Page 4 of Saved

“Let me be clear.” My smile was forced, but I doubted he was smart enough to notice.

I’d been dealing with annoying little pricks like James—men who thought the contents of their wallets abdicated them from personal responsibility—for too long. I knew their types and the hazards their egos could muster in the wilderness if left unchecked.

“If you want me to be in charge of your health and safety, then you follow my rules. That’s how I keep you alive.”

“I understand.” James’s chin rose. “But we wanted someone to lead us, not control our every movement.”

He glanced around, expecting his cronies to take up his cause, and inevitably, the blonde, Chelle, did just that.

“We want to take pictures!” She piped up. “And maybe have a little time to ourselves...” Her gaze slid to James in the least subtle gesture I’d ever witnessed. My stomach churned at the idea of the two of them coupling in the woods. None of the wildlife deserved to be witness to such an atrocity. “Will that be possible?”

“That depends.” The short answer was no, but seemingly, it would be too difficult for some of them to comprehend.

“On what?” James demanded.

“On how you behave.” I speared him with my scowl. “If you get into trouble up there, it’s on me. That means I’d like us to all stay together until I can trust you.”

“Trust?” The guy who hadn’t identified himself burst into laughter. “Gee, James, I hadn’t realized what a fun-loving guy our guide would be.”

“Me neither.” James shook his head, disdain oozing from him.

“Want to know how ‘fun-loving’ the forest is?” I turned my attention to James’s friend. “Do you know how many guys just like you went into the woods last year and never came home again?”

Usually, I reserved my horror stories for when energy levels were starting to wane, but this lot was pushing all my buttons before we’d even left the bridge. They deserved the brutal reality check.

“People d-die up there?” Chelle gazed past me with nervous brown eyes.

“That’s right.” Scanning the assembled tourists, I noticed the blood drain from their complexions. Even the red-faced Erin looked suddenly pale.

Good.

I liked to set expectations before we left the bridge. They might as well know what they were getting into.

“Every year, the wilderness claims its sacrifices.” I rolled back my shoulders.

“Sacrifices?” Erin glanced around the trees nervously.

“That’s what the locals believe.” I definitely had their attention. “They say the gods only allow them to live in such beautiful surroundings if they pay the blood sacrifice. Once upon a time, that meant selecting their own people, but now, with so many tourists...”

Pausing, I suppressed a smirk as four concerned faces waited for me to go on. Therewerenatives deep in the forest, and it was true a number of naïve hikers did fall foul of the terrain, but the rest was all a product of my juicy imagination. The tale worked, though, captivating my audience as it warned those about to step foot in the forest of the potential risks. “Well, let’s just say the indigenous people can live in peace nowadays.”

“I don’t remember reading anything about any indigenous people,” James scoffed. “Are you sure about all of this?”

“All you’re proving is that you need to do better research.” I was going to have fun bringing that jerk down a peg or two. “There’s been a tribe of people living in these parts for more than a thousand years and they only accept the constant intrusion and pollution of tours like ours because the inevitable consequences appear to appease their gods.”

James’s brows knitted as though he wanted to argue but had finally realized he had nothing smart to say.

“The environment can be inhospitable,” I went on, “and the weather can change fast, so it’s imperative you stay with me and listen to my instructions. Do you all understand?”

I glanced from James to the other three, waiting for someone to summon a wisecrack, but to my surprise, my question was only met with contrition.

“I understand,” Chelle started. “Thanks for letting us know how serious this can be.”

“Is,” I corrected. “Thisisserious. Listen to what I tell you and I’ll get you out of here safely, but nature can still be dangerous. It should be respected.”

“We get it,” James replied after a moment. “And okay, we’ll stay close and listen.” He looked around the group as if he was the leader, but I had the sense only Chelle was hanging on his every word.

“And you?” My focus flitted to the other guy. “What’s your name?”

---