Page 45 of Bearly Familiar


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Rene rushed up and down, checking every single room. The bedrooms, the three bathrooms. There was even a Jacuzzi outside in the backyard, with hot water.

“I always wanted to try one of these!” she bubbled at the sight of the Jacuzzi.

“I knew you’d like it,” Hyde smiled, appearing right next to her.

“Can we try it now?”

“Later,” Hyde had to calm down her excitement. “First, there is a place Jesse and I wanted to show you.”

“Are we going hiking then?”

“Yes, put on your best shoes and let’s go.”

About an hour later, Rene was still breathing heavily when they reached a little clearing. She bent down and rested her hands on her knees. She didn’t expect to be this much out of shape. As she was trying to catch her breath, suddenly she felt a hard slap on her ass. She immediately straightened herself up and turned around to see who it was.

It was obvious. Jesse had that mischievous look on his face, while Hyde looked innocent as always. He was probably enjoying the view, while Jesse thought of being naughty.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t resist,” Jesse flashed a row of his pearly whites and only now did she realize how long his canine teeth were.

“I think it’s only fair that I do it now, too,” Hyde added, grinning.

“Don’t I get any say in this?” Rene laughed.

Instead of a reply, Hyde walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulder. Jesse hugged her from behind. They just stood there for a few moments, one with nature, and one with each other. There was nothing to say. Nature awakened slumbering thoughts and ideas within them, and one look was enough to reveal all. She enjoyed having their arms on her, like a shield that would protect against anything. She felt safe. She felt loved.

“This is my favorite place in the whole world,” Hyde revealed, his gaze was fixated on a spot in the distance. “The view calms me. It allows me to see

the world for what it really is. I tend to forget that very often. I think many of us do. But, being here, surrounded by pure nature, untouched by man, is always an eye-opening experience for me, showing me what really matters in life, what is worth fighting for.”

Rene turned and kissed him on the cheek.

“I couldn’t agree more,” she whispered.

“You know, as someone who lives longer than you do, you’d think that we know these things, that in all the years we’ve lived, we came to this conclusion, but we didn’t. We are just like you. We are blinded to many things. We are an easy prey to worry, to greed, to corruption.”

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just live the rest of our lives out here?” Rene suddenly asked, not really thinking this question through.

Hyde lowered his gaze. He didn’t say anything.

“I don’t want to escape society. I already escaped one I didn’t like, and it keeps running after me, haunting me. I sometimes feel like every day is just another chance for Culore to come at us, like he did that night. I don’t even know if I’m able to keep my own son safe from them.”

“Don’t say that,” Jesse spoke up. “That’s not true and you know it.”

“My friend,” Hyde placed his hand on Jesse’s shoulder, “you’ve been with me through thick and thin. You know what I’m talking about. You also know that Culore will never stop. It will be him or us. I made Parker’s home safe. I did my best. If anyone breaks in there, the police and the security company will be notified immediately. I installed the same system in my own home, too. But, is that really enough?”

“What do you mean?” Rene asked.

“I can’t follow him around 24 hours every day. I can’t keep him safe all the time. We need to end this.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” Jesse shuddered.

It was obvious to Rene that neither of these two men were afraid for themselves. They were afraid for the boy who was the target, just as they were, if not more so. The man who attacked them that night wanted Parker first. He ran away when he heard Hyde’s voice, which meant he wasn’t ready to face Hyde yet. But, that moment might be coming sooner than she thought, sooner than they all thought.

“We have to find Culore,” Hyde replied, as the cold wind brushed against his stubble.

“You know what that means, right?” Jesse wanted to make sure.

“I know,” Hyde nodded gravely. “We have to come out of hiding.”

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