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“If it’s any consolation, I have a lot of work still to do on the cabins. Besides, I’m told I can’t miss the Fourth of July fireworks.”
“Summer is nothing short of chaos around here. I wish the media would quit reporting how great it is and let us live in peace.”
I laugh and excuse myself out the back door and to where Joan keeps her recyclables. Loading them in my truck, I don’t hear the crunch of gravel and sticks behind me. The back of the property is nothing but forest and I learned quickly that not everything in nature is sweet and furry like a squirrel. Slowly I turn to see what beast I’ll encounter and stop mid-turn when I see it’s a beauty instead.
Her eyes are cast down and she’s fiddling with a stick in her hand as she approaches. Seemingly unaware of my presence, I try to make some noise to alert her but it isn’t until she is less than five feet from me that she seems to realize she isn’t alone.
With wide eyes, she stumbles back and pulls buds from her ears and turns to run. I can feel the fear radiating off of her in waves. Instinctively, I move after her and in two steps am able to grip her elbow.
“Sophia.”
She stops in her tracks with a gasp. Whipping around to face me, her eyes are wide and full of tears. She doesn’t fight or try to get away. Unbridled fear holds her in place. Me. She fears me.
I release my hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Please don’t run. Bruce asked me to check in on you.”
Sophia’s eyes blink rapidly. My words don’t seem to register and I realize my mistake. “Detective Randel.”
Her shoulders drop from hugging her ears and she releases a long breath. The tears are now freely falling and I feel like a complete asshole. I may not remember her case specifically, but I know what it’s like to live a life looking over your shoulder. How stressful and scary that can be. Now here I am, adding to her trauma.
Sophia is a good foot shorter than I am so she has to take a step back to look up at me. “You know Detective Randel?”
Taking a step back myself, I nod. “We worked together. It’s probably not a coincidence we’re both here in Starlight Ridge.”
I shift on my feet and slip my sunglasses atop my head. There’s something about the woman before me I recognize. A familiarity in her eyes. Maybe it’s a little of myself staring back. Broken pieces of the person we used to be.
She follows me as I walk back to my truck and close the tailgate. “Have we met before?”
“That’s what I’m told.”
Sophia steps beside the truck and leans her hip against the side. I turn to face her. Her tears have dried and I allow myself a few beats to take in her beauty. She’s petite with straight dark brown hair almost as black as the night sky I admire at the end of each day. Big chocolate eyes look back at me, a silent request for me to explain.
“Bruce, er, Detective Randel, told me a little about your case. He also said I was the responding officer to a call related to you at Drummond University. I’m sorry I don’t remember.”
She doesn’t speak right away, which makes me a little uneasy in my own skin. The sun is blistering today but it isn’t its warmth that makes my skin sweat. It’s her scrutiny.
“You look different, don’t you?”
That’s an understatement if ever there was one. If Sophia’s case was when I first began working with Bruce, then she knows me as buttoned-up and serious Gage. A man focused on his career and nothing else. I was strictly about the job and working my way up to detective.
“A little. Sorry, in the confusion I didn’t get to introduce myself. My name is Gage Castillo.”
She mumbles something as her hand flies to her mouth that sounds a little like “hot cop.” A smile breaks across my face.
“What was that?”
Waving me off, she looks to the side and rolls her eyes. “Nothing. I never would’ve guessed you were the same person. What have you been doing the last few years? Running with a gang?”
Sophia giggles at her quip without realizing how accurate her words are. Brushing off the statement, I shift to lean against the tailgate. “Something like that. I’m sorry for scaring you before. I should have been more mindful. Bruce wanted me to check in and make sure you were safe. There’s not much cell reception up here so you won’t be able to check in with him.”
“I don’t have a phone anyway.”
“Huh?”
“No technology. That’s how he’s been tracking me. My stalker. Detective Randel had me leave everything behind. Today was the first time I’ve taken a walk in three years. Can you believe that? How pathetic can a person be? Obviously very, considering how I reacted to you standing in front of me.”
“Nah. You’ve been through a lot and honestly, you should be hyper vigilant. Although up here, more for the moose and bears than a man who looks like he’s in the middle of a midlife crisis at thirty with piercings and tattoos.”
Her eyes widen and she peers behind me toward the trees she just walked from. “B-b-b-bears?”
