Page 3 of Grumpy Special Ops Bear: Ep. 1
“So,” Halle whispered before we arrived at the table. “What do you think? Hot but creepy, right?”
I scrunched up my nose. “Hot, but not my type, and something’s definitely different about him. But I’m not sure I’d call him creepy.”More like unnerving.
The last time I’d felt like this, lions in the great African plains had surrounded me. I’d been out in the wild with clients when we’d come across a lion pride. In that moment of staring death in the face, I had felt just like this… as if I was in danger of being mauled to death at any moment.
I shook my head and tried to concentrate on the meeting at hand. “We’ll talk about this later,” I whispered to Halle.
When we eventually stopped, I took a long look at all of them and wondered why the hair along the back of my neck was suddenly standing on end. The impression from earlier intensified tenfold, and I tried not to wince. Glancing around, I looked for an air vent but didn’t see one.
After the introductions to four men and two women, Halle and I sat down at the table and started in on the details of the trip.
“So,” I began with a forced smile. “I hear from Halle that you’re looking to go on an adventure in Alaska?” I arched a brow. “A four-week camping trip, starting the first week of December? Quite an outing to take for beginners like yourselves.”
They all nodded, but Josh spoke. “Yes, we thought a get-together would help us bond. Some of us are new to the company. What better way to get to know your new colleagues than a camping trip out in the Alaskan wild? This has been a big year for us, and I thought it was time to celebrate our achievements uniquely.”
I scowled at his lighthearted speech. They all seemed excited, but none of them looked like they were used to surviving in the outdoors. The deep woods of Alaska is a rugged place, with no room for overzealous white-collar executives. Things could always take a quick turn for the worse, especially coming into this season. Huge snowfalls weren’t uncommon this time of year, and that brought a chance for storms and dangerously low temperatures.
“This isn’t just some ordinary camping trip you want me to plan, and I need to make sure you all understand this,” I emphasized, laying my hands flat on the table. “The wilderness in Alaska is dangerous. If you’re not careful, if you don’t play by the rules and follow my lead, you could end up hurt or dead.” I stared them down.
Except for Halle, everyone at the table seemed to twitch at my words, but none of them appeared worried.
Who are these fucking people?
From what Halle had explained, they had no experience with a trip like this, yet none showed the slightest bit of apprehension. I waited to see if anyone would respond to my words.
Once again, only Josh answered me. “We understand. Now, let’s go over our itinerary, shall we? We have a lot to plan and little time to get it all ready to go.”
I nodded, a bit unsettled by their reactions, as I tried to silence the warning bells jingling in my head. Every fiber of my body screamed that this trip was a clusterfuck waiting to happen.
Beckoning the server over, I said, “Please bring your wine menu.” I was going to need all the liquid courage I could get to soothe my suddenly frayed nerves. I just hoped my gut instincts were wrong.
Chapter 3
Trinity
The sky wasdark as pellets of icy snow beat against my body. My teeth chattered loudly from my drenched clothes as I pushed through the dense forest.
Despair and confusion clouded my mind.
Where am I?
With my body dragging, I felt like I had been walking forever with no destination. My feet slogged through the snow mixed with mud. The farther I plowed into the wilderness, the more concerned I became.
Keep going, Trinity,I repeated over and over in my head.
Pushing one snow-laden branch out of the path, I trod into a big clearing. I took one step and heard the ice cracking beneath my foot, then plunged into the frigid water.
“Help,” I croaked into the darkness.
I clawed at the edge of the hole but to no avail. It crumbled under my fingers as I sloshed about. I was becoming hypothermic as tears slid down my cheeks.
I was going to die—alone.
“Please,” I whimpered.
The trees around the clearing rustled, and a gigantic bear bounded through it. It roared while racing toward me. On its back were streaks of golden fur. Its teeth were terrifyingly huge, but its eyes… They were sky blue.
I shook my head in confusion. This couldn’t be right. Bears didn’t have blue eyes.
