Rise: Populations Crumble, Book 2 by Gandy, A. (read book .txt) 📕

“It’s all right, you were asleep.” I give him a small smile, and to my everlasting wonder, a blush creeps up his cheeks.

“We’d better get going! Atlas and Nell are supposed to meet us at the trailhead, and we overslept. Well, I overslept,” he amends, and quickly shuffles out of the bedroom to the hall bath. I hear the door click softly behind him and get up myself.

✽✽✽

We arrive at the trailhead to find a grumpy Nell, and an amused Atlas. She’s leaning into his tattooed bicep, nursing a travel cup of coffee.

“We have got to start these excursions a little later in the day from now on. I know it’s important, but I need my beauty sleep, okay? I thought honeymoons were supposed to be all about lying on a beach and lazy afternoons in bed, not all this action and adventure crap.” She blows on the coffee and takes a sip. “Bah! Still too hot.” She grimaces.

Atlas just smirks at her complaints.

“Sorry, Nell, we can start later tomorrow.” I pat her on the shoulder, and she waves me off.

“I have some news from my team. One of the guys brought a drone out, and canvassed the areas we outlined. He did not get a visual on any buildings.”

“Well, shoot. So all this freaking hiking is for nothing? Can we go back to bed then?” Nell interrupts.

“Nope, sorry. He didn’t get a visual on a building; however, we still have a lead.”

“What did he find?” Patrick asks, eagerness coloring his tone.

“It’s not what he found, it’s what they didn’t want him to find. He searched seventy-five percent of the area without issue, and then something shot the drone down. The last thing the camera caught before it was destroyed was a black combat boot.”

The only sound is of our boots crunching up the dried fallen leaves in the path as we all take in this new turn of events.

Patrick is the first to speak. “Was the area near one of the main roads? Every honeymoon resort and NLC has guards. They may have assumed it was being used to plan another kidnapping attempt.”

“That was my first instinct as well, but he sent over the coordinates this morning. It’s nearly dead center to a patch of unmarked woods on your hiking map.”

A shiver rolls down my spine. “What is a guard doing in the middle of empty woods?”

“That’s the million-dollar question,” Atlas responds.

We walk for another ten minutes before Atlas stops and pulls the map out of the small pack on his back. He’s marked a red X on the spot where the drone went down.

“That’s on the other side of the grounds. So, this hike is probably a bust today,” I say with disappointment.

“Not entirely,” Patrick says, “This is our last hike on this side of the grounds. If we finish them all, we’ll have a good reason to go further afield without raising suspicion. We take this hike today, and next week we focus on hiking that side.”

“None of the trails go anywhere close to that area,” I point out, unclear how more hiking is going to help us.

“I guess it’s time to tell the staff about our latent love of camping,” Atlas says drily.

Nell’s only response is a weary groan.

✽✽✽

That night the four of us share dinner with Emmett and Carolina in the dining room. I make it a point to go on at length about the beauty of the hikes, and how much we’re looking forward to next week’s itinerary. The conversation flows easily, and dessert is served—a lovely cheesecake with strawberry topping. I’m stealing the last bite off Patrick’s plate when a sudden buzzing overtakes the table, followed closely by Merengue music emanating from Atlas’s general direction.

“What the heck? Is this thing broken?” Nell shakes her wrist.

“Oh, no honey. That’s your fertility alarm. Looks like you’ll have to postpone your hiking adventures until next week, I’m afraid,” Carolina says kindly.

Atlas figures out how to stop his blaring alarm, and silence falls over the gathering.

“Well, we’ll see you guys later. Have a good evening!” Emmett excuses the two of them from the table, and they make a hasty exit.

“Well that was awkward,” Nell comments. “What an obnoxious way to announce to everyone that my eggs are droppin’.” She looks at Atlas and shakes her head.

“It’s horrifying, isn’t it?” I agree.

“Well, you two can still take the planned hikes the next few days, and we’ll join you as soon as we’re able.” Atlas is straight back to business.

“Agreed. Well, we’ll let you guys get to it,” Patrick says, and I smack him on the arm, boggle-eyed.

“Really, Patrick? Get to it?” We leave the table with a final wave to a laughing Nell and Atlas.

✽✽✽

We decide to sleep in the next morning, since it’s only the two of us hiking today and it’s been a long week. Despite the fact that we tracked no activity during fertile week, they still dropped off a pack of urine sample cups, and I’m supposed to use them every day until my period arrives. Knowing it’s pointless, I’ve been doing it anyways. Better not to rock the boat over every single thing. By the time we’re ready to go it’s lunch time, so we head over for a leisurely lunch in the guest house dining room and to drop off my pee cup.

We enjoy a lovely lunch of salads with grilled chicken, fresh croissants, and whipped carrot butter. Several of the staff are watching the daily news behind the counter, but at least today they’ve got the volume down so we don’t have to listen to it. However, I notice Patrick glancing over to it several times as we eat.

“What’s got you so distracted today?” I prod him, snapping his attention from the screen for the fourth time in ten minutes. My salad is nearly gone, and I’ve polished off two croissants while he’s barely touched his chicken.

“I’m sorry, it looks like they’ve moved the