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That snake had to be freaking huge. Sydney made a strangled laughing sound, and Crystal yelled at her, “This isnotfunny.”
The smirk remained on Sydney’s face, and Trevor kept filming.
Grizzly continued to examine the skin. “Surprised to see a water moccasin up here. They usually stay by the lake. She must have a nest nearby.”
“You mean she’s still around?” Crystal clutched the stack of papers to her chest.
“Well, she isn’t inthisanymore. She’ll be easier to see though, since she’s bigger now.” He carried the skin to his vehicle and tossed it in the back. “Up here, we usually find copperheads and rattlesnakes, not moccs.”
Crystal’s insides shook, and she shuddered. No one had said anything about venomous snakes. They could sneak inside her tent at night. And never mind the bears, fire ants, and spiders. “What are you going to do with that thing?”
“Throw it in the lake for the alligator turtles to eat.”
“There aren’t any alligators around here. I looked it up before we came.” She’d at least checked that out.
“I said alligatorturtles. You’ll want to steer clear of them too.” He folded two fingers down. “One chomp and you can lose a couple of digits.”
He had to be messing with her. “There’s no such thing.”
“Don’t believe me? Check it out online.”
She grabbed her phone and typed in a search. Images appeared of prehistoric-looking turtles with fang-like, sharp beaks. Good God. They resembled monsters. The phone shook in her hand as blood drained from her limbs. “These are here? In the lake?”
“Yeah, but they come up on the land too.” He adjusted his aviators and rocked back on his heels. “You don’t seem very prepared. Did you do any research before you showed up in these ridiculous clothes with no idea how to survive the elements?”
Her temper lit at his cocky, condescending attitude. “How dare you question me and make fun of my fashion statement while you hide behind those bug-eyed glasses and dole out insults? You should be grateful I’m even here. My show could put this no-name-nothing island on the map.”
“Hide?” Zach’s nostrils flared. “No-named island?” He took a deep breath. When he raised his sunglasses, the full force of his sparkling-green, emerald eyes bored into hers.
Wow.
Beautiful, yet haunting. A zip of energy traveled up her spine, causing goosebumps to form on her arms. Something flashed in his eyes when he’d looked at her without the glasses. A quick spark, like he’d felt the energy too, but she could have been wrong.
Through gritted teeth, he said, “This place has a family name: Stone Island Park. And we don’t need you to put us on any map.”
He lowered the sunglasses, cutting her off again.
Okay, maybe she’d gone too far, but damn it, he’d pushed her buttons. And that not fawning over her thing? Not so endearing now. Some fawning would be nice.
They stood at arm’s length, neither one budging.
His phone buzzed, and he tilted his shades up to check the message. Of course, that deserved his full attention, not her. Screw him. She couldn’t wait to tell Jenna about this jerk.
“Gotta go. There’s a black widow on a porch in the villas.”
A pang of fear gripped Crystal’s heart. A black widow? Those were deadly too. Enough already. This place was a death trap.
As he climbed into his vehicle, she hurried to the passenger side and threw the pile of papers on the seat. “We won’t be needing these.”
Crystal yelled to Sydney, “Pack it up. No freaking way we’re filming here.”
Chapter Four
Zach wiped the sweat off his brow as he drove his side-by-side to the island general store. Crisis averted. Crystal and her crew would never step foot on his campgrounds again. They’d hightailed it out of there faster than spooked deer.
He’d thrown as much as possible at her. To her credit though, she’d stood toe to toe with him and hadn’t backed down. Sure, she’d fled from the place, but not fromhim. When he’d glared into her sapphire eyes, he’d swear he glimpsed something deep. Not what he’d expected. Clear, honest, and almost vulnerable for the briefest of seconds.
He’d slapped his shades back down because it was bullshit. She spent her life in front of a camera and knew how to act. Nothing could be real about her, including that ludicrous last name, Lovechild.
