Page 5 of Explorer’s Revenge

FOUR

LOGAN

W e fly private. It isn’t the first time, but I’ll never get used to it.

It shows exactly just how much Venture is invested in this exploration.

It also means I get to stretch out my legs without my six-six frame being cramped on those tiny plane seats while trying not to touch the person next to me.

I sleep most of the way there, much to Wild’s chagrin because he wants to plan.

It doesn’t matter that we’ve gone over everything a hundred times already; he has to check continually to make sure there is nothing that can go wrong and anything that could go wrong already has a counter-plan in place.

I help with logistics, but now he’s just being paranoid.

There is only so much we can do before we have to just dive in and trust yourself and your team.

There is no map or trail where we’re going.

Getting to the island itself will be a task, and anything could happen, so planning isn’t as important as sleeping.

When I see the worry in Wilder’s eyes, I sit up and run over his notes and maps, double-checking them for him, knowing he does everything possible to keep his family safe.

I am his family, more brother than cousin.

He’s made that clear since the day I was dropped at their house with my bags after losing my parents.

We had always been close, living down the street from one another, and our fathers were brothers as well as best friends.

We grew up together. Wilder, Ricky, and I were always together.

They loved my parents like their own, but when they died, my uncle and auntie didn’t hesitate to take me in.

They stayed with me through it all. Rick and Wilder held my hands through the entire funeral, even though they got mocked for it.

Ever since, they’ve always been protective.

When I got bullied at school and people would tease me for my dead parents, Wilder and Rick would work together to silence them.

When I cried myself to sleep for a year or on my birthdays or Christmas when I missed them something fierce, they were there then too.

Now, over twenty years later, I barely remember my parents.

I don’t remember the color of my mom’s eyes or the sound of my dad’s voice, but I still miss them, and at times like this, I wish they were here to see me. Wilder’s mom and dad always support us and love me, but it’s not the same.

The crinkled picture of them I always keep feels heavy in my pocket as I drift into my memories, only blinking when Wilder covers my hand on the map. “You with us, brother?” he murmurs.

I nod, meeting his eyes. I don’t have to say what I’m thinking—he already knows.

“They would be so proud of you,” he murmurs softly.

“I know.” I do, but it doesn’t stop it from hurting. They say grief lessens with time, but they are fucking liars—you just get better at dealing with it.

Aiyaret claps me on the shoulder, resting his head there after. I close my eyes, soaking in their warmth and friendship, which has saved us all throughout everything we have endured, especially Aiy . . . .

Shaking it off, I concentrate on the map. “So what’s the plan, boss man?” I joke, and Wilder grins and lets me change the subject, thank God.

Rick and Way crowd closer as Wild launches into detailing where we will land before we have to get a seaplane.

We will have a hotel for the night as Wilder meets with someone he chartered a boat from, and then the next morning, we’ll set off towards the island at dawn, which we have rough coordinates for and no more information.

It's the best time of exploration—the unknown kind.

Excitement pours through me, chasing away my demons, and I see it doing the same for the others as I grin at them. “Let’s find that lost city and make it our bitch!”