Phantom Warriors: Riot Read Online Free PDF Page B

with animals than you
do people.”
    “I don’t—” Nina stopped mid-sentence as Kim
arched a brow. It wasn’t her fault that animals were more reliable
and far better company than most of the people she’d met over the
years. She rubbed the back of her neck. “Maybe I have been avoiding
the dating pool.” She grudgingly acknowledged.
    “The first step is admitting that you have a
problem.” Kim grinned.
    “Very funny.”
    “It’s time to take off the water wings and
get wet. Promise me that you’ll at least talk to the next guy that
captures your interest.”
    Nina sighed. “I promise, Mom.” How long had
it been since a man had caught her eye? She couldn’t remember. Nina
looked at her best friend. Thank goodness she hadn’t given her a
time limit. She had a feeling a set time would come and go before
she encountered someone like that.
    Kim stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry
at her, shattering the seriousness of the moment. She glanced at
the map laid out on the table. “So where are we going to
start?”
    Nina jumped at the chance to change the
subject. She walked over and pointed to one of the spots she’d
circled in red. “I thought we’d check out the Qualla Boundary where
it borders the park. We’ll take the Blue Ridge Parkway to Heintooga
Ridge Road and pull over somewhere along the side. The woods around
there are a good spot for poachers to set up their bear traps.
Close enough to civilization to haul a four hundred pound bear
carcass out, and yet far enough away to stay out of sight.”
    Kim’s brow furrowed. “There are a few houses
along there, before you reach the park and several hiking trails. I
wouldn’t think it would be smart to set up where a hiker may
stumble across them. Too easy to get caught.”
    “Nobody said they were smart.” Nina rolled
her eyes. “Besides, given the money they can make by selling bear
gallbladders to the Asian market, it’s worth the risk.”
    “Good point.” Kim nodded. “I’m going to grab
my boots and backpack out of the car, then I’ll be ready to
go.”
     
    ***
     
    It didn’t take long to reach Heintooga Ridge
Road. Black Camp Gap marked the entry to the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park. If tonight wasn’t successful, then Nina planned to
check in the woods off Heintooga Round Bottom Road. At least there,
their vehicle wouldn’t stand out because they could park in Balsam
Mountain campground. They wandered into the woods and quickly
checked their bearings. The plan was to hike in a half a mile or
so, and slowly circle back toward Nina’s truck.
    The woods were quiet this time of year. After
the trees changed colors, most of the tourists left the area,
giving the locals a chance to recover and get ready for next
summers’ arrivals. Nina preferred the fall. She liked the peace
that descended upon the mountains. She just wished it didn’t bring
out the poachers. Daylight was fading fast. Soon the sun would drop
behind the mountains and leave them in deep shadows. Darkness would
descend an hour or two later.
    “Ready?” She turned to Kim, who once again
checked her watch.
    Her face flushed with excitement. “Yep, let’s
do this.”
    They hiked deeper into the woods, leaving the
road behind. Dead leaves covered the forest floor, crunching
beneath their boots. Despite the dense, decaying foliage on the
ground, the trees were far from bare. They walked for an hour in a
grid pattern to make sure they covered the area thoroughly. Nina
continuously scanned the ground for bear traps and obvious bait
snares, while Kim kept her gaze glued to the tops of the trees,
searching for camouflaged hunting blinds.
    There shouldn’t be any in the park or on
Cherokee land. The People controlled who hunted on the Qualla
Boundary. They kept chatter to a minimum as they slowly worked
their way through the woods. The quiet became a living, breathing
thing that surrounded them. Instead of feeling cocooned, it
sharpened Nina’s senses, making her