Page 7 of The Stranger's Code

“You’re about to leave the property, I think?—”

“Right! I meant to ask you. Do you want to go on a photography hike with me? I’m trying to spot some owls, and an extra set of eyes always helps.”

“I thought you wanted me to show you to your cabin?”

“Yeah, that too. But we can save that for when we get back.”

“Teddy, this is kidnapping. You understand that, right?”

Teddy playfully scoffed. “Kidnapping? Since when do kidnappers take you to see the coolest owls in the world?”

I was about to protest my kidnapping yet again but decided against it. Even though I was supposed to be learning the ropes of cowboy-hood, there was something inside me that wanted to learn more about Levi, too. And even though Teddy seemed slightly out of his mind, if he was close to Levi, then in a weird way I wanted to be close to him.

“You know what, Teddy? Let’s go hunt some owls.”

Teddy shot me a horrified look.

“I meant, hunt to take pictures of them! Just taking pictures.” I tried my best to calm him down. “No one’s going to hurt an owl. I promise.”

* * *

“Aren’t most owls nocturnal?”I asked, as we climbed up a steep hill. “Are we going to camp out and then wait until nightfall?”

“Nope. We’re here for the day hunters,” he replied, somewhere behind me. “Better light for the photos that way.”

“How long have you been a wildlife photographer?”

“In spirit? All my life. In practice? Two years going on three.”

“What were you doing before this?”

“Have you heard of Bubble Cola?”

“I used to love those when I was a kid! All those fun flavors. You used to work for them?”

“Sort of. My granddad founded the company. The rest of us just live off the interest, whatever the investments bring in.”

“Teddy, are you telling me that you’re a billionaire?”

Teddy waved off the question with a smirk. “Don’t act so surprised! The Strattons bring in a pretty penny themselves.”

A few minutes later and we were fully up the hill. I sank down to the ground with a sigh, my legs burning from the climb. Teddy set up his camera right next to me, pulling all sorts of gadgets out of his backpack. Just as he took his place behind his camera, I felt a drop of water land right on my forehead.

Then another.

Then another.

I looked up at the sky just as it opened up in a full-on downpour. Teddy, panicked, began packing his camera up as fast as he could. When he was finished, we bolted down the hill. Of course, this turned out to be a huge mistake. What had been steady dirt beneath us climbing up the hill now turned to mud, causing both of us to slide down the hill instead. By the time we reached the bottom, we were covered in mud, little rocks, and debris, soaked through our clothes.

Still, the storm was unrelenting.

“We need to make it back to the car!” I shouted over the sound of it.

“In this weather? The trail has probably washed out!” Teddy shouted back. He pulled a radio out of his backpack, shouting at it, instead. “Levi! We need you! It’s me and Cameron Miller! Track us and find us! Please!”

* * *

I was shiveringwhen Levi found us.

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