Fire in the Woods Read Online Free PDF

good decision here. “You know what? You’re right. Can you come out there with me?”
    “You know I’d love to meet your prince charming but I need to go school shopping while my mom’s credit card is still squeaking, and tonight is family movie night. No getting out of that in the Baker household.”
    “Oh yeah, I forgot.” Oh well. So much for reinforcements.
    “You know what? Just don’t go. Tip off the MP’s that someone’s out there, and they’ll find him.”
    “You want me to turn him in?”
    “No, not turn him in, but if he’s in trouble…You know…They have shelters for kids like that. Confidential and all. They won’t call his parents.”
    I fingered the chain on my neck. “No. It doesn’t feel right. He needs my help.”
    Someone knocked on my door three times.
    “Maggs, I gotta go. My Dad’s revving up for another pep talk.”
    “Okay, but be careful if you go out there, okay?”
    “Yeah, whatever.” I clicked off the phone and opened my door.
    Dad’s hand was poised at eye level, about to knock again. His chest expanded for the obligatory breath before an apology speech. “Jess, I don’t want to fight with you. I just wish you’d listen once in a while.”
    I folded my arms. “I only went to the store.” With a little side-trip into the woods.
    “It’s not just that and you know it.” He ran his palm across the top of his cropped hair. “You know it’s been hard without your mom here, but I’m trying.”
    “I know.” Dang he was good with the guilt trips. An uncomfortable silence lingered, stifling me like an invisible curtain.
    “Listen. I’ve never been able to keep you cooped up, and I realize you’re into all that photography stuff, but until things die down and I can confirm everything is secure, I need you to stay in the house.”
    Crap.
    You see dad, I can’t stay in the house. There’s this drop-dead gorgeous guy in the woods, and I promised to bring him ice. Nah. That wouldn’t go over well. Certain things a girl should just keep to herself.
    “Dad, what’s going on? And what was all that buttercup stuff about last night?”
    He rubbed his face with his palms. “You weren’t really old enough when your mom and I came up with the word buttercup. I was hoping you’d understand what I was trying to say.”
    “Mom told me once to listen if you ever said buttercup during an emergency. That’s all I remember.”
    “Well, we were in an emergency. You did good.”
    “There was someone on the phone, wasn’t there? They were making sure you didn’t tell me anything.”
    Dad leaned against my doorframe. “You know I’m not allowed to talk about work.”
    “Work smirk. I don’t care about security clearance.”
    “There was a possibility of danger. I just needed to know you were safe” He kissed my forehead. “I gotta get back.”
    “You’re leaving again?”
    “Yes. I’m sorry, but the whole base is on alert status.”
    “For how long?”
    “It depends on how long it takes us to find…”
    I waited for a word that didn’t come. “Find what?”
    His head tilted to the side. “Nice try.”
    “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”
    So, the army was looking for something . Interesting.
    “I’ll be back in the morning for a bit. We’ll have breakfast, okay?”
    “Uh-huh.”
    Dad headed down the stairs, and I counted to a hundred before following.
    So, the army was all jacked up in another one of Dad’s top-secret operations. I still had no idea what Dad did in the army, but what I could gather from Maggie’s eavesdropping habit, Dad’s division dealt with dangers of the “who” kind, not the “what” kind. They called my dad to track people down. If Dad was involved, whoever they were looking for had to be pretty big potatoes.
    David was hiding from someone, and he was hurt. Could he be running from the military? A vision of David’s bright eyes and perfectly cut jaw flashed through my mind. I shook my head. Why would Dad be hunting a