Page 24 of Alokar
Then I saw Rodney trailing behind him, and my guilt evaporated.
Seriously?
Of all the men Hank could have recruited for his impromptu rescue mission, he’d chosen Rodney Hopkins. Maybe Hank was getting senile in his old age. How else could he have so completely overlooked my complicated history with the younger man? Rodney was only a few years older than me, but those years had made all the difference when he was in his twenties, and me in high school. He’d always harbored an interest in me. One I’d never reciprocated—something Rodney seemed incapable of understanding or accepting. To him, it wasapparently unthinkable that a woman wouldn’t be attracted to a guy who perpetually reeked of stale beer and poor life choices. When Rodney wouldn’t take no for an answer, my dad had to physically intervene. With my father gone, I guessed Rodney figured the playing field was wide open again.
“Hannah!” Hank called out, his voice carrying a jovial warmth, though I noticed his gaze kept drifting toward Ewok standing beside me.
“What are you doing here, Hank?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. “When you didn’t show up at the Granite Mountain trailhead, I assumed you’d decided not to come along.”
“I was worried about you,” Hank replied, his weathered features creasing with genuine concern as his eyes flickered between Ewok and me. “You’ve been gone almost a week, Hannah.”
I lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. “Hunting takes time—you know that better than anyone.”
“We thought you were out here all alone,” Rodney interjected, his pale blue eyes narrowing as they fixed on Ewok with something that looked distinctly like jealousy. A cloying, sweet spiciness overlaid his usual sour beer stench, as if he’d tried to mask his natural odor with cheap cologne instead of bathing.
Ewok shifted closer to my side, his presence both protective and reassuring. I reached out and placed my palm against his enormous bicep, hoping the possessive gesture would send a clear message to Rodney. “Hank, Rodney, this is Ewok,” I said, my voice steady. “He’s a hunter I hired to help metrack the grizzly.” It wasn’t a total lie, but as much of the truth that I felt comfortable telling.
Ewok extended his hand with the natural ease of any Earth-born man, his movements fluid and confident.
“I remember you from the bar,” Hank said, grasping Ewok’s hand in a firm shake, his eyes widening slightly at the obvious strength in his grip. “You’re a big one. Ewok, huh? That’s an interesting name.”
“My parents were Star Wars fans,” Ewok replied smoothly, shooting me a sly, conspiratorial grin that made me bite back a laugh.
“I’m a pretty good tracker myself,” Rodney announced, puffing out his chest in a display of masculine posturing that made me want to roll my eyes. “And I know these parts better than any outsider. Saw quite a bit of grizzly sign on our way up the mountain.”
“Not the right grizzly,” Ewok stated with quiet confidence. Rodney’s mouth opened as if he wanted to argue, but he seemed unable to formulate a response.
“Where are you headed now?” Hank asked. Though he didn’t mention that we were traveling away from the area where my father was killed, I read it in his expression.
“Skadulgwas Peak,” I replied, lifting my gaze toward the snow-covered summit rising in the distance, its white cap gleaming like a beacon against the azure sky. “We heard rumors of grizzly attacks at the new archaeological site.”
Hank’s face held the faintest trace of skepticism, but he snorted and nodded. “Think we’ll throw in with you for a bit ifyou don’t mind the company. I wouldn’t mind getting a shot or two at a grizzly myself.”
“Seen any Bigfoot sign while you’re at it?” Rodney asked with a mocking smirk that immediately set my teeth on edge. He’d always made jokes about my father’s belief in the cryptid. “You know the rumor going around town is that it was Bigfoot, not a grizzly, that destroyed the dig camp.”
“We are tracking the creature that killed Hannah’s father,” Ewok said evenly, his honey-brown gaze boring into Rodney with an intensity that could have melted steel. “Whatever it may be.” The quiet menace in his voice was unmistakable.
Rodney’s smug expression crumbled as he snapped his mouth shut and took a full step backward, clearly intimidated. If Ewok hadn’t already carved out a place in my heart, this moment would have dug him in deep.
Everyone fell into step behind my lead, our small procession winding along the narrow mountain trail. Rodney couldn’t lead someone from the bar to the bathroom, and I don’t think Ewok would have had it any other way.
Of course, that just gave Rodney the perfect opportunity to make himself a complete nuisance.
“How’s it hanging, Hannah?” Rodney tried to sidle up beside me, his boots scuffing on the path. Thankfully, the narrowness of the trail and Jubal’s considerable girth prevented any real closeness.
“I just buried my father, Rodney. How do you think it’s going?” I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut as I kept my eyes fixed on the trail ahead.
“Yeah. I’m really sad about that.” I’d heard him speak with more genuine emotion when asking for another beer. His tone was flat, perfunctory, like he was reading from a script he’d memorized but didn’t believe. “You know, I noticed there were some logs splitting loose on your cabin last time I was up that way. I could stop by and fix it if you want. You’re gonna need a guy to help you now that you’re all alone.”
I whipped my head around to glare at him, my hair swishing with the movement. The only way anyone came by my cabin was if they were up there on purpose—it wasn’t exactly on a main road or hiking path. How many creepy drive-bys had Rodney done? The thought made my skin crawl.
“You can cook me dinner as a thank you,” he suggested with a leering grin that revealed teeth stained yellow from years of cigarettes, cheap beer, and poor hygiene. Not a bad suggestion, actually. I had some rat poison tucked away in the cabinet somewhere.
I turned my head, mentally composing a scathing retort that would hopefully send him scampering back down the mountain with his tail between his legs, when Ewok suddenly shouldered himself between the two of us with such deliberate force that Rodney stumbled sideways, his arms windmilling as he fought to keep his balance. I nearly laughed out loud at the sight. Bertha chose that exact moment to bray rather obnoxiously, as if she were adding commentary to the situation. I loved that mule.
“Hey, man?” Rodney scowled up at Ewok’s towering form, puffing himself up like a rooster facing down a hawk,as though he might actually appear threatening to someone of Ewok’s impressive stature.
“I’m sorry,” Ewok said with silky smoothness, his voice carrying the kind of polite menace that made smart people back down immediately. “I need to speak to Hannah regarding our plans after I kill the grizzly.”
