Holiday Affair Read Online Free PDF Page A

would teach him to mentor enthusiastic newbies. More and more, though, it seemed as though newbies were the only ones who wanted to go into the adventure travel business. Except they wanted to do their work in comfort, with high-def TVs in their roomy tents, 24/7 Internet access, and magically retouched souvenir photos of their “adventures” to show for their troubles afterward. Sort of like the corporate crew currently flailing away in the creek.
    Business definitely wasn’t what it used to be. Sometimes Reid wondered if he’d be happier in another line of work.
    Usually those glum thoughts occurred at times like these, though, when his inconvenient sense of duty forced him to do something unpleasant…like dive into a cold, muddy undertow.
    A strangled cry came from the creek bed. Topher sank.
    “Dad…” Nicole bit her lip. “That guy just went under.”
    “I know, honey. I’m going.”
    Reid ripped off the remainder of his leg cast, took off his boots, then stood. His cast and its engineered coverings landed in a neat pile at Alexis’s feet. They drew her attention.
    “Ah. The old ‘fake cast’ maneuver.” She nodded, probably remembering the other times Reid had employed the same strategy with his clients. Certain clients relied on him too much—to the extent that it made them reckless. Reid had begun wearing the leg cast on trial runs—especially with arrogant types like Binky, Asshat, Booster, and Topher—several years ago. It forced clients to take their own welfare more seriously…at least in theory. “Nice one, Dad. I’ll bet they didn’t even spot the trick fastenings.” She picked it up. “I did a good job on this.”
    That was true. Alexis was handy in that way. She always had been. At five, she’d dismantled Reid’s compass and trail watch—and then reassembled them. At eight, she’d reprogrammed his GPS units and hacked his satellite phone. Now, at eleven, she had yet to meet the device, technology, or ordinary, old-school lock and key that could defeat her talents.
    “You did, Alexis,” Nicole said. “You’re smart like that.”
    “Ha. Nice try, stupidhead. Flattery will not get you your stuffed dingo back.”
    “Then you do have it!” Nicole muttered a French swearword—one Reid should have disapproved of. “I knew it! Give it back!”
    “Why don’t you make me? I’d like to see you try.”
    Ahead in the creek, Asshat and Binky fell to their knees with an enormous splash. Their packs fell too. Booster gawked at them, then tried to pull Topher to his feet. He dropped like a stone, splattering his expensive designer “safari gear” with mud.
    This bunch really was hopeless.
    There was no help for it. Reid would have to go in after them. Squaring his shoulders, he faced his bickering preteen daughters. “You two play nicely together. I’ll be right back.”
    With renewed agility, he waded into the rushing waters.

Chapter Three
    (definitely) December, (probably) Thursday
Inland Australia: The Outback
    Staring into the campfire that night, Reid rested his forearms on his thighs. In the darkness surrounding him, Outback creatures skittered and cried, carrying on their simple lives.
    Eat. Sleep. Fuck. Hunt. Lather, rinse, repeat.
    He tried to keep his own life just as simple. Lately, though, things had begun to feel increasingly complicated.
    Take today’s test run, for instance. After he’d fished Topher from the drink, he’d dragged Binky and Booster safely to the creek bank. He’d signaled the Evans Adventure Travel remote engineer to cut the water supply that had artificially caused the flood and drain it into the base camp’s reclaimed water holding tank. Then Reid had rescued Asshat, chewed out the man for kicking off the whole sorry mess with his idiotic crossing-the-creek bet, and told them all he was out as their assigned guide.
    Out. Period. End of story. They’d failed Reid’s obligatory pretrip test run, performed in a safe, relatively controllable