Page 93 of Lady and the Camp
I sort of hated how our minds were so in sync. But maybe that was my crusty grudge talking. It sure wasn’t interested in letting go. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Hudson will come too. Bring anyone you’d like. We can fit three in my truck—”
“Lucas.” Brycen grinned, shaking his head. “I’ve got my boat.”
Chapter 30
Hudson
Wecutacrossthelake in Brycen’s speed boat, making quick time. I practically heard the urgency of a clock ticking down. But to what? And how much time did we have?
Brycen brought along one of his staff, a buff guy who bragged about his martial arts skills and proficiency with nunchucks. Which he carried with him. My life was now a full-on action-adventure movie.
Or maybe a parody of an action movie. Because our A-Team was about to go S.W.A.T. on a children’s camp.
After docking the boat, we hopped out and followed Lucas toward the heart of camp. His friend working security met us by the main fire pit.
“Sorry, man,” he told us. “I wish I’d caught the guy.”
“You did exactly what I hired you for.” Lucas clapped a hand against the guy’s back.
We arrived at my cabin. Mr. Nunchucks insisted on going in first with Lucas and Brycen right behind.
“Watch for that mud,” Lucas called over to me.
I was last in and couldn’t help the gasp that escaped. Cushions angled off the couch. Anything not nailed down was out of place or tipped over. I stood, frozen, taking it in.
Lucas laid a gentle hand at my shoulder. “You should take a look at the bedroom. See if you notice anything missing.”
The tiny room was even more a disaster than the living room. Sheets and blankets wadded on the floor, drawers open with clothes strewn across every available surface.
A small jewelry pouch gaped open and my accessories scattered across the floor. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces twisted together.
This was a violation. This was our space, mine and Maggie’s. Our small, private space to recuperate.
My hideaway.
Someone had torn through our belongings on a mission, but for what?
“Do you have valuables?” Brycen asked.
I shook my head numbly. “Unless this guy was looking for a high-end face serum. My nicer jewelry and a handbag are locked in the camp office Nothing too extravagant.” I crouched and picked up a locket gifted to me by my grandmother on my sixteenth birthday. It lay tangled with a beaded bracelet. I breathed in relief. It wasn’t broken. I hadn’t worn it in months, but I’d never meant for it to be tossed around carelessly.
Lucas paced outside the bedroom door. “The cabin doesn’t have a TV. Maggie has a laptop, but look—it’s charging at the table in the kitchen.”
Brycen joined Lucas in the other room. I wandered out after them.
“If this was a smash and grab, they would have taken the laptop,” Brycen said. “They would have broken into the office. Was the office hit?”
Lucas’ security guy bypassed Nunchucks, who practiced stealthy poses by the front door. “The office is secure. No signs of breaking or entering.”
“What about the owner’s cabin?” Lucas asked.
His friend shook his head. “Didn’t check there, sorry. Is that past the office?”
Lucas nodded.
My throat tightened and the room grew blurry. This intruder hadn’t come here to steal obvious things like electronics. They were looking for something and came all the way into camp to seek it out.
A shout sounded from outside, followed by the bang of a distant door.
