring, they looked almost like brothers.

“I was right,” Rafe said, “he’d run faster than the river had carried you downstream. He went right past the area where you came ashore.”

“That’s what you get for holding the university record in the mile,” Connor said.

Lucas barely acknowledged Connor’s remark before crouching beside me. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I answered, embarrassed by all the attention. “I didn’t mean to cause so much fuss. I don’t know why the rope gave way.”

“They didn’t tell you?”

I gave him a confused look. “Tell me what?”

“The rope was cut.”

EIGHT

“What are you talking about?” Dr. Keane demanded.

For a minute, looking into Lucas’s eyes, I’d almost forgotten that we weren’t alone.

“After Lucas took off, Connor and I pulled the rope to shore,” Rafe said. “We thought maybe the rope had rubbed against the bark and become frayed, but the edges were even. Someone used a knife on it.”

“Who’d do such a thing?” Monique asked.

Lucas unfolded his body in that predatory way he had. “Do you have any enemies, Professor?”

“One of my colleagues and I compete for grants, but I hardly think he’s the type to sabotage our expedition,” Dr. Keane said calmly, but his gaze was darting around the sherpas as though he were looking for something suspicious. “It doesn’t make sense for
anyone
to feel threatened by what we’re doing. I suggest we all turn in. We lost some time today as a result of this little . . . mishap. I’d like to make it up tomorrow.”

I’d almost died and he considered it an inconvenient
mishap
? And he wanted to ignore all the implications of a cut rope? Even if I wasn’t sure what it all meant, I thought it might bear talking about.

Mason gave me a look that said he wanted to say something. Maybe he wanted to apologize for his father.

With groans and grumblings, the students headed into their tents. All except Mason. I could tell that whatever he wanted to say to me, he didn’t want to say it with an audience. I took pity on him. It wasn’t his fault his dad was a jerk.

I pushed myself to my feet and walked over to him. I forced a tired smile. “I guess the candlelit dinner isn’t going to happen.”

His cheeks turned a dark hue as he blushed. “Not tonight, but maybe we could take a short walk?”

I nodded and we started strolling away from the fire.

“Don’t go beyond sight of the camp,” Lucas ordered gruffly.

I glanced over my shoulder at him. He didn’t look happy. I had almost died and everyone’s mood had soured. I didn’t know whether to be flattered that I had so much influence or irritated. “We won’t.”

“He sure is protective of you,” Mason said as we headed just beyond the camp.

“He’s protective of everyone. It’s his job.”

“You should have seen him streaking off when you were washed away. I’ve never seen anyone move like that, almost a blur.”

“Apparently he’s some badass track star.”

“Yeah, apparently so.” We stopped when we were far enough away that no one would hear us. He took my hand, the one that wasn’t clutching the blanket. “I was going to race off with him, but Rafe held me back. There was no way I could have kept up with him anyway.”

“That’s okay. You were there when I needed you to be.”

“I tried, but all the sherpas are so protective of you that they make me feel like an outsider.”

“It’s okay, really.” I hated that he felt so badly about all that—and that he’d wanted to be there for me, but the others hadn’t let him. I knew he didn’t feel completely comfortable around them. I figured it was because he was such an academic. He was pretty young to be in grad school already. He probably had an amazingly high IQ.

“So what came first—the wolf or the bear?” he asked.

“Is this a chicken-or-the-egg question?” I didn’t bother to keep the irritation out of my voice. It seemed like such an odd question.

“Seriously. I’m just curious. I mean, bears don’t usually attack.”

“Tell that to the Boy Scout who was attacked in Alaska a few years back.” I suddenly realized that my irritation with him was as stupid as his question. What did any of it matter? I was alive. “The bear.”

“So there was a bear, and then a wolf came to your rescue?”

“I don’t know that he came to my rescue. I mean, yeah, he chased off the bear, but maybe he just didn’t like bears.” I tried to laugh it off. “Might have nothing to do with me. I’m not even sure he knew I was there until afterward.”

“What did the wolf look like?”

This was getting so ridiculous. I tugged my hand free. “It was black.”

“Just black? Like the one we saw last night?”

No
, I thought. But I didn’t want to tell him that. I didn’t know why. I felt protective of the wolf I’d just seen. “What were you expecting?”

He shifted his gaze to where the sherpas were still waiting around the campfire. Dr. Keane didn’t tell
us
when to go to bed. I had a feeling that tonight, just to be obstinate, they’d stay up really late—and probably not be quiet about it.

“I don’t know,” he said quietly, “I thought maybe it would be a mixture of colors.” He leaned toward me and lowered his voice even more. “Between you and me, I find it odd that
Lucas
didn’t find you before we got there.”
What was he talking about?

I remembered the conversation he’d had with his father that first night. Was he thinking Lucas . . . was the
wolf
? That was just insane!

Was this conversation really happening? Obviously, I’d suffered some oxygen deprivation while I’d been under the water.

“I think if Lucas was running fast and I was under water—which I was for a while—he could have lost sight of me.”

“Maybe,” Mason muttered. “There’s just something odd about this whole thing.”

“Whatever. I’m tired.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t really bring you over here to give you the third degree. I was just curious. A lot of unexplained things happen in this forest.”

“People play tricks on campers all the time, trying to freak them out. Like telling ghost stories around the campfire.”

“I guess.” He smiled at me. “I’m glad you’re okay. I was actually a little jealous thinking of Lucas coming to your rescue. I’m really glad he pulled that idiot move and went too far. Means he’s not perfect.”

I touched his arm. “No need to be jealous.”

“Maybe we’ll have that date tomorrow night.”

“Maybe.”

He leaned forward like he was going to kiss me. Then stopped. Probably because he felt the same thing I did. Without even turning around, I knew Lucas was watching.

I saw the determination light up Mason’s eyes, and I knew he was going to kiss me. He wanted to do it to get even with Lucas for something. But I wasn’t playing that game. Before he could turn his attention back to me, I said, “Goodnight”—and walked away.

This camp is on testosterone overload.

I was almost to my tent when Lucas said, “Hey, Kayla, can you join us for a sec?”

The words formed a question; his tone didn’t. It was a command. I was physically and mentally exhausted. Still, I shored up my reserves and trudged over to where he and the other sherpas were gathered. I wondered what was up with their secretive expressions. I had the feeling that whatever they’d been discussing, they didn’t want the Keane group to know.

“How are you doing?” Lucas asked. True concern was reflected in his voice. I blinked back the tears that wanted to reveal my weakness. I was still trying to prove myself, not only to Lucas but also to the other guides. Lindsey gave me a reassuring smile.

“I’m doing okay. I owe that wolf my life. You heard about that, right? With the bear?”

“Yeah, Rafe told me. Sorry I wasn’t around to be more help.”

“You never struck me as someone who would panic and keep running without looking back.” Even as I said the words, realizing I probably shouldn’t have said them with the other sherpas standing around listening, I knew they were true. Lucas didn’t panic. Ever. He didn’t make stupid mistakes.

“The water was going so fast that I thought you were farther down. I didn’t think to slow down and make sure.”

I nodded, even though the words didn’t ring true.

“I’d leave the wolf a steak if I could,” I said.

“I’m sure he’d appreciate it. Anyway, I called you over because we wanted to know if you saw anything—noticed anything strange on the riverbank before you started to cross over.”

Glancing around at the serious faces of the sherpas, I shook my head. “I had a second to glance back before I went under, but it was just shadows. Why would someone try to sabotage this expedition? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“We’re not sure it’s the expedition,” Rafe said. “We’re thinking it might be someone with a grudge against the sherpas, against us.”

“That’s not exactly true,” Lucas said. “It’s a grudge against me.”

“Why would someone have a grudge against you?” I asked. “I mean, you’re Mr. Congeniality.”

His teeth flashed white as he smiled. “Cute.”

Yeah
, I thought,
you absolutely are when you grin like that.

“So—seriously. Who would hold a grudge?” I asked.

“Devlin. He was a sherpa here last summer. He did some stuff he shouldn’t have done, took chances, put campers at risk,” Brittany explained.

“Lucas kicked his butt,” Connor said. He sounded so in awe that I was surprised he didn’t give Lucas a fist bump.

“After which, Devlin took a hike.” Apparently Rafe wanted to add to the story.

“But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t returned or that he’s not hanging around,” Lindsey warned.

Reflexively, everyone glanced around. It seemed strange that they were concerned about some slacker sherpa from last summer. Why would he be here now?
I
was the newbie.
I
was supposed to be nervous.
They
weren’t. It gave me a bad feeling about everything.

“We’d know if he were around,” Connor said.

“Not if he stayed far enough back,” Lindsey responded.

“Lindsey has a point,” Lucas said.

“Not to add to the paranoia that’s being stirred up here, but I keep getting a sense that I’m being watched,” I told them.

“That’s right,” Lindsey murmured. “That first night, she was all spooked—”

“I wasn’t spooked. It just felt like someone was watching. And last night, too.”

“What about last night?” Lucas asked.

“When we were drinking the beer, I had a sense that someone was watching. I mean, I saw a wolf later—”

“What color?”

“Mason just asked me the same question about the wolf that attacked the bear. Is there something going on with the wolves in the park that I need to know about? You said they don’t attack people.”

“They don’t, but we’ve had some reports of at least one that warrants watching. So what color was the wolf you saw?”

“Last night it was hard to tell. If I had to guess I’d say black, but it could have been just the night shadows. The thing is, Mason was with me last night when I saw the wolf. He said he saw the same wolf—or at least he thinks it was the same wolf—hanging around the night of my birthday party.”

“Mason was out in the woods during the party?” Lindsey asked. “And the wolf?”

“Mason said he couldn’t sleep. But I don’t think he’s what I felt watching me. I think it was the wolf, because I had that same creepy feeling last night.” I gave a small laugh. “Of course, a wolf couldn’t cut a rope, so I don’t know that all this means anything.”

Lucas exchanged a strange look with Rafe.

“What?” I asked.

“Devlin had a pet wolf,” Lucas said. “If it’s around, there’s a good chance that Devlin is, too. Everyone needs to stay alert. We’ll start posting guards at night. Rafe and Brittany, you’re up first.”

A few minutes later, it felt great to crawl into my sleeping bag. I was battered and bruised, but remarkably I hadn’t suffered any major cuts or scrapes. All in all, I’d been incredibly fortunate.

With that realization, my thoughts shifted to the wolf. I wondered if he was off somewhere nursing his wounds. Was there a female wolf waiting for him somewhere? Didn’t wolves mate for life? Were they more loyal than humans?

“Kayla?” Lindsey whispered.

I rolled over without thought, groaning as my muscles and bruised skin protested. Last summer we’d shared a tent and talked late into the night. As much as I liked Brittany, I wasn’t as close to her as I was to Lindsey, and I had a feeling Lindsey wasn’t quite comfortable talking about everything with Brittany in the tent. “Yeah?”