Page 10

FLYNN

I watched Gunnar go back to where the next log was ready for him to move, and before he returned, I walked around the stack to see what had happened. He was very careful when he placed them, and since they were freshly cut there was plenty of heavy bark and moss to stop them from rolling off each other. Kneeling down I traced the shape of a boot print, but all of us wore boots, and the crew had been walking all around this area.

Still, something didn’t feel right. I glanced around at the crew while I knelt there. All of them were busy doing whatever task they were assigned without complaint. They were a good group of people who I never thought twice about trusting, but something was off.

The sound of Dwayne’s old truck rumbling up the newly cleared path broke me out of my thoughts and all work was put aside for lunch. Frank walked over to me where I still stood by the stack of logs.

“I heard you had a little accident,” he said, never one for beating around the bush.

“Yeah. Gunnar had been stacking the logs for the truck to pick up and I guess some of them worked loose and came down on him,” I said, and even to my ears it sounded unsure.

He walked around the stack and pushed on it here and there before walking back to me. “What do you think happened?”

“I’m not sure, but I have a feeling it wasn’t an accident.”

“Should I start an incident report?” he asked.

“No, Gunnar wasn’t injured. He said it would take more than that to hurt him, but I just have a hunch it wasn’t just the logs shifting. He’s been very careful to stack them so nothing like that happens.”

Frank knelt and looked at the boot print closer. “That could be anyone’s print. It could even be yours,” he said.

He was right. I knew it and he knew it, but still, something didn’t feel right. “Guess we’d better go get some food before it’s all gone,” I finally said.

“Yes, and I wanted to check where you’ll be working today.”

“I can walk you over to the area. The trees grow pretty thick around here, which is great for finding plenty to cut, but bad for moving very quickly.” The two of us walked over to the end of the line and continued to speak while the line slowly moved. Once Frank and I had our share of fried chicken, potato salad, and biscuits that Dwayne made today, we both walked over to one of the fallen logs and sat down to eat.

“Gunnar, Flynn told me you’d been injured right before I got here. Did you need to have a doctor check you out?” Frank asked.

“No. There was no injury,” Gunnar said before taking a big bite of potato salad.

“If you feel you need medical attention, just tell Flynn or me. We’ll make sure you’re taken care of,” Frank said.

“I will not ever need medical attention,” Gunnar said, making me smile.

“Good to know. Thank you, Gunnar,” Frank said and started eating his lunch.

The rest of the day passed without incident and when we returned to camp, I was ready for a shower. The past two days had been very productive but also far busier since Gunnar had joined the crew. We could get more done with his help, which was why I didn’t understand how anyone would want to jeopardize his safety. Carrying my shower bag and wearing only a towel I walked into the shower block just as one of the crew walked out. There were six showerheads in one large area, and all were being used except one.

I walked over to it and was about to strip when I noticed Gunnar was at the showerhead across from me. His grey skin had helped him blend in with the color of the cement blocks, but his muscular bulk made him stand out. His head was down in the water stream with his arms spread wide against the wall. His massive shoulders and muscular back were on full display along with a multitude of scars that I was curious about, but afraid to know the truth.

“Are you showering?” one of the other guys asked while I hesitated.

“Yeah, sorry. I won’t be long,” I said and set my things down before slipping my towel off and stepping under the stream of water. The hot water felt great on my body as I contained a groan and turned under the water stream to wet my hair and let the shower pound on my shoulders. I’d never been more thankful for the fact that we had hot water out here in the middle of nowhere. As I scrubbed my scalp Gunnar turned around and I forced myself not to look. His ass was amazing, and I wanted to catch a peek at his dick, but I also wanted to give him the same respect I gave every other person on my crew.

Closing my eyes, I soaped up my body and enjoyed the feel of the water before it became obvious, I was taking way too much time. We had hot water in abundance but still tried to use only what we needed, which is why most of us only showered every other day. As I rinsed off and opened my eyes, I realized Gunnar was already finished and had left. Turning off my spicket, I wrapped my towel around my waist, grabbed my bag, and hurried back to my cabin.

“What’s for dinner?” I asked Dwayne as I once again stood in line. He grinned and handed me a huge serving of lasagna with salad and garlic bread. “Thanks, Dwayne.” He nodded without replying and loaded the next plate. I turned and walked to where Gunnar and Ben sat. “Mind if I sit here?”

Ben waved his hand out with a grin. “Be my guest, boss,” he said making me roll my eyes and Gunnar smirk. “Can you believe this guy? A ton of logs land on him and he walks away without a scratch.” He patted Gunnar on the arm, and he froze in place with a forkful of food just in front of him and gave Ben a hard stare. “Sorry, dude, I got carried away.”

I ignored his antics and said what I’d been thinking all day. “If it had been anyone else on the crew we wouldn’t have been as lucky,” I said and leaned in a little closer to them. “Did either of you see anyone around the logs before it happened?” Ben shook his head while Gunnar met my eyes.

“Why do you ask this?”

“I think maybe it wasn’t an accident,” I whispered.