Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 114793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
I, on the other hand, considered digging a shallow grave for myself right there. I had two options: live a brave life in the bayou while suffering endless teasing for the rest of my life, or embrace the chaos and join the trainwreck.
I sighed and gave in—doubling over with laughter until my stomach hurt. Eddie was wheezing like he might never recover, and I was wiping tears from my face when I felt Webb behind me. He dropped down onto the grass and settled behind me, legs bracketing mine, his chest pressed flush to my back. His arms didn’t wrap around me, but his hands rested lightly on his thighs, his presence warm and grounding.
“I leave for five minutes,” he muttered into my ear, “and you’re out here telling people you’re fingering my holes.”
That set Eddie off again. He pointed between us, completely unhelpful. “I like this. This is good. Real couple vibes.”
Webb cleared his throat, probably to suppress a laugh. “All right, focus time. This is not the morning briefing I had in mind.”
Eddie sobered, still grinning but more grounded now. “I hit town this morning. Nobody’s seen the strangers, but I got a few kids hanging around near the edge of town, eyes open for anyone unfamiliar. They’ll text if they spot something.”
Webb nodded, jaw tight. “I don’t like that they’ve gone dark. They could be anywhere.”
“Yeah, they're too quiet,” Eddie agreed. “They’re either waiting for something or looking for a weakness.”
Webb ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s get a drone up. Say we’re nature freaks doing a little eco-watch for the bayou or something. They won’t think twice if we’re casual enough about it.”
I jumped to my feet. “I’ll grab my wig and cap.”
Webb looked up at me. “Put the wig in a bun this time, under the cap. Sunglasses, too.”
“Yes, boss man,” I saluted with mock seriousness, already jogging toward the house.
“Make it tight,” Eddie called after me. “Last time, it looked like you were hiding a family of possums under that thing.”
I flipped him off over my shoulder and disappeared inside. When I returned—wig twisted into a neat bun, black cap low over my brow, and my oversized round sunglasses in place—Webb and Eddie both turned to look at me.
Webb gave a low nod of approval, but Eddie stood slowly, brushing off his jeans. “You feel it?”
Webb’s eyes were scanning the trees now. “Yeah.”
I stilled and focused on what they were talking about. I could feel it—there was something in the air. Something tight and quiet. Like the whole bayou was holding its breath. And whatever it was, it was coming.
The midday sun had climbed high by the time we got everything ready. The drone case was slung over Webb’s shoulder, and Eddie had packed a pair of binoculars and some snacks into a battered canvas satchel like he was prepping for a nature walk. We set out through the woods, following an overgrown trail that ran along the edge of the bayou, all of us quiet and alert.
Birds chirped in the trees, and frogs croaked in the reeds, but underneath it, all was that same tension we’d all felt earlier—something wrong was humming low under the surface.
“This the spot?” I asked as we broke through the brush into a small clearing dotted with cypress knees and old mossy logs.
“High ground,” Webb said, already pulling out the drone and setting it on a dry patch of dirt. “Gives us enough range to cover the ridge line, the water, and the east edge of town.”
Eddie stood a few feet back, scanning the horizon through his binoculars. At the same time, I dropped down next to Webb and watched him power everything on.
“You’ve done this before?”
“Plenty.” He handed me the controller without looking. “You’re flying.”
My brows shot up behind my sunglasses. “Oh?”
“You’re the only one here who spent six months obsessively watching aerial footage of mountain ranges on YouTube,” he explained, smirking just enough to make my stomach twist in a good way.
“Touché,” I muttered, adjusting the thumb sticks.
The drone lifted off with a soft whirr, rising above the trees in a steady arc. I guided it up and out, letting the camera pan across the vast sprawl of trees, lazy waterways, and weather-worn buildings scattered in the distance.
We watched the monitor in silence for a while, the drone drifting over narrow trails and thickets, scanning for anything that didn’t belong. A flash of movement had all three of us tense, but it was just a deer crashing through the underbrush, startled by the humming overhead.
“I still think we should’ve painted it neon pink,” Eddie murmured, crouching beside me. “No one would suspect a drone that ugly.”
“We want people to think we’re bird nerds, not blind,” I shot back.
“Same thing.”
Webb leaned over my shoulder, pointing to a split in the trees near a long-abandoned barn. “There, get closer.”