I opened my mouth to press for more when I caught sight of Reid leaving the Blue with another guy. I nodded in their direction.
“Who’s that?”
Lindsey looked. “That’s Thom. They’re in business together.”
“Business?”
“Yeah. Ask him about it. I don’t really want to get too involved.”
I watched as the two of them climbed into a car and took off, heading farther out of town.
“Anyway,” Lindsey said, stubbing out her cigarette. “I should get back in there, grab some food while I can.”
“Okay.”
We stood up and walked back in. “See you tomorrow?” she asked.
“Definitely.”
She smiled and hurried into the back. I sat back down in my spot and sipped my cold coffee.
My mind was a swirling hurricane of questions. What was Reid doing with a rough crowd, and what kind of business was he involved in? I knew he had been giving his mom and my dad money for the cancer treatments, but he always said that came from his climbing competitions.
Was there something else going on?
With a sigh, I motioned for the check from Marci. When it came, I paid up front and walked outside to my bike.
As I rode home, I kept wondering: what was Reid hiding?
Maybe the party was the perfect place to find out.
Chapter Six: Reid
Early morning sunlight streamed in through my windows as I began to pack my hiking gear. I always carried the same objects, the sort of stuff I would never want to be caught out in the wilderness without. Map, compass, food, and water were the essentials; I also made sure I had a good knife, my tent, extra clothes, sunscreen, matches, a first aid kit, and more. Extra socks were always important, since the rain would undoubtedly soak through whatever I wore.
I told my mom and Jack that I’d be guiding some hunters for the next day or two, trying to get them some deer. I was leaving early the next morning.
And I was a little nervous. I never got nervous for climbs, but trekking across borders with prescription pills always seemed more dangerous to me. Out on the cliff face, I had control. What happened to me was entirely dependent on my own skills and abilities.
But with these smuggling crossings, I was at the mercy of fate. Or whatever controlled the world. If someone stumbled on me sleeping in my tent somewhere that I shouldn’t be, or if they saw me ignoring the border signs, I’d be toast.
So far, I’d been lucky. Aside from that one mishap, my runs had been clean. I crossed at a new spot every time and I was careful. I didn’t take unnecessary risks.
A knock at my door pulled me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the stuff arrayed all over my room and considered hiding it.
“What?” I called out.
“Reid, it’s me.” Becca’s voice.
“Hold on.”
I didn’t have time to put the stuff away. Then again, if I had a legitimate reason for going on the hike, I didn’t have to hide it all from her anyway.
I pulled open the door and Becca was standing there wearing only a thin black T-shirt and short cotton shorts. I looked her up and down and had to admit that she looked fucking amazing. She probably just rolled out of bed, and yet she looked perfect, like she had spent all day getting ready.
“What’s up?” I asked her.
“Nothing. What are you doing?”
“Packing.”
“Very descriptive. Packing for what?”
“I’m doing some guide work tomorrow.”
“Cool. Who you taking?”
“Some hunters. They’re looking for bucks. Big male deer.”
“I know what bucks are. Where’d you find these guys?”
I paused. “What’s with the questions?”
“Nothing,” she said, smiling. “Never mind.”
“I don’t know why, but you look pretty suspicious right now.”
She laughed. “Sorry. It’s just early.”
I grunted. “Is that all you wanted, just saying hi?”
“Oh, no.” She looked a little flustered.
I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms. “Start talking or I’m going to pull you in here and make you work for me.”
She blinked, her mouth hanging open. “What?”
“I’ll put you to work packing.”
She quickly caught herself. “Yeah, right. Anyway, I wanted to ask you about the party tonight.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “How did you know about that?”
“Lindsey invited me.”
“You’re really going to hang around with that girl?”
“She’s my friend.”
“She’s a pill head.”
That gave her pause. “What are you talking about?”
“Lindsey is a pill head druggie. Shit, most of the people in this town are.”