Page 7 of Forest Reed (Seals on Fraiser Mountain #8)

Zoe

The culvert spat us into a ravine like a pair of coins shoved through a slot. I landed on my palms in damp moss, Forest right behind me. The sky was a jagged slice of blue above, cliffs rising steep on either side.

I’d barely caught my breath when a weighted net dropped out of the trees.

“Seriously?” I shouted as rope and lead tangled us up like fish in a trawler.

Forest swore low, steady, working the knots, but every time he pulled, the net cinched tighter. Above us, masked men leaned over the edge, hauling ropes.

“This is not how I wanted my morning,” I muttered. “Also, if I get dirt in my bra, you’re buying me dinner for a week.”

Forest gave me a look through the rope. “A week?”

“Minimum.”

“Done.” His knife flicked out, blade sawing clean through the hemp. The men above shouted as their leverage vanished. The net sagged, we dropped, and Forest ripped a hole wide enough for me to crawl through.

“Go,” he said.

“I don’t take orders—”

“Zoe.” His voice was all command, but his eyes were all trust.

Fine. I slid out, grabbed a rock the size of a fist, and winged it up at the closest mask. It cracked against his shin. He yelped, lost balance, and tumbled into the ravine like a sack of potatoes.

Forest caught the next one halfway down and introduced him to a tree trunk. I climbed onto a boulder, hair wild, lungs burning, and yelled, “Anyone else want to meet my bra full of dirt? Because I am done being polite!”

The ravine went quiet except for the sound of someone retreating fast. Forest dusted off his hands, breathing hard, eyes sparking.

“You’re terrifying,” he said, and there was pride in it.

“Good,” I panted. “Now let’s terrify the rest. We’ll wrap them up and haul all of them to jail.”

He picked up the net, folded it neatly, and tucked it under his arm like laundry.

I blinked at him. “You’re taking it?”

“They wanted us in it.” His gaze swept the treeline. “We’ll flip it back on them.”

The corner of my mouth kicked up. “Mountain Man, remind me never to play board games with you.”