Page 56 of Uncharted

“At home,” I snorted, grinning again. “Kinda cute ya call it that now, when before⁠—”

“Shut it,” he snapped. “Now, Reno?”

“If he’s got an issue with ya, Big Boss, I don’t know about it, promise. He ain’t said a word to me,” I said honestly. “It is kinda weird, I’ll give ya that, but I can’t think why.”

Xander grunted. “I get the feeling he wants something from me.”

“Then I guess you’ll figure it out if he ever gets around to askin’,” I said with a wince. “Sorry, can’t help ya.”

Though, come to think of it, what could he possibly want from Xander? Reno had issues with Xander, but he was also a little scared of the grumpy asshole, so it wasn’t like him to seek Xander out unless it was job-related. And if it was, then he wouldn’t be beating around the bush; he would fall back into his professional mindset and approach Xander. So it had to be something else, but the rest of us knew that if you needed something from Xander that wasn’t about the job, it was better to poke Colin to see if he could help or at least point you in the right direction.

Weird.

“Blake, what in the hell have you done to yourself?” Leon asked, appearing from the garage where he and his daughter, Carla, had been spending the past thirty minutes after I said I’d watch the kid. There was a handsomeness to his face that I could appreciate, but there was something in his eyes that made me a little sad. Yet when he looked at his kids, there was nothing but love…or, in this case, exasperation.

“A mess,” the four-year-old announced.

Leon snorted. “Of yourself, that’s for sure. Jesus, c’mere, ya little mud monster.”

“Sorry,” I said with a wince. “He was having too much fun, and it seemed harmless.”

“He’s an idiot,” Xander offered. “This one, not your rugrat.”

Leon gave him a ghost of a smile. “Thanks for the clarification. And don’t fret, one of the reasons I was looking forward to this position was to give my kids a chance to see something natural that wasn’t a city park. Mud washes off, and he’s having a blast. Thanks again for keeping an eye on him.”

“Just glad he’s not a runner,” I chuckled with a yawn. “I think I’m gonna take a nap. When Reno shows up lookin’ for me like he’s gonna when he gets back from helpin’ Carter and Aidan get Timmy out of a well, just tell ’em that if I don’t wake up before he gets back.”

“Sure,” Leon said.

Xander scowled at me. “I’m not your message boy.”

“Thanks,” I said to both of them, laughing when Xander snarled.

A few young teen boys had snatched their parents’ raft, gone several miles, and ended up in a treacherous part of the river where they’d been trapped. Thankfully, where they’d been trapped was a large pile of rocks that let them wait for rescue with no more danger, so long as they were smart enough to stay put.

I ran into Mav on the way and frowned as he crouched near the edge of the woods. “Something up?”

“Might be a mountain lion near here,” he said with a crease in his brow. “I’ll check with Xander so he knows what I’m doing, but I need to be sure.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time one wandered our way.”

“Yes. But it’s the first time we’ve had kids here.”

I smiled. “Don’t let anyone say you’re a mean bastard who doesn’t care.”

“Kids are innocent; people are not,” he said.

“Sounds about right,” I said and stopped when he called to me. “What’s up?”

He frowned. “I’m gonna tell the others, but I’ve been doing my walks, like I do.”

“Like ya do,” I said, knowing he was the best tracker in the entire group. Put Mav and a group of dogs on a search and you could find anything you wanted in these woods. A good part of it wasn’t just his knowledge of animals and patterns, but he also went for long walks through the woods. No one knew the area better than him.

“Be careful. Been a lot more people going through here than there should be.”

I frowned. “Okay?”

“Might be runners,” he said, looking out at the woods. “They go through sometimes. Usually avoid getting close to us, but they don’t always.”