A Wolf in Hiding - Charlie Richards Page 0,2

in a small backpack. Finally, he grabbed his jacket and headed out.

As Elroy drove, he shot off a text to Bart.

I’m headed out. What’s your ETA?

Since Bart lived closer to the trailhead than Elroy did and they’d already planned to be there in the neighborhood of two PM, he figured his buddy would be waiting—probably with questions about his lunch with Camilla.

When Elroy didn’t get a response right away, he placed his phone in the cup holder. He enjoyed the scenic drive along the winding roads, through the small town of Stone Ridge, and finally into the forested mountains. If his job hadn’t been in the heart of Colin City, he would have bought a place closer to nature.

Elroy arrived at the trailhead and parked his car. To his surprise, he still hadn’t heard from Bart. He picked up his phone, pleased to discover he still had a signal.

Dialing his friend’s number, Elroy brought the phone to his ear.

“Hello?” Bart sounded distracted.

“Hey, Bart,” Elroy greeted. “I’m at the trailhead, ready and waiting. When—”

Bart’s cussing interrupted Elroy. “Ah, damn, man. I am so sorry.” His tone held a wealth of regret and frustration. “Laura called in a panic because Nate crashed his bike and hurt himself, and Mark has the car for work. She needed a ride to take Nate to the hospital, and I…I shoulda called, but—” Groaning under his breath, Bart ran out of steam.

Even as disappointment flooded him, Elroy nodded in understanding. “It’s okay, Bart. Really,” he assured his friend. “Family comes first.”

Elroy had met Bart’s sister, Laura, on many occasions, and she was warm and accepting, not batting an eyelash when she discovered he was gay. Mark worked hard as an electrician, owning his own company, so it wasn’t a surprise that he would work the occasional Saturday. Their ten-year-old son, Nate, was a great kid, if a little hyper at times.

After another deep sigh, Bart murmured, “I’m sorry I forgot to call you.”

Leaning his head back against the headrest, Elroy closed his eyes. “Stop apologizing, Bart,” he ordered, keeping his tone soothing. “Is Nate okay?”

“He will be. Sprained his right wrist.”

“That won’t slow him down for long.” Elroy felt confident about that.

Bart chuckled softly. “You know it.” After a couple of heartbeats of silence, he told him, “I’m still at the hospital. He should be discharged soon, but—”

“Hey. Relax, man.” Elroy didn’t care for the self-flagellation in Bart’s tone. His buddy was too upbeat to sound so defeated. “We’ll catch this trail another time.”

“You’re not goin’ then?” Bart didn’t let Elroy answer before adding, “Aren’t you already there?”

“Yeah, but I’ve never hiked this trail before, and it’s a strenuous one.” Elroy didn’t want to admit to being worried about hiking alone. “I think I’ll head to Condor’s Point trailhead and enjoy something a little more leisurely that I’ve done before.”

“All right. Probably a good idea,” Bart conceded. “We’ll try for next weekend.” He cleared his throat before saying, “Let me know how I can make it up to ya.”

Elroy’s first inclination was to reply, “Don’t worry about it.” Instead, he smiled. “You have plans for tomorrow afternoon?”

“Not currently.”

An idea formed, and he grinned.

“You can come over and help me clean out my car.” Elroy conveniently left out the part where Camilla would be there, too.

And I won’t tell her, either.

If Elroy could get the pair working together for any length of time, he just knew they would get over their shyness and actually have a conversation, which could lead to a date.

“Sure, man,” Bart replied. “You got it.”

“Okay. I’ll text you a time later,” Elroy told him. “Go be with your family.”

“Have a safe hike,” Bart replied. “Bye.”

“Later.”

Elroy hung up, placed his phone in the cup holder, and restarted his engine. Then he headed toward the other trailhead.

Three hours later, Elroy decided Bart’s order about having a safe hike had jinxed him. Pain radiated through his left leg, his right hand and wrist, and his head throbbed. He barely felt the shivers from the flash thunderstorm that had drenched him.

That’s not good.

With his arms wrapped around his torso, Elroy sat on the wet ground and forced his eyelids open. He slowly panned his gaze over the forest around him. Then he peered up and behind him.

Breathing deeply, Elroy barely kept the spots dancing across his vision at bay.

Elroy had no idea where he was.

After getting turned around by the heavy rainstorm, making visibility next to nil, Elroy had figured hunkering down was his best option. He’d