BUTCH

“It’s okay. I come in peace.”

About twenty minutes into my hike, I hear a woman’s soft voice echoing off the water. I slow my pace. As the path curves around a clump of trees, a light blue color flashes through the dark green pine needles. I look through the branches. The blue is hair—human hair—attached to a woman.

She’s crouching on some flat rocks about ten feet from the shore—holding her hand out to something. I shake the branches to give her warning that someone’s near. She glances over her shoulder when she hears the rustling, but then turns back around. I edge around the trees to get a better look at what she’s trying to touch.

“Holy shit!” I yell, running toward her. “Don’t touch the raccoon!”

She whips her head around to me and screams. She tries to stand up but slips on the rocks and falls backward into the lake. Despite the water only being knee-deep, she somehow manages to submerge herself completely.

“Don’t take another step!” she says, sputtering as she surfaces. “I have pepper spray!”

I stop and watch her splash around for a minute. She finally pulls an arm out of the water. There’s a key chain attached to her wrist. She grabs a pepper spray canister and points it at me. In the time it took her to do that, I could have killed her at least five times.

“First, don’t tell your enemy what weapons you have,” I say, shaking my head. “Make them guess so they’re unsure. Second, have the weapon ready at all times. It took you way too long to access it. And third, that canister was just submerged in water. It’s not going to spray.”

“You don’t know that.” She glares at me as she tries to stand up. She winces and grabs at her back. “And I didn’t tell you all of the weapons I have on me.”

“Yes, you did,” I say as I take another slow step toward her. “If you had anything better than pepper spray, you would have led with that.”

“Stop!” Her face forms into the fiercest glare I’ve ever seen. I think that look is probably her best weapon. I stop walking.

“Are you hurt?” I put my hands in the air to make her feel like she has a little control.

“No, I’m not hurt,” she hisses. “Turn around and walk away. Now.”

“I think you’re hurt. Your back maybe?” I take off my cap and smile at her. My mom always tells me that I have gentle eyes. She’s the only person who’s ever told me that, but it’s worth a try.

“What are you doing with your face?” she says, still holding the spray rigidly in front of her. “Stop looking at me like that. I’m going to call my friend. He’s an Army Ranger. He’ll be out here in two minutes to kick your ass.”

“Two minutes? We’re at least twenty minutes from town. And again, don’t give away information. For all I knew, there was a group of people around the corner. Now I know you’re alone.”

“I’m not alone.”

“Stop trying,” I say, holding up my hands again. “You’re no good at this. Is your friend Nash Young?”

“Maybe,” she says, her eyes narrowing. “Do you know him?”

“No. I pulled that name out of thin air.”

“You’re sarcastic.” She stands up slowly—still clutching at her back. “I like sarcasm.”

“Then, girl, you’re going to love me.” I pull out my phone. “Do you want me to call Nash? You obviously don’t have a phone.”

“You don’t know that.” She pats her dress and then looks down at the water.

“Did your phone fall into the lake?” I say, taking a few more steps toward her. “Do you want me to help you look for it?”

“Stop!” Her arm holding the canister flies up. She winces again as she bends over and pulls her phone out of the water. She looks down at it and then back up at me.

“Is it dead?”

“No.” The fierce look floods over her face again. “I just don’t want to use up my battery, so yes, please call Nash.”

“You’re seriously so bad at this,” I say as I sit on a rock. “I’m not coming any closer. What’s Nash’s number?”

“I don’t have his number, but I have Elle’s—his girlfriend. I mean his fiancé. But she never answers calls from unknown numbers.”