Polar Opposites by Ryann Fletcher

Author:Ryann Fletcher [Ryann Fletcher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ryann Fletcher
Published: 2022-10-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Sloane ran her fingers along the ground, frowning at the lack of snow. She looked up at the cloudless sky with a furrow in her brow, wondering if the whole season was going to be ruined by the high temperatures. The forecast was still suggesting another week of it.

Still sore, still exhausted from the hungry shifts, she hadn’t spoken a word to Max the night before. Her bags were neatly stacked in the corner, a surprise, and her sheets had already been changed, which was an almost alarming departure from the hostility she’d been experiencing from the snowboarder from the moment she’d arrived at Crimson Oak.

Her scent dampener was harder to use unnoticed, even though it looked like a normal deodorant. It had a strange smell in the stick before it mixed with her skin chemistry to form a neutrality that would keep her identity as a Bear hidden away. It was unlikely that anyone would know, but her family had always taught her to prioritize caution in the matter.

Yellow grass pushed up through the rocky earth, spiky and crisped against the pads of her fingertips. The investors were still sitting in meetings, and thankfully, Mr. Parker hadn’t called for her again. Maybe her lackluster performance the previous day had saved her from any more unwanted, awkward interaction with people who assumed she knew more than she did, all because she had a recognizable name.

“Hey.”

Sloane turned, an eyebrow raised. “Carter.”

“Inspecting the slopes?”

“Not much else to do. It’s a good thing there aren’t many guests here, there’s no way we can allow anyone out here. Too much danger of erosion if we did.”

Max tensed. “I’m aware.”

“I’m sorry if I snored last night.”

“You didn’t.”

A strange moment passed, and a crow called from a nearby branch, the brash and brazen song echoing gently down the mountain. “Did you need something?” Sloane asked, a little too tersely.

“Unfortunately.”

“Well?”

Max sat down on the ground, pulling at the tufts of dead grass and ripping pieces of it up before tossing them aside. “I want to try tracking the people we think might be trying to poach on the mountain, up near the precipice.”

“And how do you think I can help with that? By your own stated facts, you know this place far better than I ever will.”

“The people who—who did this last time, about five years ago—they were recently released from prison, and they’re still local. I think it might be the same ones.”

“Similar methods?”

Max nodded. “Not exactly, but similar enough, yes.”

“I still don’t know how I fit into this equation.”

“Orren said I can’t go unless I take you with me. He thinks I’m going to open my big mouth, or get myself punched.”

“Oh, so you have a habit of being antagonistic, interesting,” Sloane mused aloud, shielding her face from the oppressive sun to stare past the tree line. “And here I thought I was special.”

“I’m only antagonistic when it’s merited,” Max shot back. “It’s not easy spending your entire career being looked down on and dismissed by people who think they’re better than you, but I’m sure you can’t relate.

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