The Camp (4 page)

C
hapte
r
F
our

By the time I had finished dinner, the wind was blowing with such violent force that everyone quickly dispersed back to their tents without saying a word. Liam asked me to wait so he could help the CLs put everything away. He wanted to walk me back to our tents so I agreed. They were locking everything up in the bear-proof (if there were such a thing) containers with such speed I knew the weather had them concerned. They also had to haul them way up into the air, lodging them on the bear-proof platforms high in the trees.

A branch cracked, falling
with a thud against the ground. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I looked around quickly, trying to gauge if the trees around my tent might catapult limbs toward me during my sleep, and unfortunately the answer I came up with was of course they could. The branches continued to dance and shake with each new gust of wind. A mist began filling the air, and I hugged myself tightly wishing I could just run to my tent now before I got completely drenched.

“All don
e,” Liam yelled to Caleb, strapping the lid on the last giant box where the cooking pans were kept.

“Awesome, thanks,” Caleb yelled
, along with something else I couldn’t hear because of the gushing in my ear.

The rain began to pour as I
watched Liam trudge over to me.

“Ready?” L
iam asked, holding out his hand.

“This is going to be a long night,” I shouted, hoping I could be heard over the wind.

Liam nodded and helped navigate us toward our tents. Every so often a dim glow from a tent would help guide the way.

“Does this happen often?”
I asked.

“Not quite like this…
but yeah. We get stormy weather in the summer.”

It was getti
ng more and more difficult to march through the soil that was already saturated from the heavy downpour. Every step I took resulted in my boot getting sucked back in the ground, and the longer I took trying to pull my foot out of the mud the worse it got for us both.

“You got it,” Liam said, helping to pull me through the
muck. “You’ve got to twist your foot as you take the next step so that you stop the mud from—”

And then it happened. My foot finally became free and just as I was about to take another step a giant gust of wind blew me down face first into the mud.

“Shit,
” Liam muttered.

I attempted to move my arms, but the suctioning only got worse every time I wiggled.
Liam’s strong hands quickly gripped my underarms and scooped me up from the mud with a big sucking and slurping sound as my face and chest became unglued from the mess below.

“Thank you,” I said, but then regretted it as the
grit fell into my mouth.

Liam smiled widely and
lifted me into his arms.

“You owe me one,” he muttered close to my ear
, making my stomach flutter. “This was my favorite shirt.”

He got us to our tents and
set me on the ground. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as I realized how closely he’d placed the opening of his tent to the opening of mine. There was a slight hallway between the two and that was it.

Liam reached over and unzipped my door.

“I thought it would it be best if I kept an eye on things.” His usually cocky demeanor was turned down a notch. His eyes darkened, but as he caught me staring, I almost detected a slight amount of embarrassment as I stared at the tight space.

“Thanks,” I replied, climbing into my tent.
There was a hanging lantern that I switched on. Liam must have hung it when he dropped off the sleeping bag and pillows. That was nice of him.

I heard him zip the door of his own tent and let out a sigh. Where to even begin?

I spun around in my tent and the loneliness soaked deep inside of me. My sleeping bag was unrolled on top of a skinny camping mat along the left side. The two pillows were placed on top of the red, fluffy bag. In addition to several flashlights, my duffle and backpack were the only other things inside the tent. I had brought several books, including my favorite collection of Edgar Allen Poe, but I doubted they’d last long. I’d probably inhale the books in a matter of days. But I was so dirty I didn’t even want to open the duffle. I’d ruin anything my fingers managed to touch. The mud was plastered on my face and stuck in my hair. I had no idea how to even begin cleaning myself off. I was in a tent with no running water.

The side
s of my tent rippled with each gust of wind, and the tarp flapped against the tent. I saw Liam’s lantern flick on and felt strangely comforted by it.

I unzipped my sweatshirt
and took it off. Using it inside out as a rag, I rubbed the caked on mud off my face. It had already started to dry so a lot of it fell to the grey tent floor. I was constantly spitting out wet hair and mud that was invading my mouth as I tried to keep the dirt away from my somewhat clean t-shirt. I wiped my hands off on the sweatshirt and threw it to the far corner. I stripped off my jeans and kicked them to the same place as my sweatshirt when I saw a large figure hovering outside my door.

The fear climbed up my body
, as I stood completely vulnerable in a short t-shirt and my favorite Victoria’s Secret boy shorts. Every step I took produced a crinkling sound from the tent flooring, but I doubted anyone could hear it, including the person outside my tent, but I’m sure they could see my shadow.

I slowly reached for my duffle and
unzipped it, grabbing a pair of sweats, which I quickly slipped on. I watched as an arm stretched up and paused.

He’s reaching for the zipper!

My heart
pounded. I went to scream, but nothing came out except a hoarse grunt. The figure’s arm stopped for a second as if he was gauging my response.

A
huge gust of wind blasted the side of my tent, rippling the fabric and my breath caught.

The
fingers began tugging on the zipper once more.

“Liam,” I screamed
, finally finding my voice.

The shadow
swiftly moved through the narrow space between our tents, escaping. Liam was instantly out of his tent, but then struggled with my tent door’s zipper.

Throwing the fabric door open, Liam’s eyes were blazing, dark.

“What happened?” he asked gruffly.

“Someone
tried to get into my tent.”

“
Which way did he go?” He poked his head outside the door. “Never mind. I see the tracks. I’ll be back. Use a shoelace and tie the zippers together.”

“Wait! Where are you going?” I asked, beginning to freak out again.

He took off without answering.

I quickly zipped my tent
and grabbed one of my boots. I unlaced it and wove the shoelace through the door zippers, tying it in several knots. That would at least slow someone down.

I
fell to the ground, scooting my back up against the far wall of the tent. My flesh prickled with every whoosh of the wind. I began feeling dizzy and clenched my eyes shut. It’s just a few days at the most. I was wet, dirty, mentally exhausted, and stuck in a tent, but I had to get through this.

A
thump outside the tent interrupted my thoughts. My eyes flashed open to reveal an empty tent. There were no shadows dancing outside. Maybe it was just the wind picking something up outside and tossing it around. Now I was only being overly jumpy. If anything, maybe it was Liam.

Before
I could get control of my breathing, something slammed against the right wall of the tent. I stood up immediately and grabbed a flashlight to shine on the tent wall. I couldn’t see anyone outside, but another slap on the tent confirmed someone was out there.

“Go away,” I scr
eamed, flipping off the lantern but keeping the flashlight on.

A man’s deep v
oice growled with the wind and my veins filled with terror. That was definitely not Liam. A finger began scratching the fabric of the tent drawing a straight line as the figure walked along the tent, taunting me.

“
I’ll be watching you,” the voice murmured.

Two
hands pressed on the fabric of the tent so firmly that I could see the tip of each finger. My pulse raced, and my hands trembled as I shined the flashlight directly against the hand imprints. The wind gusts were nothing compared to the sounds of my own breathing.

I tucked my legs underneath me
, put the flashlight down and reached for the pepper spray with my trembling hands. I also grabbed the bear spray. If it worked on a bear, maybe it would cripple whoever was on the other side of the tent.

“I can
see you moving, grabbing useless things to hold on to in there,” he laughed wickedly. “But nothing you have will work against me.”

“Don’t be so sure,” I hissed, wiping away the sweat that was now tricklin
g down my forehead, even though it was freezing outside.

His fingers released from the tent
, and I turned off the flashlight. I didn’t want him to see me. I spun around slowly as I sat, looking for any sign of where he might be. The walls of the tent felt like they were closing in on me as my head pounded with fear.

Unable to see any shadows lurking outside, I brought my legs out from under me and tightened
myself into a ball, resting my head on my knees. I continually scanned all four walls around me for some sign. My mind began racing with horrid thoughts, knowing Liam was outside trying to track this person down and here he was back at the tent.

“Over here,” the voice
mocked me from behind before quickly running to another section. “No, over here.”

I couldn’t place this guy’s voice. It didn’t sound like any of the CLs or campers.

Fury began replacing fear as I listened for more clues from this trespasser, but I knew I needed to stay inside these four walls, as transparent as they seemed. There was a part of me, however, that wanted to fling open the door and hose him down with every spray I had and watch him writhe in pain.

“You’re pathetic,” I replied.

“It’s not me who’s pathetic. You’re the one who needed help earlier tonight, more than once if I recall.”

“You should be worried. Terrified, especially once I get rid of Liam
,” he laughed as he spoke and suddenly jabbed the tent wall to my right. I made myself stiffen rather than jump, but my head was pounding with pain trying to hold everything in.

“You’re outnumbered.”

"It was night, and the rain fell; and falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood,"
he groaned, reciting Edgar Allen Poe.

My marrow froze
as I realized whoever this was had been through my things, knowing I’d recognize that quote from the poet.

"It was night, and the rain fell; and falling, it was rain, but, having fallen, it was blood,"
he whispered once more, tapping on the tent wall. “Good night for now.”

C
hapte
r
F
ive

“Good news and bad news,” Liam’s voice hit me from outside the door.

“He was
here again,” I hissed to Liam, frantically trying to untie the lace I had just knotted between the zippers. I freed the zipper and flipped on the lantern again.

“What?” he asked, flapping the door
wide open and stepping inside.

He was completely drenched. His hair was plastered t
o his head, his shirt stuck to his chest, and he was breathing heavily. Droplets trailed down his face, and I threw a shirt at him to wipe off. I realized my hands were shaking and so did he. It wasn’t anything I could hide. But having him here made me feel a million times safer.

“Can I have the good news first?” I asked, watching him rub the
shirt over his hair quickly.

“The good news is that it probably wasn’t anyone in the camp.” He tossed the shirt over where the others were piled.

“And that’s also the bad news, isn’t it?”

He nodded.

I sat down on the sleeping bag and raised my knees into me.

“It’s not like there are houses anywhere around. This place is
only accessible by plane or boat. The nearest town is definitely not reachable by foot.” He shook his head and sat in front of me. “It’s weird.”

“Well
, whoever it was didn’t really leave the area. They were pressing their hands against the tent, trying to freak me out I guess.” I glanced to where I last saw the handprints. “He’s also been through my things.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me that first thing?”

I shrugged. “He recited a line from Poe’s Silence – A Fable. Told me he’d be back.” My words were shaky, and I hoped I could get a grip on my nerves.

“Shit,” Liam mumbled more to himself than to me.

I dropped my eyes to the floor. “Believe it or not my cool exterior is just a façade. I’m panicking inside.”

He
smiled and moved his gaze to the door.

The wind seemed to be lessening, and I could actually hear Liam without straining.

“Yeah. You completely have me fooled.” He flashed a smile that completely warmed my insides. “But I’ll put an end to it.”

“
He said he was going to take care of you,” I told him.

“Not gonna happen.” Liam’s confidence was calming and something I needed.

“I wonder why it’s me,” I whispered under my breath.

“Maybe it’s as simple as your tent being closest to the woods.”

I nodded. “I’ll go with that.”

“We’ll get it figured out,” he promised and reach
ed over to touch my hand. A spark ran through me as I tried to fight the reaction that his touch brought, but my skin gave it away. My face reddened and I pulled back.

“I hope so,” I muttered.

For some odd reason, I believed him. It’s not like I thought he had Superman powers or something, but he was so self-assured that I couldn’t help but go along. Anyone who grew up around here was on an entirely different level.

“In the morning, thin
gs will be different, and I guarantee whatever is going on will be stopped.” His eyes hardened and he shoved his hands through his damp hair. “It’s probably a prank or something.”

“It’s not very funny.”
I nodded and let out a deep breath as I pulled a pillow to my lap. Liam leaned back and rested on his elbows. I noticed a wide black handle sticking out of the waistband of his jeans. The handle was at least six inches long. I couldn’t imagine how long the blade might be. He caught me looking and grinned.

“Thin
gs must be different in Alaska.” I raised my brow.

“Very.”

“It makes me feel better knowing you weren’t going out in the dark depending only on your fists.” I smiled and noticed the sexy dimples forming in his cheeks, as his grin grew wider. “Not that I haven’t seen the damage they can cause.”

The thought of being alone in the tent overnight sent chills through me, and I was thankful he wasn’t rushing away.

“So you had no idea that this camp was like this?” he asked, catching me off guard.

“Not until I was on the puddle jumper. I should’ve
known though. It’s not like my stepdad has ever done anything for me out of the kindness of his heart. I’m not even sure he has one.”

Liam laughed and sat back up.

“It’s like that, huh? How about your real dad? He’s the one you camp with, right?”

My stomach turned in knots
, and I felt a lump in the back of my throat that hijacked my voice. How could I still be like this when so much time had gone by? I quickly looked down at the pillow that I was crushing to death.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“No. It’s okay,” I interrupted, looking at him through my lashes as the tears soaked back in from where they came from. “I’ve gotta get better at this whole talking about him thing.”

“If you’re not ready I unders
tand.” His eyes held the warmth that I’d recognized so often in my father’s eyes, or maybe it was just that I wanted to see it in Liam’s, but regardless I felt okay opening up to him.

“He di
ed a year ago, but he was sick for several years. The doctors gave him less than a year, but I know he hung on for me. It killed me to see him suffer for me.”

“Cancer?” his voice softening.

“Yeah. Lymphoma.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. I never really talk about it. I noticed if I brought it up around my friends they immediately began to shy away. I felt like I was the immediate buzz kill for them.”

“They don
’t sound like very good friends,” his voice low.

“
Maybe not, but it’s not their fault. I mean they’re young and don’t want to be bogged down by all that stuff.”

“But so are you.
And it’s not stuff. It’s your father — your life.”

I looked
at him, and he was studying me closely. A shiver went through me when I caught something else in his eyes, desire maybe? No. I was just being crazy.

I forced a smile. He didn’t understand and that’s okay. Friendships
were complicated. I’d rather shove aside my problems in order to keep friends than divulge everything and not have any left.

“When my mom died—”

I gasped. “Your mom?”

He nodded.
“I was thirteen. It wasn’t like what you went through. It was sudden. I’m not sure which is better or worse. It all sucks, I guess.”

I watched him speak of her and the incident with such ease
, and I wondered if I’d ever get there.

“She died of a heart attack
, and it’s not like we live where there’s the best healthcare.” He stopped and cast his eyes down before connecting with mine once more. “I was the one who found her.”

I reached my han
d out to his and he squeezed it, not letting go.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered
.

“It teaches the cycle of life pretty quickly. Also puts things in perspective,”
he said, biting his lip.

A big gust of wind
plowed the tent wall behind me and I jumped.

“Guess, I’m a little nervous still.”
I laughed.

His eyes widened and he smiled. “I would be too if I were a city girl.”

There was a moment of silence between us. He still held my hand, and I didn’t want him to let go. His eyes searched mine like he was looking for something more, and his smile faded slightly.

“My parents divorced when I was young. My mom cheated on my father. I didn’t know it at the time, but I figured it out as I got older. The gu
y she cheated with, she married. My dad got full custody,” I said.

“Isn’t
it unusual for the dad to get full custody?” Liam asked.

“Not when your mom doesn’t
want it. I think she would’ve been fine if there was no visitation in there at all, to be honest,” I replied, feeling the anger begin to boil over. “I’m not sure why she became a mom. I think it was an accident. Anyway, I was scheduled to be with her two weekends a month. That was it and most of the time that didn’t even happen. I’m thankful I didn’t have to go there because I got to spend more time with my dad, but it sent a message to me loud and clear.”

“I can imag
ine.” He shook his head slowly as his smile faded into a frown. “Nobody deserves that, especially you.”

“My dad was such a nice guy. He was my best friend. We did everything together. When he got sick, even when he didn’t feel well, he tried so hard to make my life easy. He was absolutely amazing. He sold his company when he found out he was
ill to spend much more time with me. I think he knew deep inside he wasn’t gonna make it.” The wetness in my eyes was impossible to hide away, and for some reason, I didn’t care. It felt good, really good.

Liam reached out and brought
my pillow and me into him. He held me tightly. For the first time in a very long time, I realized the tears I cried tonight weren’t sorrowful. They were joyful because I allowed myself to remember the father I had loved and what I’d always treasure about him, not what I was missing. Being away from my mother and stepdad was far more therapeutic than I realized.

“Thank you,” I whispered.
Liam’s fingers ran up and down my arm as he hugged me. My eyes closed as I felt his heart beating, slow and steady. The longer I was in his arms, the more difficult it was to deny the attraction. But he wouldn’t be good for me. I took a deep breath in, enjoying how intoxicating he smelled and exhaled slowly. Heat and excitement ran between us, and I needed to break away. His breath tickled my scalp as he held me tightly, and I didn’t want to leave his embrace, but I knew I had to. It was the right thing to do. I backed up and broke his arms free. The energy running between us had quickly changed from confidant to something more, and he recognized it too as I watched his cocky grin grow wider.

“That’s what friends are for,” he said, winking at me.

I smiled and snuggled back on my sleeping bag, wondering if that was completely true. Was that what friends did for each other or was it more? That type of connection felt honest, real.

But,
I was only going to be a here a couple more days so what did it really matter anyway?

He leaned back on his elbows again, but this time my eyes skipped over the knife he was packing and
fell to his abs.
Damn! I doubt he got those by going to a gym.
The wilderness really was good for people.

He caught me staring and started laughing, which only brought out my feisty side.

“Listen, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I mean I really do, but I just don’t feel comfortable with…” I stopped unable to place the expression on his face. It was a mixture of amusement and gratification and something more.

“I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea,” I muttered. “You’re an amazing person
, and I’m sure whatever you did wasn’t that bad, but I just can’t get involved with someone that’s got this kind of baggage. I’ve got enough issues for the both of us.”

A few minutes of stunned silence surfac
ed as his caramel eyes twinkled with bewilderment. His lips parted slowly.

“You think I’m one of the campers?” he asked, angling his head.
His lips turned into a pulse-quickening smile, his eyes darkening a shade before he burst out laughing.

“You’re not?” I asked, completely
confounded.

“No way. My dad would totally kick my ass,” he said, unable to stop laughing.

“Then why are you here?” I’m sure I was completely red in the face, but it wouldn’t go away.

“I’m kind of like their handyman, and I know the region like the back of my hand.
It was easy money and good money at that. I did it a couple years in high school and this is my first year doing it in college. I actually get credit for it. The camp switched owners this year, and I’m not really thrilled with what they’ve changed so it’ll be my last summer here.”

“Oh.”

“That’s all I get is an ‘oh’?” he smiled, shaking his head.

“It makes a lot more sense now.” I
grinned and a bit more of my heart softened.

“So what changes pissed you off
enough to make this your last year here?” I asked, trying to shift the embarrassment and the desire that had started to run through me again.

“For starters, the tents. We had tiny cabins. They were probably more like sheds, but still… they weren’t tents.
A bear could get through them easily, but it was a little more of a deterrent.”

“So the tents are a new feature? Great! I’ve been talking myself into
falling asleep in them because I thought they’d already been here for years without problems. I’ve watched the Discovery channel enough to know that I should be scared to death.”