Chapter Two
Falcon
“Thanks for letting me borrow your sleeping bag, Austin,” I tell my best friend as I throw the gear into my truck. “I didn’t count on Titan running off with mine without asking. I’ve told my brother a million times not to touch my stuff without permission, but he’s stubborn as hell.”
“That’s okay. I’m not going camping anytime soon now that Casey and I have a baby on the way. Keep it as long as you want.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” I look up at the sky and see that the sun is already past its highest point of the day. “I’d better get going. I want to get a decent amount of miles in before the sun sets. Say hi to Casey for me, okay?”
“Will do. Have a safe hike, buddy.”
I slam the door of my truck closed and make my way to the supply shed of RidgeRoam Adventure Tours, the company I co-own with my brothers Titan, Blaze, and Skyler. Our shed, which started small, has grown into a full-sized supply barn over time. Today, it houses everything from kayaks and lifejackets to tents and other gear for our multi-day hikes. It has all the supplies we need, except for stuff like sleeping bags. We always ask our customers to bring their own for hygiene reasons.
This weekend, I’m scouting out a section of the mountain to transform it into a beginner-friendly wilderness multi-day hiking trail. I’ll be camping at various spots overnight to determine the best route for hikers who have never done this before, as well as examining the terrain, accessibility, and safety.
I absolutely love my job. The variety is sublime. One day, I’m leading people up the mountain to enjoy an easy hike, and the next day, I’m fighting with white water rapids on Bison’s Belly—the local river. And the day after that, I could be coaching a group of hikers who want to train for trails like The Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail. Starting RidgeRoam Adventure Tours was one of the best ideas my brothers and I ever had.
I park my truck at the shed and grab the big lock that keeps our gear safe when I catch movement out of the corner of my eye. Something fluffy and white is hiding behind the stack of kayaks we store under a shelter outside.
I let go of the lock and approach the shelter when the white creature moves again. Only this time, I realize it’s not an animal but a person.
“Stop right there,” I shout while I get my phone out of my pocket. “Don’t try to run. I’m calling the cops.”
I have Sheriff McLeary on speed dial, so all it takes to get a patrol car over here is pushing one button.
“Wait,” the person, clearly a woman, says.
She appears from behind the kayaks. My eyebrows shoot up when I see she’s wearing a wedding dress. It’s stained, and the fabric is torn in certain places, but I can tell it’s expensive. And fuck. Despite her disheveled appearance, she’s breathtaking.
“Please don’t call the police. I swear I can explain,” she says in a shaky voice.
I lower the phone and cross my arms over my chest. “Explain me this. You didn’t see the private property sign out there? You didn’t think the gate was there for a reason? How did you get in here, anyway?”
Her bottom lip trembles, and the sight punches me in the gut. I might’ve been too hard on her. The woman is clearly not doing great.
“I’m Iris. I…” She swallows. “I ran away from my wedding because I caught my fiancé cheating on me. I didn’t want to face him or my family. It was an impulsive decision, but I can’t go back now. If you call the cops on me, they’ll bring me back.”
I clench my hands into fists. Cheating is never okay. I get that relationships don’t always go how people want them to go, but a real man would have the balls to end things before diving into bed with someone else. What kind of asshole would cheat on a woman like Iris? She’s the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen. Only a fool would turn his back on someone like Iris. I’m glad she found out. He doesn’t deserve her.
“I get that you never want to see your fiancé again, but shouldn’t you go back and talk to your parents? They’re probably worried sick.”
She shakes her head. “Knowing my family, they’ll try to convince me to marry him, anyway.”
“Fucking hell,” I mutter. “Are you sure? Why?”
A tear runs down her cheek, and she angrily wipes it away. “Because reputation and status are all they care about. No need to look so shocked. It’s how I grew up. I should’ve known this wedding was too good to be true. Can you help me? Please?”
“With what?” I ask, unsure how to improve this situation for her.
“Run away. Further away. It’s only a matter of time before Daddy finds me. Well, not him personally, but he has friends in high places. I bet the local cops are already out looking for me. I turned off my phone so they couldn’t track me, but that won’t stop them, only delay them a bit.”
I frown. “You want to become a fugitive? And you want me to be your accomplice?”
“All I need is a few days to clear my head and sort things out. Could you please let me sleep in your shed?”
I shake my head. “No fucking way.”
Her face falters. “Oh. I see.”
“The shed is no place to spend the night. You’ll be cold and lonely. I’m taking you up the mountain with me. I was heading out there anyway for a hike.”
“Really? Thank you,” she says.
The relief on her face makes me weak in the knees. I didn’t know she existed half an hour ago, but now I can’t think of a better way to spend the next few days than with her.
“Do you have any other clothes with you?”
“Not really. Just some clean underwear.”
I open the shed”s lock and tell her to follow me inside. “There’s a lost-and-found box on the shelf in the corner there. Why don’t you pick something out while I grab a tent and other supplies?”
“Thank you….” She gives me an expectant look.
“Falcon,” I say.
She smiles and walks over to the lost-and-found box, her dress rustling as it touches the concrete floor.
I grab a lightweight tent, a set of cooking pots, two mugs, and a few ropes. The rest of the gear is in my truck. Except… Shit. I only have one sleeping bag. How are we going to camp without an extra one? I shake my head. I guess those are worries for later. If we don’t get a move on, the cops might find Iris. I grab two extra blankets and throw them in the back of my truck. We’ll figure the rest out later.
I fire off a quick message to my brothers in our private RidgeRoam Adventure Tours messaging app to tell them I might be gone longer than a couple of days. They won’t find it suspicious since I do these kinds of hikes all the time, but they do need to know I’m out there in case something happens. Rule number one of mountain life is always telling someone your whereabouts.
I pocket my phone, and Iris joins me outside with a pile of clothes in her hands. “Should I put these on now?”
“Let’s not waste any precious time. We should just go.”
“You’re right.”
I lock the shed and turn to her. “Ready?”
She nods. “You have no idea.”
“Let’s go then.”
I hop behind the wheel and gun it out of there with screeching tires before anyone has the chance to track us down.