Page 72 of Lady and the Camp
He scoffed. “Did you hear me agree?”
I hadn’t. Only Pete and Preston agreed. Figured.
“Call the others in,” I told my cousin.
Matteo hollered for a game break. The rest of the teams emerged from the woods and gathered. Hudson jogged over, looking at Marcy first, then me. I moved to her side and rested a hand at her shoulder. I wanted to wrap her in a bear hug but chose restraint to not freak her out. “Did you see anybody? Someone outside the group walking around?”
“Someone, like a trespasser?”
I nodded. She shook her head and her brow furrowed.
Matteo broke into recap. His version of events unfolded with more drama than necessary, and he hadn’t even seen the guy.
“Pete and I didn’t recognize him,” I said. “The Trail Blazers have new hires we don’t know.”
Robby sneered. “Who sneak in, looking at our women?”
“We are notyour women,” Marcy shot back. “I’m older than you and I will take you down if I have to.”
Robby’s face didn’t break into his usual smirk when she challenged him. “Nobody messes with my sister. Or her friends. Or my family.”
“We sneaked into the Trail Blazers’ camp,” Hudson said, glancing at me. “And we were caught. Maybe it’s retaliation?”
Pete whipped toward me. His jaw tightened. “What were you doing sneaking around the other camp?”
I knew this would come back to bite me. “It was a mistake—”
“And why didn’t you ask me?” he asked with a sly grin. “I’ve been itching to go over there and wreck something. You know what that punk Brycen said to me?”
“Brycen is that guy who sold you out, cousin?” Robby ground a fist in his palm. “Do we need to go over there and have words?”
Yes, yes, we did. But that was for me to do. Alone. Not with this amped up crew.
Marcy shot a look to her brothers. “Will you guys settle down? You’re acting like untrained house pets.”
The brothers muttered as Marcy continued to chastise them.
Hudson’s face paled. “Thank goodness the kids aren’t here.”
The kids.If camp had been in session while some creep lurked in the woods, my problems would be much bigger. We didn’t know for sure he’d come from the other camp, but it provided the most logical explanation.
Across from me, Patrick paced, seeming to need an outlet for his sudden onset of stress. “We need to deal with this.Now.”
Jillian raised her hand. “It’s the middle of day. The sun is out. Could he have been a lost hiker?”
“Then why’d he run?” Pete asked.
Patrick’s fists clenched. “And why was this man watching Marcy. And…and her friend.”
Marcy flashed a look at Patrick I couldn’t read. She moved to Hudson and spoke low.
I looked between them. “You two better come clean if you know something.”
Hudson couldn’t hide her emotions—her guilt flared like a sunburn. “I’m sure it’s nothing. I got worried about something for a second.”
Thoughts came rapid fire. Hudson running from her glamorous life after her public breakup. Staying off the internet unless it was camp related. She came here to hide. Maybe more existed to this hiding.
If there was more, then she was using us. Using this camp. Was she using me too? And to what end?
