“Stop, you assholes,” I yell. “Stop right now or I’ll call the police.”
They keep running, so do I.
Panting and puffing, I chase them into the trees.
I’ve nearly reached a chubby man, running with a camera and tripod, when I trip over a rock and fall hard onto the ground. Landing with a thump, my leg burns in pain and I roll to my side, gripping my shin as I cry out. God dammit that hurt. I look up and see they’ve disappeared. I go to stand but see blood pouring out of a wound in my shin. My god. That fucking hurts, it hurts so bad. I go to take a step and I can’t.
No.
No.
“You fuckers!” I scream.
I sit on a fallen log, using my hands to try and stop the bleeding. I must have done some damage to my leg, the bleeding is heavy. I pull off my tank top and use it to try and wipe some of the blood away. I see a clean, open wound right on my shin bone, perfectly split. Feeling queasy, I wrap my tank around it and stand, not willing to give up just yet. I hop run toward the direction they all disappeared in.
After a bit, I reach a fence. It has been cut and just up ahead, I can hear the road. Those sneaky little assholes came in from the road, cut the fence, and snuck onto the property. Surely that’s illegal? Is there some sort of rule against breaking and entering? I turn, knowing I have to let Rhett know right away so he can do something about it. I start walking back when I notice a camera on the ground. Someone dropped the goods.
I reach down, picking it up.
This might tell me exactly who came in here.
I hang it around my neck and then hop my way back out of the trees.
I appear out of them and see a group of people standing near the cabins, it only takes me a minute to realize it’s Rhett, Enzo, Elias, and Rick. They’re all staring at the line of trees I emerge from. Oh shit. I pause and watch as Rhett turns and starts striding toward me, his face tight, his body powerful and a touch angry.
“What the fuck are you doin’?”
He pauses and his eyes go down to my shin, and the shirt wrapped around it. “What happened? You’re hurt.”
“I saw reporters,” I say, wincing as I take a step. “They were watching the cabins from those trees, so I chased them. I tripped and hit my leg on a rock, split it pretty bad. I couldn’t catch them, but they cut a fence up there near the road, and they dropped this ...”
I take the camera off my neck and hand it to Rhett.
“You’re welcome.”
I hop past him, but he reaches out and stops me. “I need to see your leg.”
“I can look after myself,” I mutter, jerking my arm out of his and hopping back toward the cabin.
I reach it and pause when I get up the three front steps. The blanket is on the floor, I’m certain I threw it on the front table. I reach down, picking it up, only to see the phone is gone. I start scurrying around, looking underneath things, shaking the blanket. It’s gone. Someone took the phone. I whip my head around and yell out to the group, “Did you take my phone?”
They all stare at me, confused.
They all answer no.
“Rick?” I yell.
“I just got here with the guys, Lei. Didn’t go near your cabin.”
Rhett comes up the front steps. “What is goin’ on?”
I snatch the blanket and go into the cabin, slamming the door.
He comes in a moment later, clearly not phased by my slamming skills.
“What the fuck is your problem?”
“Leave me alone, Rhett.”
“No, I’m not leavin’ until I look at your leg.”
“Fuck,” I snap, tossing the blanket into my room and then going to the sofa and sitting down.
He won’t leave until this is done, and I need to find who took that damn phone.
Someone knows it was theirs.
Someone knows I’m onto them.
God dammit.
I’m fuming as Rhett unravels my leg and looks down. “Fuckin’ hell. That’s deep.”
Great.
“Please don’t say stitches,” I mutter. “I’m no good at hospitals.”
“Sorry to break it to you, but this needs stitches.”
I groan, pressing my face into my hands.
“I literally go to shit in hospitals, you don’t understand.”
I hate them.
I am so deathly afraid of them.
“I can stitch it here, do it to my horses all the time.”
I snap my head up. “I’m not a damn horse.”
“Never fuckin’ said you were, I said I can do it here. Your choice.”
“I’ll get an infection.”
“I’m not a fuckin’ animal. I have everything needed.”
I frown at him. “It’ll hurt.”
“Yep. Your choice, I can get the truck and take you in.”