Karla laughed. “Leave it to Jordan to wear the poor woman down.”
“Hey, I resent that. I will have you know. I did not wear her down. I may have offered my first born, ninety percent of my paycheck for a year, and a possible front seat to some Broadway show, but that’s it.” Jordan leaned back on her easy chair, the single item in her house she’d bought not caring about how it went with the décor. The fluffy chair was like being snuggled by a giant pair of warm hands. It had an automatic heater and massager. Hell, not that she’d tell her friends, but one of the reasons she’d bought it was because the damn thing started vibrating under her ass at the store. She’d gotten embarrassed and excited at the time. Oh, the possibilities.
“So,” Emma, the other bossy one in the group other than Jordan started, “what’s the plan?”
Jordan laughed, holding the glass of wine by her lips. “It’s going to be a long night.”
Chapter Two
“I’m ready,” Jordan whispered.
Emma had gone full commando mode and made everyone wear black outfits and earpieces to stay in constant communication. Emma loved all things action, so it hadn’t surprised Jordan that she’d tried to get them all to look like they came out of Mission Impossible.
“This is Karla. I’m ready too.”
“You guys are supposed to say over,” Emma hissed over the line.
“This is Nicole. Ready also. And over what?”
“When you finish saying something, you’re supposed to say ‘over’ like in the movies,” Emma said.
“But this isn’t a movie. And why would I say over?” Karla whispered.
“This is the most action we’re going to see in a while. Can we at least make it interesting?” Emma was trying to make a simple mission into a scene from Die Hard.
“We are wearing frigging black spandex for you. I draw the line at painting lines on my face and hauling army gear. I am not going to end each thing I say with over.” And just for the hell of it, Jordan grinned and added, “Over.”
“Shhh. They’re going to hear us!” Emma chastised.
Jordan rolled her eyes. “They can’t hear us. We’re so far away we need binoculars. Now, everyone be serious, this is an important mission we’re doing.”
“Okay, so now that we all know we’re at our designated spots, we just do the videotaping all the way through?” Karla sounded breathless. What the heck was she doing?
“Yes. Don’t forget to put your video cameras on their tripods in the best location we can get a clear image so I can review all the memory cards later on.” Jordan glanced around the darkened vicinity. A shudder crawled up her spine. She’d swear someone was watching her, but it was impossible. She’d done a full scouting of the area and had not seen anyone.
“Did you all remember your backup batteries?” Funny that they were all middle school teachers and Emma was the only one all kids referred to as drill sergeant.
“Yes. I got ‘em. Over.”
Jordan rubbed her temple. She would end up with a headache before the mission ever started.
A prickling at the back of her neck made her glance around. Thick trees surrounded her in the dark forest. The hairs on her arms stood on end in warning. Her sole focus turned to every sound she heard. The soft whistling of the crickets tried to soothe her mind. But then something shuffled in the trees. What the hell? She wasn’t a person to be easily scared, but she knew something or someone was out there. The sound of her heartbeats turned louder in her head. Still, no other noise could be heard. Then, howling from the ceremony location made her turn to stare at the area. A crowd had gathered. A big crowd. They were surrounding the clearing, but far back enough where she and the others could see from the higher elevation.
Everyone was in human shape. They chatted animatedly. Hugs and kisses were shared. A massive fire roared in the center. Torches and lanterns hung from chains draped over branches, illuminating the clearing and allowing for a great visual.
She dropped down to her knees and dug the legs to her tripod deep into the earth for stability. Then she locked her video camera on to it and set it to record.
“Don’t forget to set the recorders to mute, per Ellie’s instructions.” Emma ordered.
“Got it.” Jordan eased back to her feet.
Moments later, her eyes locked on him.
Her heart raced at her first sight of Aric. He and the others marched to the center of the clearing. They said something to his father. His mother pointed into the woods surrounding them. The guys spread out, each taking a different direction into the trees.
“You all saw that?” Emma’s voice broke into her intense staring of the clearing.