Page 39 of Vacation Friends

At the Kauai Adventures Basecamp, the group gathered around Hilo, their guide, as they were given instructions about how to operate the side-by-side. Josh claimed he’d driven UTVs plenty of times and checked his phone, citing something urgent.

Typical Josh.

Logan was on this trip, as well as Darla, board member Tom McLemore, and head of technology William Wright. She didn’t recognize anyone else.

When Hilo finished, everyone climbed into their respective vehicles and pulled bandanas over their mouths so they wouldn’t breathe dust. Josh had insisted on driving, which was fine with Maddie. She sat in the passenger seat and snapped her seatbelt in place.

All the perfunctory warnings they’d been given before leaving did nothing to make her feel better. It seemed as if the guides had to go over every possible scenario of what could go wrong.

Now all those situations lingered in Maddie’s mind: Tipping over. Driving off a cliff. Ramming the vehicle in front of them.

The possibilities seemed endless.

“Let’s ride!” Hilo called.

Josh looked over at her and grinned, looking like a little boy at Christmas. “Are you ready for this?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

He pulled the bandana over his face, pressed the accelerator, and let out a whoop as they zoomed away.

Brody and Adrienne’s side-by-side was near the front of the group, Bree and Fowler were behind them, and Maddie and Josh had been placed closer to the back.

As the ride went on, Maddie found herself relaxing as they bumped along on the trail. Lush mountains loomed above them. Jungle foliage swept by on either side. On occasion, she got a glimpse of the sparkling Pacific in the distance.

Maybe yesterday had been a fluke. Maybe it wasn’t a sign of how horrible this trip would be.

Maybe being in Kauai would be a good thing.

The group stopped as they reached a particularly treacherous area of the trail. Hilo had already explained that this downhill section was steep with a ten-foot drop off on one side. For that reason, they would all go down vehicle by vehicle.

They waited their turn.

As they did, Maddie’s phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen. It was a message from an unknown number.

Jeepers Creepers.

She squinted. Jeepers Creepers? What did that mean?

How odd.

Before she could ruminate on it too long, Josh said, “It’s our turn. Hold on!”

He pressed the accelerator, and the side-by-side lurched forward, headed down the steep trail.

Halfway down, a bang split the air.

The side-by-side tilted toward the embankment beside her.

Maddie gasped and clutched the grab bar in front of her to steady herself.

Had a tire blown? That was her best guess.

“What the . . .” Josh muttered as the UTV careened out of control. His face reddened as he gripped the wheel, his shoulders locked in place as he struggled to steer.

His efforts didn’t seem to do any good.

She and Josh headed straight for the drop-off.

---