Evan had already spotted the venomous snake in the tree, but before he could do
anything, someone else was quicker.
The scar-faced tough guy-they called him "the Boss"-hadn''te to Darkfort
City with them, but somehow he''d tracked them all the way out here.
That snake? The Boss had taken it out with one swift shot.
Evan nced to his left, feeling a little grateful.
Anyone who looked out for his family was a friend of Evan Thorne''s.
If the Boss and his old mentor could ever put aside their differences, Evan would
be the first to shake his hand. But if he ever hurt his mentor...
Evan frowned, deciding to keep his distance for now and instead hurried after
Elysia and Baby.
By the time they''d gathered enough dry firewood and made their way back,
Tarquin, Elliot, and Elijah had already set up the tents and were washing up by the
creek.
Watching Tarquin work, Elysia couldn''t help but think,
Now, that''s the kind of man you want to marry.
Sophisticated, but never fussy.
Can handle a business meeting or whip up breakfast.
Since they hadn''t ventured deep into the wilderness yet, the first night went off
without a hitch. No wild animals, no emergencies.
They caught a few fish, lounged inside the tent, chatted andughed it felt
almost like a camping trip at Yellowstone.
The next morning, they headed deeper into the woods.
The further they went, the more critters they saw-everything from creepy
crawlies to poisonous bugs.
Baby, who was always a bit skittish, spent most of the day clinging to Tarquin, who
carried her withoutint.
With no cell signal, and thepass spinning uselessly, they had to rely on Evan
and White to find their way.
By evening, just as they finished setting up camp, it started pouring-ssic
mountain weather: sunny one minute, buckets of cold rain the next.
Luckily, the tents were up just in time, so everyone stayed dry.
Evan, though, couldn''t help but worry about the Boss.
Out in this storm, with no shelter, anyone could get sick fast-and up here, that
could be a death sentence.
After some hesitation, Evan confessed to Elysia.
"Mom, I need to tell you something..."
When Elysia learned there was someone trailing them-someone who even knew
Bernard she was floored.
Evan hurried to reassure her,
"Don''t worry, Mom. He promised me he wouldn''t approach Bernard without
permission. And he''s helped me a bunch of times-he''s saved my skin. I can''t just
leave him out there in this storm."
Evan didn''t mention the history between the Boss and Bernard, but Elysia was
still concerned.
"Evan, your great-grandparents don''t like strangers. They want a quiet life. What if
he breaks his word?"
Tarquin spoke up for the Boss,
"If Bernard doesn''t want to see him, I''ll handle it. I won''t let anyone disturb
Grandma and Grandpa."
Elysia hesitated, but with both Evan and Tarquin pleading, she relented.
"Alright. He can sleep in your tent tonight. When hees in, make sure he gets
some hot tea to warm up."
"Thanks, Mom!" Evan grinned and shot out of the tent like a rocket.
"Wear your raincoat!" Elysia called after him, worried.
Tarquin just smiled, "Don''t worry. He''ll be back in a sh. We''ll get him changed
and dry."
Outside, the Boss was sheltering under a giant leaf, soaked to the bone.
When he saw Evan, he looked surprised.
"What are you doing out here?"
"Come on, you''re staying with us tonight. It''s too dangerous to stay out," Evan
said, grabbing his arm and leading him back.
The Boss hesitated, "Your mother doesn''t know me. She''ll be scared."
"She won''t. Mom''s got a good heart. I already told her. C''mon-the rain''s not
stopping, you''ll get sick!"
Evan all but dragged him inside.
Elysia looked surprised for a second
at the sight of the Boss''s scarred
face-it was hard not to be startled,
the scars looked like rough tracks
across his skin. But she quickly
recovered, poured a mug of hot tea,
and handed it to him.
The Boss nodded his thanks and wrapped his hands around the mug, warming
up.
By morning, the rain had stopped.
When Tarquin stepped outside, he
saw the Boss grilling fish over the
fire. Tarquin had no idea where he''d
found such big fish, since there
wasn''t a stream nearby, but they
were golden and sizzling.
Tarquin wandered over. The Boss looked up once, then went back to his cooking.
Tarquin broke the silence,
"Evan''s a loyal kid. You treat him well, he''ll never forget it. But if you go back on
your word... well, he doesn''t forgive easily."
The Boss frowned, saying nothing.
Tarquin continued,
"I don''t know what happened between you and Evan''s mentor, but that person
means the world to him. If you hurt him, Evan will never forgive you."
Again, the Boss just stared at the fire, silent.
Just then, Evan burst out of the tent, nose in the air,
"Smells amazing!"
The Boss cracked a rare almost-smile, handed him the biggest fish.
"Is it cooked?" Evan asked.
"Yeah."
"Looks delicious! I''m taking it to Mom-she loves fish!" And off Evan ran, bouncing
toward Elysia''s tent.
"Mom, breakfast! Grilled fish!"
For the first time, the Boss''s eyes softened a little.
Tarquin squinted, then let it drop.
From then on, the Boss became an
unofficial part of their group. Except
for Evan, he barely spoke to anyone,
but he always took the lead
alongside Evan during the day and
at night stood guard outside the
tents, keeping wild animals at bay.
Elysia felt bad about him sleeping outside, and sometimes asked Evan to invite
him in. But unless it was raining, he always stayed on watch.
They trekked through the mountains for several days before finally arriving.
But before they could even see the old folks they''de to find, they noticed
something was off...