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Hayze’s form materialized beside me, his eyes reflecting a glint of steel. “I’ll scout ahead.”
He vanished like a wisp of smoke among the trees. Alone, but not truly so, I waited with bated breath until he returned moments later with a nod that signaled all was clear.
We found it then—the evidence we sought—a tarnished stream littered with debris that marred its banks and poisoned its waters. Anger flared within me, fierce.
I set to work, meticulously documenting everything with my camera—the discarded barrels with peeling hazard labels, the unnatural sheen on the water’s surface—all while Hayze watched over me like an avenging deity ready to strike at any threat.
The sun climbed higher in the sky as we wrapped up our evidence gathering. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I packed away my gear, my hands steady despite the gravity of our findings.
“We should head back,” I breathed. “We have what we need.”
Hayze nodded in agreement, his eyes never ceasing their vigilant sweep.
As we retraced our steps through the forest’s embrace, there was no conversation. Our partnership had evolved beyond words; it thrived in shared glances and unspoken understandings. Together we had faced down threats, both human and environmental. Together, we would continue to fight for what was right.
The cabin came into view before long—a beacon of safety after hours spent in stealthy tension—and yet there was no sense of conclusion to our morning’s work. We had gathered pieces of a larger puzzle—one that would require patience and persistence to solve.
We were almost clear of the forest when the crunch of heavy boots and the coarse timbre of voices sliced through the underbrush. I froze, a prickle of unease crawling up my spine. Hayze’s hand found my arm, a silent command to stay still.
Through a veil of leaves, I glimpsed them—three men, calloused and grim, axes slung over their shoulders. Loggers. But their unsanctioned presence here was a brazen theft of timber, as much a violation as the toxic barrels we’d just documented.
Hayze’s voice was a low hum in my ear. “Stay behind me.”
I nodded, my heart thumping against my ribs like a frantic bird seeking escape. These were the people ravaging the land I protected—the very land that had become part of me.
The men drew closer, their laughter jagged edges in the tranquil forest air. One spotted us and shouted to his companions, their advance, turning purposeful.
“What do we have here?” The largest man sneered as they approached, his gaze lingering on me with ill intent.
“Just hikers,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Far from the trails, aren’t you?” another mocked.
Hayze’s stature seemed to grow, an imposing a barrier between me and them. “We were leaving,” he said firmly.
“Not so fast.” The first man stepped closer. “You’ve seen too much.”
Adrenaline surged through me—a fierce current that swept away fear and left a clear focus in its wake. Remembering Hayze’s training, I shifted my weight onto the balls of my feet, ready to react.
The logger lunged for me, but I was quicker. I sidestepped and drove my elbow into his gut with more force than I thought I possessed. He doubled over with a grunt of pain.
The second man came at Hayze with a wild swing of his axe. In one fluid motion, Hayze disarmed him, the weapon clattering harmlessly to the ground far out of reach.
The third hesitated, his resolve faltering as he witnessed his companions’ swift defeat. But greed or desperation spurred him on, and he charged.
Hayze moved then—a blur of bronze that was there one moment and behind the man the next. With a deft maneuver that barely seemed aggressive, he had the logger pinned against a tree, breathless and wide-eyed with shock.
“Go,” Hayze’s voice was calm but brooked no argument. “And don’t return.”
The loggers scrambled away without their axes, tripping over their own feet in their haste to escape.
I stood there for a moment longer than necessary, trying to slow my racing pulse. Hayze approached me then—no longer just my shadow guard, but an ally in every sense of the word.
“You did well,” he whispered.
A laugh bubbled up from within me—a release of tension that echoed strangely in the quiet forest. “We did well.”
He offered a rare smile—a flash of warmth that belied his stoic nature—and it bolstered my spirits further.
