Page 56
From the look of it, they don’t look like passing clouds that’ll just make the day a little grayer. No, those are rain clouds, and if my calculations are right, we should be under a solid downpour right in the middle of one of the hardest hikes of this trip.
This complicates things. We’ve been trudging through the forest for the past four days and haven’t seen a single spirit bear. Trevor is growing more impatient with each passing hour that brings us closer to the end of the first week of shooting.
I pour the water over the coffee, and as silently as I can, I grab my jacket and open the door. I zip it up to my chin when a cool, damp wind ruffles my hair. Yep, it’s gonna rain, all right. Just stepping outside for two minutes turns my skin sticky and frigid with the dampness clinging to the air.
Heavy rain will make the hike planned today highly dangerous, if not impossible. The path is narrow, steep, and tricky, even on a dry day. It’s not worth the risk of going up and cracking our heads open on a slippery rock.
I rub the nape of my neck. I’m not sure the news will go over well, but staying in is the safest option for today. We’ll postpone the hike till tomorrow if the skies clear.
The strong winds send a shiver down my spine, and I hurry back inside to find Charlee awake and standing in the kitchen-living-room-bedroom space, rubbing the sleep out of her beautiful eyes.
“Morning,” I say softly.
“Good morning,” she yawns. Cuteness embodied. “What are you doing up already?”
“I could ask you the same thing. Although if I remember correctly, you’re more of an early riser, right?” I hide a smile as I sip my coffee when I see the surprise register in her eyes.
She stretches her arm above her head, rising up on her tiptoes as if to distract me from her reaction. Even then, she’s still a good head and a half shorter than me. A thin strip of skin just above her hip bone catches my eye but disappears as soon as her arms fall back to her sides. I swallow and dart my eyes away.
“Right.” She looks out the window. “Doesn’t look like we’re gonna have a lot of sunshine today.”
“No. And to be honest, I don’t think we should head out there. Won’t be safe.”
Charlee grins. “When have I ever backed away because things got risky?”
“I’d venture to say never, but this is too dangerous. Even for you. We’ll be soaked to our bones, and we’d also risk damaging the equipment. It’s a bad idea.”
She seems to think about it before she nods. “You’re right, we should hold off. I trust your judgment, but it’s not me you’ll have to convince.”
I sigh, pushing my fingers through my hair. “I know.”
“Absolutely not.” Trevor slashes his arm through the air in a definitive way. Next to him, Charlee smirks, looking very smug.
“Trevor,” I start, holding my hands up, “I get that we have to follow the schedule but—”
“We can’t skip a day, Oliver,” he cuts in. “Especially because time is ticking, and you can’t seem to get us in front of one of those oh-so-special bears. I don’t care if it’s sunny, raining, or snowing. I don’t care if there’s a thunderstorm and aliens are upon us. I understand the risks, and that’s why you’re here. We’ll manage just fine as long as you stay ahead of us, showing the way.”
I don’t even know where to start with how wrong he is, how none of it makes sense. Charlee looks at me, one brow raised, as if waiting to see my next move.
I shake my head. I could use a little help here. This isn’t a game. “Listen, man, I can’t in good conscience sign off on this. Everyone’s safety should come before some stupid schedule. I’m sure we can find some wiggle room somewhere and rearrange.”
Trevor moves toward me, coming up so close that the smell of his menthol breath cools my face. “If I’m not mistaken, the one holding the purse strings is me. So if you want to see that nice, fat check at the end of this, you’ll do as I say.”
His voice is low, a threat from a man who wouldn’t dare step into my space like that if he didn’t hold that bargaining chip. Because like it or not, whether he knows it or not, the bastard holds my future in his hands. A gamble for him, but as it turns out, a paying one.
Still, I stand my ground. I won’t back down because some city exec thinks he can do my job better than I can. Not my style. “Fine,” I seethe, barely more than a whisper. “You want to go? Go. I don’t care if you’re drenched, if your teeth start chattering, or if you catch the worst cold of your life. But if one of them,” I say, pointing to Charlee and the crew behind him, my eyes not leaving his, “if one of them gets hurt because of the unsafe conditions you’re dragging us into, this will be on you. Understood?”
Trevor breaks the tension with a short laugh and slaps the side of my arm. “Hey, Oliver, come on, man. I was joking, relax.”
I hold his stare. “I’m not.”
His smile falters, but he schools his features before anyone else notices. “Okay. If anything happens, I’ll assume responsibility.”
I nod and walk past him, grabbing my bag. “Let’s go, then.”
Nobody, not even Charlee, dares to hazard another word.
Turns out, my prediction wasn’t completely accurate. The rain started pouring earlier than anticipated, about an hour after we had started our trek through the dense trees. We climb for hours on a steep and muddy path, water dripping from my hair and clothes and creating rills in the soil, despite the hood of my jacket being tied tight around my head. Time and again, Axel slips and has to catch himself on a rock or tree branch. Emma struggles with the camera, which is covered by a plastic tarp, the cumbersome gear slowing her down considerably. Everyone’s miserable, although no one admits it. Only Charlee is able to match my pace in the front, walking silently beside me.
