“Why is he looking at me when he says that?” Zander challenged Harper. “He’s acting as if it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m the one who will be lost when it could just as easily be him. Heck, it will most likely be you, Harp. You’re blonde.”
Harper shot him a dirty look. “I have a better sense of direction than you.”
“She does,” Jared agreed. “You both could get lost, though. Shawn and I could get lost as well.” Even as he said the words, he didn’t look as if he believed them. “I just want you to remember what I said. If you think you’re lost, don’t keep wandering around. You could end up heading in the wrong direction and then things will turn ugly.”
“I promise we won’t get lost,” Harper said, polishing off the last bit of food. “Wow. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. That was really good.”
Jared grinned as he moved his napkin to her cheek. “You are so stinking cute. Is it any wonder that I fell in love with you right from the start?”
Harper held out her hands. “Absolutely not.”
He gave her a soft kiss, lifting his chin when he felt a set of eyes on him. He wasn’t surprised to find Becky watching him, a wistful look on her face, from the next table. “Now I know how a zoo animal feels,” he lamented.
Harper shifted so she could see what he was looking at and grinned. “I think it’s kind of funny.”
“Just for the record, I wouldn’t think it was funny if she was a dude and fixated on you.”
“I know. I can’t explain it. I have to get my kicks somewhere, though.”
“Fair enough.” He gave her another kiss, opened his mouth to say something more, and then cocked his head as an ear-splitting scream sounded in the distance. One look at Harris, who looked just about as pleased as one man could given the circumstances, told Jared all he needed to know. “I guess that’s our cue.”
“Yup.” Harper grabbed her platter and stood, her eyes going wide as the others gathered in the pavilion scattered. “The game is afoot.”
“Let’s see how it plays out.”
JARED TOOK THE LEAD AS THEY HEADED INTO the woods. The other teams had raced off, eager to be at the forefront. Harper’s crew decided that slow and steady was the better option ... especially since the idea of running headlong into unfamiliar woods with darkness threatening to overtake them was the most likely way to incur an injury.
“Where do you think they’ll start things?” Shawn asked, his hand linked with Zander’s as they followed directly behind Jared and Harper.
“The cemetery,” Zander automatically answered. “Everything starts in a cemetery in movies.”
Harper hesitated and then shook her head. “No, that doesn’t feel right.” Her sense of direction wasn’t great under normal circumstances, but she was fairly certain the scream hadn’t come from the direction of the cemetery. “I think they’re over by that abandoned building, the one they said was used for campground workers, like, twenty years ago.”
Jared nodded in agreement. “That makes sense to me given where the scream originated from. The good news is that the trail heading out there is pretty well marked. We should be able to find it without a lot of difficulty.”
Harper nodded, her eyes trained on the ground directly in front of them. “I know it’s not keeping with the nature theme or anything, but they might want to consider getting some of those solar lights to illuminate the trails out here. If someone falls they could be sued.”
“That’s a good idea.” Jared gripped her hand tighter as he slowed his pace. “I’m trying to remember. I think the old barn was over that way, so that means the building we’re looking for is to the east, right?”
Harper shook her head. “We need to go that way.” She pointed down the opposite trail. “That’s where the scream came from.”
Jared didn’t look convinced. “I think it was more that way.” He turned to Shawn for confirmation. “What do you think?”
Shawn hesitated and then nodded. “I agree with Jared.”
“I told you,” Zander noted when Harper made a face. “Germany and France are going to join together and screw this up.”
“Do I even want to know what he’s talking about?” Jared groused.
“Probably not,” Harper replied. “The thing is, I’m almost positive the scream came from over there. I know I’m just a lowly female with no directional sense, but I think we need to go that way.”
Jared rolled his eyes. “Oh, don’t turn this into a male-versus-female thing. I’m not saying you’re wrong. It’s just ... I don’t think you’re right.”
“Oh, well, thank you for the clarification.” Harper prepared herself to mount another argument, but whatever she was going to say died on her lips when another scream reverberated through the air, this one much closer than the last. “Ha!” She jabbed a finger into Jared’s ribs. “I told you it was that way.”
Jared was chagrined as she started down the trail. “I think whoever is screaming moved.”
“No, I was right all along.” Harper was adamant as she crested a hill and came face-to-face with one of the young women she’d seen hanging around the pavilion earlier. It was obviously one of the actresses. “You’re going to have to worship me as the directions queen later tonight.”
Despite his embarrassment, Jared snickered. “I think that can be arranged. In fact ... .” He trailed off when he got a better look at the young woman. She was white as a sheet.
“She’s either really good at her job or genuinely frightened,” Shawn offered after a beat.
“I
