8
Camila
If someone had told me when I took the job that I’d end up in a small-town bar on a Friday night with sawdust stuck to the soles of my boots—which I’d cleaned three times before coming in, of course—and a sassy young woman dragging me onto the dance floor, I would have laughed in their face.
And yet, here I am.
It all started with Maddie Strong. Of course it did. That woman is a public hazard to anyone’s mental health. Even more so in a town this size.
“You can’t keep holing up in your cabins as if the world were going to end tomorrow,” she told us a couple of hours earlier, leaning against the doorframe of my cabin with her arms crossed and that smile that brooks no refusal.
“Or well, maybe it will end, but if the apocalypse catches us, let it be with a nice cold beer in hand and a little dance in our hearts.”
Ethan, who was in his element, looked up from his tablet. His eyes sparkled with almost childlike enthusiasm.
“Our equipment might indeed meet its end,” he replied like the alarmist nerd he is. “The readings show some anomalies that…”
“Ethan, please, shut up,” I cut him off, rubbing my temples wearily. I didn’t need theories about the end of the world.
Kira sighed from her corner, letting her shoulders slump.
“Well, I think the cowgirl’s right,” she chimed in, nodding toward Maddie.
You can tell from a mile away that Kira’s American.
“We need to clear our heads. We’ve been staring at graphs for hours, and the numbers are already dancing before my eyes.
If we stay cooped up in here any longer, I’m going to end up talking to the sensors as if they were my best friends.
And you and I could dance for a while, don’t you think? ”
She said that to Ethan with a delightful smile on her lips.
I didn’t say anything. Because I’d been trying for hours not to think about Darana Calloway.
And that was a whole lot worse than talking to rocks.
Every time her sergeant’s face crept into my thoughts, my stomach did a somersault.
And I didn’t know why. She was an intruder in my head, a tyrant in a hat who ruled her own domain and seemed to have decided to dictate my future decisions as well.
“Just one drink,” Maddie insisted, pushing the door open with her boot and stepping fully into the room. “Just one. I promise I won’t hold you captive all night. Besides, Bennet, it would do you a world of good to remember that there’s life beyond your storms.”
I stared her straight in the eye. She held my gaze without blinking, defiant, with a spark of mischief in her eyes that immediately set my pulse racing. I felt the heat rising up my neck.
And in the end, I gave in.
“Just one,” I warned her, pointing a finger at her. “And we’re heading back soon. I don’t want any excuses tomorrow when we’re hungover and haven’t made any progress on the data.”
Maddie let out a laugh and took another step closer, tilting her head.
“I knew deep down you were an easy girl to convince, Bennet,” she teased with a feline smile that sent a silly shiver down the back of my neck.
Her eyes drifted down to my lips for a second before returning to my gaze.
“Though I like that side of you. The strict scientist who, every now and then, lets herself be swept away into the darkness. I promise to behave… or at least try to.”
“Come on, guys. One drink won’t kill us. And who knows, maybe we’ll even get Camila to really let loose for one night,” Kira said, winking at me.
I shook my head, but I couldn’t help letting a small smile slip out. Between the exhaustion and the constant tension Darana caused in me, the idea of going out—even if only for a little while—was starting to sound dangerously tempting.
“All right,” I finally agreed, looking her in the eye. “One drink. But no dancing—I’m more of an observer.”
Maddie smiled triumphantly.
“We’ll see about that, Bennet. You’d be surprised at what I’m capable of on a dance floor.”
Mistake number one of the night.
· · ·
The ‘La Espuela de Plata’ is packed to the brim.
The live country music reverberates off the walls, boots stomp against the floor with wild energy, and the atmosphere is an explosive mix of chaos and noise.
For someone like me, who needs things to be in their proper place, this bar is a logistical nightmare, but the truth is, it has a devilish rhythm.
I try to find an empty table, but before I can take a step, a familiar voice pulls me out of the commotion.
“Well, look who’s here!”
I spin around, and in the blink of an eye, Lily pulls me into a hug.
“You look amazing!” she shouts in my ear to be heard over the music, stepping back to look me up and down. “Though you look absolutely exhausted. What on earth have you been doing since you got here?”
“Studying the sky nonstop,” I say with a laugh, relaxing my shoulders.
“So the rumors were true, and you’ve dropped by these parts,” exclaims Joanie Blake, the town veterinarian—and Darana’s new best friend—as she pushes her way through the crowd with a pitcher of beer.
“The general’s welcoming committee is here.
I’m glad to see you’re still flesh and blood, Bennet.
We were starting to think you were a ghost.”
“That’s life,” I say, shrugging.
The song changes, and before I can say anything else, Maddie appears out of nowhere. She looks at me, her eyes sparkling beneath the bar’s lights, and grabs my wrist without warning.
“Let’s dance. Right now.”
“What? No, no, I don’t dance country, Maddie,” I protest, trying to break free from her grip, but she’s as strong as an ox.
“Tonight you’re dancing, my dear scientist. I’m going to loosen you up with a few spins.”
“Oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into? And where is everyone else?” I crane my neck like a giraffe and see, of course, that Kira and Ethan are also on the dance floor.
Before I can invoke my basic rights, Maddie has already dragged me into the middle of the dance floor. The beat of the music is lightning-fast and infectious, and the people around us are moving with an ease that I, for one, certainly don’t have.
“Just let yourself go,” Maddie urges me.
She’s standing too close. Her self-assurance is almost insulting as she sways her hips with astonishing confidence. I try to keep up with her so I don’t make a fool of myself, but it’s impossible.
“Don’t overthink it,” she whispers in my ear. “Let’s see if it turns out that you meteorologists don’t know how to handle high-pressure systems…”
I feel my cheeks burning.
“You’re shameless, Maddie Strong,” I mutter, though the situation makes me burst out laughing.
“Well, I think you love it.”
Damn it, she might be a little right. Because it’s fun. And so, I let myself go a little more, coordinating the movements of my boots. Maddie grabs me by the waist to spin me around, and my hands end up resting on her shoulders, feeling the warmth of her body through the denim of her shirt.
Suddenly, that internal alarm of mine—which I know by name—warns me that danger is lurking. I look up over Maddie’s shoulder and see Darana leaning against the bar next to Bert, holding a bottle of beer. She looks like the very picture of rural calm.
“What the hell is wrong with this woman now? Can’t I even go out for a damn drink without her watching me like I’m stealing her cattle?”
What a watchdog. She’s supposed to hate me, to not want to see me anywhere near her, and yet she goes around following me everywhere.
Honestly, her behavior makes no sense at all.
“Hey.” Maddie gives me a playful tap on the cheek, snapping me back to reality. “The fun’s right here in front of you, Bennet. Don’t let the scenery distract you.”
I’m about to answer her when the night takes a turn for the worse in the most ridiculous way possible. Thick, rough fingers reeking of cheap alcohol clamp down around my forearm, yanking me violently off the dance floor.
“Well, well, well… What a little gem we have here,” spits a burly guy, his foul breath hitting me. “The merry widow has come back to town looking for a little fun.”
“Let me go right now,” I order, struggling to free myself from his grip.
But the guy is too drunk, and the alcohol is clouding his judgment. He tightens his grip, digging his fingers into me with a nasty smile that turns my stomach.
“Come on, sweetheart, don’t play hard to get now—girls like you go crazy for the countryside…”
I don’t even have time to ram the heel of my boot into the instep of his foot.
Suddenly, a whirlwind in a light-colored shirt and a wide-brimmed hat cuts across the dance floor like a runaway truck.
There’s a thud, and the man’s body is sent flying backward, crashing into the wall of the bar with a colossal impact that makes even the ceiling lights shake.
The bar falls into absolute, deathly silence.
“What…?”
I turn my head and see Darana pinning the guy against the wooden planks, holding him by the lapels of his jacket with a hand that looks like a damn iron mace. Her face is just a few centimeters from his, and her eyes are no longer icy—they’re two blazing fires.
“Lay a single one of your fucking hands on her again…” Darana spits at him, sending shivers down my spine, “and I swear the next thing you’ll be biting into is the floor of my pens after I smash your skull in. Not to mention that you won’t find a job for miles around. Do you hear me, you bastard?”
The guy, who’s lost all his swagger in a millisecond at the sight of the beast holding him, blinks in terror and nods as best he can, unable to utter a word.
“And now get out of my sight before I decide I don’t want to wait until tomorrow to beat the living daylights out of you!” Darana roars, releasing him with a haughty shove.
Little by little, the murmur of the patrons begins to return, gossipy whispers spread, and curious stares fix on me. But I’m unable to move a single muscle. My heart is pounding with unbridled force, a deafening thump-thump echoing in my ears.
Darana remains standing in the middle of the dance floor, gasping for breath, her fists clenched at her sides and her gaze fixed on the floor, as if she were trying to process the tremendous scene she’s just caused.
“Go back to what you were doing!” she snaps.
Has the Hulk taken over her body or something?
In an instant, I walk over to her and grab her arm.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Summoning all my strength, I drag her off the dance floor, pulling her away from the stares of the whole town, who are already relishing the gossip of the year. And, of course, away from Ethan and Kira—you can bet they’re going to give me hell.
We walk through the narrow hallway of the bar next to the restrooms, and I push open the back door leading to the alley.
The cool night air hits us all at once. It’s dark, the silence is absolute, and the scent of earth softens the smell of alcohol from inside the bar a little.
I let go of her as soon as we step into the alley, but I stay just a few centimeters away, unable to walk off. Darana leans against the wall, taking off her hat to run a trembling hand through her hair as she tries to catch her breath.
“Are you completely out of your mind, Calloway?” I snap at her, putting my hands on my hips. “What was that all about in there? That man is twice your size, he was drunk, and you could’ve ended up in a massive fight over some fucking nonsense. Do you think I can’t defend myself?”
Darana jerks her head up and fixes me with a stare that still flashes with sparks in the dim light of the alley. She takes a wild step toward me, pinning me against the opposite wall and reducing the space between our bodies to absolutely nothing.
“Nonsense, Bennet? Do you think that was nonsense?” she growls, her voice rough.
“I wasn’t going to just stand by and watch that jerk try to act all tough, no matter how much half the town hates you,” she reminds me.
“Because this is my town, and in my presence, no one will dare treat you that way—is that clear?”
I’m speechless, blinking with my heart in my throat. Her closeness makes me dizzy.
“You didn’t have to step in like that, Darana,” I manage to say, crossing my arms over my chest. “Maddie was with me, and so were Ethan and Kira. I don’t understand why you’re putting on this little Western movie act.”
“Western movie?” Darana bursts out laughing, punching the air in frustration. “Come on, Camila! What you need to do is focus on your damn job and stop making a scene with people who work for me. You keep disrespecting this place.”
I’m stunned. Disrespecting it? What kind of nonsense is she spouting?
“You’re out of your mind. You’re looking for any cheap excuse to make my life miserable and control me. Does it bother you that I’m trying to take my mind off things and have a good time away from your orders?”
Darana takes another step forward, closing the few millimeters separating us until her warm breath hits me right on the lips.
“Nothing you do with your life bothers me, Bennet!” she roars, her eyes fixed desperately on mine.
“I couldn’t care less who you dance with or who you go off with.
All I want is for your presence not to affect the reputation of my property.
You’re an unbearable, capricious scientist, and I wish with all my heart that you’d never come back. ”
“Well, the feeling’s mutual, Calloway!” I snap back, digging my fingers into the fabric of her shirt.
Suddenly, I feel her heartbeat beneath my hand.
“You’re a stubborn, arrogant, and rude tyrant, and I wish I could pack up my sensors and leave your damn property tomorrow so I never have to see your face again! ”
Darana clenches her teeth, unable to take a step back. Neither of us understands what the hell is going on here, but the storm has just erupted in the middle of the night.
“Go to hell, Camila,” she snaps.
And with that, she turns on her heel and walks away.