“You alright? You sound like you smoke a pack a day.”
He rolls his eyes and snags my water bottle, squirting a stream of water into his mouth. “So I’ve been a little lazy this summer and haven’t kept up with my cardio. Sue me.”
I snort. “I haven’t either, but you don’t see me huffing and puffing.”
“You’re a goalie, you just stand there and look pretty while the rest of us do the hard work.”
“Fucker.” I knock my shoulder into his, and he winks at me.
Matt comes over and drops down, lifting his shirt and wiping the sweat off his face. He grabs the ball and starts passing it from hand to hand. “Any new news with Hud’s stalker?”
“Ugh, worst topic of conversation,” I mumble, reclining back on my elbows.
Matt shrugs. “You’ve not mentioned it lately. Just thought I’d ask.”
My head falls back, eyes scrunched closed against the bright afternoon sun. “We definitely ruled out Mason—even dropped the charges. But other than that, nothing. Guys a ghost.”
“Did the cops find anything at the campsite?” Archer asks, squirting another sip of water into his mouth.
“They found all kinds of shit, but nothing that was definitive. It’s clearly this guy’s home base, though.”
“What does the detective think?” Matt pushes the ball away and stretches out his legs, crossing them at the ankle.
“That asshole claims he’s doing everything he can, but I think he’s pissed we dropped the charges on Mason. He wants someone to pin this on, and his easy target just walked free.”
“I have an idea.”
My eyebrow raises in question as I wait for Matt to tell me his grand plan.
“Why don’t we go scope things out?”
My pulse pounds in my ears, the thought of going back to the bridge so soon after my meltdown not ideal. My hands start to tremble, but I shake them out to release the excess energy.
Matt throws his hands up. “Relax, dude. I just thought maybe we could be a fresh set of eyes and see if the police missed anything. Besides, the guy could have gone back since the police were there. There could be new evidence.”
“That’s a stupid idea, Matt,” Archer remarks. “What if the guy is there?”
Matt shrugs again. “What if he’s not?”
I sit and contemplate for a second. By all standards, this may be the least dumb thing I’ve done in the name of finding Hud’s stalker.
Decision made, I’m on my feet before I realize I’ve even moved. “Let’s do it. Hud is supposed to be here soon, but I’ll call and tell him to meet us there instead.”
“That’s the spirit!” Matt stands and slaps me on the back, then turns to help Archer up.
“Are we going to regret this?” Archer asks, swiping dirt off the back of his shorts.
“We’re going to the river, not off to war. Relax.”
I shake my head at their bickering and pull up Hud’s contact and hit call. The guys follow me to my car, us all piling in.
It rings twice before the line clicks, Hudson’s shuttered exhale sending alarms blaring through my head.
“Hud? Baby? You okay?”
I listen in horror as Hud explains what that psycho did. It makes me more determined to find something useful today.
“I’m in,” Hud says after I tell him where we are going. “Do you have your gun?”
