Warden Fall Read online

  “Hey, you. What’s up?”

  “My dad as usual, but guess what just happened in the woods? I was chasing after a deer—”

  “Again?”

  “Yeah. Anyway, there was this noise, and it felt like my head would explode, and then there was this guy, and he heard it too.”

  “A guy?” She giggled. “Okay, now I’m interested. I thought you were going to tell me another stupid Jess chases an animal story. So, fess up. Was he cute?”

  A sigh slipped from my lips. “Didn’t you hear about the noise? I mean, it was really loud. Did you hear anything?”

  “Nope, no noise. Now spill it about the guy.”

  I rolled over onto my stomach. “His name is David.”

  “Isn’t David the name you made up for your dream prince?”

  I giggled. “Omigosh, how’d you remember that? We were, like, thirteen.”

  “I remember those juicy stories you made up about him—all tall, dark and Greek-God delicious.”

  The more I thought about it, David actually did look a lot like—

  “So was he running through the woods taking pictures of animals, too?”

  “No. Can you keep a secret?” I rolled onto my back. “He’s hiding out there from someone.”

  “Hiding? Girl, you’re not hooking up with a serial killer or anything, right?”

  “He’s not a serial killer. He’s like, seventeen, eighteen tops.”

  “Didn’t you see that movie Scream? Those two were—”

  “Can we come back to reality please?”

  “Okay. Okay. Okay. So, what’s he running from?”

  “Dunno.” I rubbed my fingertips, remembering the heat radiating from his skin. “He said it wasn’t the cops. I’m hoping he talks to me when I go back.”

  Maggie snickered. “You’re going to meet him again in the woods? Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, are you finally going to do something naughty? And without me?”

  I sat up, knocking the pillow off my bed. “No. I just want to help him. He’s hurt.”

  “I bet you want to help him.” She giggled.

  “Stop. You are so bad.”

  “But seriously, Jess. You don’t know anything about this guy.”

  I chewed the top of my lip, thinking about Dad’s conversation with Grandma. Was I being stupid? I needed to make a good decision here. “You know what? You’re right. Can you come out there with me?”

  “You know I’d love to meet your prince charming but I need to go school shopping while my mom’s credit card is still squeaking, and tonight is family movie night. No getting out of that in the Baker household.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Oh well. So much for reinforcements.

  “You know what? Just don’t go. Tip off the MP’s that someone’s out there, and they’ll find him.”

  “You want me to turn him in?”

  “No, not turn him in, but if he’s in trouble … You know … They have shelters for kids like that. Confidential and all. They won’t call his parents.”

  I fingered the chain on my neck. “No. It doesn’t feel right. He needs my help.”

  Someone knocked on my door three times.

  “Maggs, I gotta go. My Dad’s revving up for another pep talk.”

  “Okay, but be careful if you go out there, okay?”

  “Yeah, whatever.” I clicked off the phone and opened my door.

  Dad’s hand was poised at eye level, about to knock again. His chest expanded for the obligatory breath before an apology speech. “Jess, I don’t want to fight with you. I just wish you’d listen once in a while.”

  I folded my arms. “I only went to the store.” With a little side-trip into the woods.

  “It’s not just that and you know it.” He ran his palm across the top of his cropped hair. “You know it’s been hard without your mom here, but I’m trying.”

  “I know.” Dang he was good with the guilt trips. An uncomfortable silence lingered, stifling me like an invisible curtain.

  “Listen. I’ve never been able to keep you cooped up, and I realize you’re into all that photography stuff, but until things die down and I can confirm everything is secure, I need you to stay in the house.”

  Crap.

  You see dad, I can’t stay in the house. There’s this drop-dead gorgeous guy in the woods, and I promised to bring him ice. Nah. That wouldn’t go over well. Certain things a girl should just keep to herself.

  “Dad, what’s going on? And what was all that buttercup stuff about last night?”

  He rubbed his face with his palms. “You weren’t really old enough when your mom and I came up with the word buttercup. I was hoping you’d understand what I was trying to say.”

  “Mom told me once to listen if you ever said buttercup during an emergency. That’s all I remember.”

  “Well, we were in an emergency. You did good.”

  “There was someone on the phone, wasn’t there? They were making sure you didn’t tell me anything.”

  Dad leaned against my doorframe. “You know I’m not allowed to talk about work.”

  “Work smirk. I don’t care about security clearance.”

  “There was a possibility of danger. I just needed to know you were safe” He kissed my forehead. “I gotta get back.”

  “You’re leaving again?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry, but the whole base is on alert status.”

  “For how long?”

  “It depends on how long it takes us to find …”

  I waited for a word that didn’t come. “Find what?”

  His head tilted to the side. “Nice try.”

  “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

  So, the army was looking for something. Interesting.

  “I’ll be back in the morning for a bit. We’ll have breakfast, okay?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  Dad headed down the stairs, and I counted to a hundred before following.

  So, the army was all jacked up in another one of Dad’s top-secret operations. I still had no idea what Dad did in the army, but what I could gather from Maggie’s eavesdropping habit, Dad’s division dealt with dangers of the “who” kind, not the “what” kind. They called my dad to track people down. If Dad was involved, whoever they were looking for had to be pretty big potatoes.

  David was hiding from someone, and he was hurt. Could he be running from the military? A vision of David’s bright eyes and the perfect cut to his jaw flashed through my mind. I shook my head. Why would Dad be hunting a kid? He certainly had better things to do. Terrorists and the like were out there. Real criminals. There was no way Dad could be looking for David. My gaze settled on my camera case. I grabbed it … just in case.

  Shooting over to the kitchen, I opened up the cupboard, pulled out a gallon-sized Ziploc and filled it with ice. The bag fit neatly into the bottom of my backpack. I threw together a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and tossed them in with a couple bottles of water and my camera. The ice chilled my back as I threw the pack over my shoulder.

  I hesitated, my hand on the front door. Dad wanted me to stay home. Until everything was secure. That meant that there was a safety risk, and if Dad was involved, it had to be a pretty big one. He expected me to be a good little soldier and stay inside. But how could I?

  David was out there, alone. Hurt. I couldn’t just leave him there, especially if there was some kind of dangerous fugitive on the loose. I’d made him a promise, and I had to keep it.

  4

  I yanked my jeans free of a thorny bush. I swear I had to be crazy. Just that morning something screeched in the woods so loud it almost burst my eardrums. But here I was, wandering around in those same woods, probably lost, bent on finding and helping a boy I didn’t even know. My chest ached with pressure from my short, choppy breaths. Why did the forest seem so much more sinister than it normally did?

  “Auoi calinart, est.”

  The gruff, mascul
ine voice echoed through the trees. The language was odd, musical. Kind of like singing, or maybe Norwegian—or maybe a Norwegian guy singing. I couldn’t decide.

  An elderly man wearing a long, dirty winter jacket slapped a tree branch as he sped-walked around a bush. He nearly plowed into me.

  “Sorry,” I said, backing off the path.

  The man gazed up at me. His nose crinkled as if a foul odor suddenly hit him. He blinked and continued on his way, but his icy cold countenance hung with me for a minute. And his eyes … No one had eyes so blue. Except maybe David.

  I shivered. Not sure why, but the old dude creeped me out. His head bobbed as he moved through the bushes. He had to be delirious, wearing that warm coat in the middle of August.

  “Pardon me.” A woman with gorgeous long blond curls ran up the same path. Her jacket brushed against me as she passed. When she caught up to the old guy, she grabbed him by the arm. They muttered, heads close, before he shoved her away and continued down the trail. The woman turned her face toward the sky, fisted her hands, and continued on after him.

  The dude had to be her father or something. Why else would she take that kind of crap from him? I sniffed out a laugh. I hoped that wouldn’t be me and my Dad in twenty years.

  I pushed through the brush and plodded on. The trees were probably laughing at me, because I was pretty sure I’d seen the one with the big black knot in the bark at least three times, now. Stinking, stupid, big, black, knotty tree.

  A rustling of leaves deep within the trees startled me. I froze, and stared down another gorgeous, enormous buck. Or was it the same one as that morning?

  “Hey, beautiful,” I whispered.

  Swirling antlers blended with the landscape. He barely seemed to notice me.

  “Good boy.” I clawed for my camera, slipping it out of my pack. “Just stay right there.” I pressed the picture button and zoomed in. Click. Gotcha. But a closer shot would be even better.

  I inched forward. Majestic black eyes emitted a sense of serenity, calming me from within their gaze. Crack. The twigs broke beneath my feet. Dernit. The deer’s ears twitched.

  “It’s okay buddy. It’s me, remember?”

  Two little baby steps brought me closer. I held my breath, trying to keep quiet, but my phone vibrated, the ringtone reverberating through the trees. The buck bolted.

  “You’re not going to chase him again,” I told myself. A grin broke across my lips. “Oh, yes you are.”

  Jumping over fallen trees and stomping in muddy patches, I followed him deeper into the woods. My phone finally stopped ringing, but the buck was long gone … again. I laughed and leaned over, resting my hands on my knees. I was starting to make a habit out of this.

  “Jess?”

  I screamed and whirled toward the voice.

  David raised his hands. “Sorry. I thought you saw me.”

  “Saw you? I was looking at the stinking deer.” I held my hand to my heart, willing it to stay within my chest. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  His lips contorted into the cutest pout as he settled onto the ground. “Sorry.”

  “Well, wear a bell or something next time. Geeze!”

  Okay, heart. You can slow down now.

  I caught my breath. “Are you feeling any better?”

  “Maybe.” He rotated his shoulder. “Either that or I’m numb.”

  Dirt and pine needles scattered in a puff as I dropped my backpack beside him. “Okay, let’s get to it, then.” I grabbed the Ziploc bag.

  “What’s that?”

  “Ice. What did you think?” The cubes scraped together inside the plastic.

  “Umm …” His eyes widened.

  “If your shoulder is swollen, and you won’t go to the hospital. You need a cold compress.”

  He swallowed hard. “Okay.”

  David bent forward. I brushed traces of bark and dirt clinging to his back as I knelt beside him. The muscles in his neck and arms tensed.

  “Loosen up. It’s just ice.” I carefully placed the bag on his injury.

  David trembled. He steadied himself against a sapling, gripping the slim trunk in a shaky fist. “It burns! Owe, it burns!”

  I pulled the bag away from his skin. “How can it burn? It’s cold.” I set the Ziploc on my leg and let the ice chill my skin. “Look. No burn. You can’t be such a big baby. This is supposed to help. Can we try again?”

  David nodded, but flinched as I lifted the bag.

  “Okay, tell you what …” I picked up his tee-shirt from the ground. “Let’s get this back on you.”

  His head popped through the opening, and a gentle tug brought his right hand through the armhole. I elevated his left arm as slowly as I could, but he still stifled a groan as the rest of the shirt slid on.

  “This is like torture,” he whispered.

  “Sorry.” I gently replaced the bag. “Your shirt should protect a little against the ice but still leave it cold enough to stop the swelling.” I smiled, proud of myself for remembering something from first aid.

  David grimaced. “It’s still pretty cold.”

  “It’s supposed to be. That’s the point.”

  David’s eyes closed. He took in a deep breath through his nose, and his lips parted slightly to release it. I watched the tight, white cotton expand and retract across his back with each breath. Holy shmoley. Okay, Florence Nightingale, get a grip.

  David’s body quaked, and he grunted through clenched teeth. He grabbed the sapling, snapping it in two.

  “Hey, what’d that tree ever do to you?”

  His hands formed into trembling fists. He shook like a rocket trying to take off until he bolted upright. The ice fell to the ground.

  “I c-can’t,” he stammered. “It’s just too cold.”

  “All right.” I picked up the bag. “But I don’t think it was on there long enough to help you.”

  “Then I’ll have to deal with the pain. I’ll get over it.” He grimaced, settling back down on the ground. “Eventually.”

  He rubbed his shoulders. His gaze seemed distant.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “I can’t seem to get warm.”

  “Warm? It’s like eighty degrees. It’s gorgeous out here.”

  “I know, but I keep getting a chill.” He scuffed the dirt, making an imprint with the front of his sneaker. A spider shimmied from the divot and crawled up a tree to his right.

  The sun funneled through the canopy, flickering splotches of light into his hair. What was it about this boy? I just wanted to sit there and stare at him. Well okay, he was gorgeous, but it was something more than that. I felt compelled, like a gentle tug inside, drawing me to him. I bit back a grin. It’s called hormones, Jess. Let’s just keep it together and don’t make a fool out of yourself.

  The wind blew lightly through the treetops, rustling the branches over our heads as I slid down beside my bag. “Are you hungry?”

  “Yes, famished.” His eyes lit up, the color actually brightening. It must have been the sun.

  “Great. I made a few PB&J’s. I hope that’s okay.”

  “I guess.”

  I handed him a sandwich. He flipped it over, squinting at the jelly running down the crust. Okay, so, I wasn’t Betty Crocker. Get over it. I removed mine out of the plastic wrap, and David followed suit. He watched me take a bite before tearing into his own.

  What did he think, it was poisoned or something?

  “This is good.” He swallowed and nodded. “Really good.”

  A snicker escaped my lips. “I guess anything would taste good if you hadn’t eaten since yesterday.”

  “Mm-huh. Thank you.” He finished the last bite and ran his tongue slowly along his pointer finger, licking off a glob of jelly.

  I shifted my weight, watching his tongue glide across his skin.

  Wow.

  I bit my lip and cleared my throat.

  Get. A. Grip.
Jess.

  Looking away—definitely a good option. “Listen, you can’t stay out here. There is some kind of dangerous fugitive or something on the loose.”

  “Or something?”

  The spider beside him dangled from a branch before swinging back up, a stream of silk glistening behind it.

  “That’s about all I know. I just thought you should know. You know?”

  Ugh. How much dumber could I sound? Why did I act so goofy around this guy? Pfft. It had nothing to do with the perfect tan, the washboard abs, those unbelievable arms …

  “So, what does this fugitive look like? It’s not a young girl with long brown hair and blue eyes, is it? Because that would kind of suck.”

  I laughed. “If I were a fugitive I wouldn’t be making PB&J for some sappy guy in the woods.”

  “Well, I guess today’s my lucky day, then.”

  He licked another finger. I forced my eyes back up to the spider web. The sunlight caught the square outline of the miniature piece of art before it disappeared, fading in and out like a mirage.

  My stomach churned anxiously. “So, do you want to tell me why you’re out here?” Please, please, please don’t tell me you’re a dangerous fugitive.

  He looked down. “I told you …”

  “I know. You don’t want to be found. I get that, but the Army is out there looking for someone suspicious. If they find you …”

  David’s eyes sprang open. He leapt to one knee, just missing the spider web. “Where are they looking?”

  “I don’t know. Around, I guess.”

  A refreshing breeze blew through the woods, invigorating me, but a shiver rattled David’s shoulders. “It’s getting colder.”

  Dark clouds wafted over the treetops, shrouding the forest in a dim gray before the sun broke through once more.

  “It might rain, but it’s still, like, eighty degrees.”

  He wrapped his arms around himself and sat hunched over. A pang deep within my gut warned something wasn’t right, that I should run, but the sensation quickly ebbed away. As if erased.

  I knelt beside him. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m just cold.”

  “Maybe you have a fever? You should really see a doctor.”