“Hey, can I help?” she asked.
When he looked up, he sighed.
“Oh, my God! Yes! I came here to take some pictures to show my fiancé. I came here a few months ago, and I told her what it was like, and now, she wants to do our wedding pictures here. I was in town, and I thought I’d get pictures for her.”
She moved closer.
“You broken down?”
He was honest.
“I got some great photos, and then, I tried to start this car, and it wouldn’t start. I can’t call the rental place because I have no reception. I must be in a dead zone.”
Yeah, she was aware. He was pretty deep on the reservation, and in certain spots, there was very little service.
“I think I’m screwed unless I start walking.”
Yeah, she didn’t want him to do that. Again, Natives liked to hunt at all times of the night, and it was still within the window of being allowed. The last thing she needed was a non-Native being killed.
So, she clued him in.
“Well, the good news is I’m the chief of police. The bad news is you’re not calling from anywhere near here. I have to get you closer to the main road for that to happen.”
He kicked the tire.
“I fucking hate technology,” he stated. “Oh, sorry. Pardon my language. Let it be known that no good deed goes unpunished,” he admitted. “I should have just suggested we get our pictures taken on the cruise ship. Thank you for saving me.”
She waved it off.
“I don’t know much about cars, but I can give you a lift to the hotel, and you can call from there.”
He sighed.
“Oh, can you? It’s a rental, so I can give them a call and have it towed back. Oh, am I going to have a harshly worded conversation with them, too?YES. Is it so much to service your rentals between customers?”
Honestly, she didn’t mind.
In the back of her mind, she was thinking about what Caspian had said, but the guy didn’t look like a serial killer, and his story made sense.
Plus, she was armed.
He.
Was.
Not.
She doubted a serial killer was going to wear a cardigan and loafers. That seemed counterproductive.
“So, you say you took pictures?” she asked.
He nodded and handed her his phone without hesitating. Once she had it, Rayna scrolled through them and even checked out the other photos. They were of him and a pretty girl. She looked at him like he was her whole world.
“Is that your fiancée?” she asked. “She’s beautiful.”
He sighed.
“Yeah, that’s her. I’m marrying up. I got damn lucky, and that’s why I’m willing to be standing here in the dark taking pictures of the woods. She wants a magical fairy backdrop for pictures. What the lady wants, the lady gets.”
