HIDDEN (Hidden Trilogy Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

introduced you.  The brown haired one is Brody, the blonde is Hunter.”  Brody smiled good-naturedly and nodded to me.  Hunter, on the other hand, was exactly what his name implied.  He was the bulky one from earlier and gave off the vibe of never wanting to be on his bad side. 
    “So what do you say?”  I asked, looking between both of them while I ignored the angry vibes that emanated from Cade.  Who knew pissing off one guy could be so much fun?   “Would you consider going with Cassie and me up the mountain sometime?”  I could see Brody trying to hide a grin as Hunter’s face remained impassive.  Brody spoke up first.
    “We love the mountain.  Any time you ladies need a guide, let us know.” 
    “Not without letting me know.”  Cade bit out.  I glanced back to him to see him glare at Brody who smiled broadly back at him.
    “What crawled up your ass?”  I muttered.  Cassie choked and Brody laughed.  Bree covered her smile and even Hunter’s lip twitched in amusement.  Cade, on the other hand, was not amused.
    “I don’t like…people…putting themselves in danger unnecessarily.  I take care of my own.”  He replied heatedly as he looked down at me.  I was confused, that was the second time they had used the phase, “take care of our own”. 
    “Well, I’ll be sure to remind Cassie to let one of you know if she ever wants to go with me sometime.” 
    “That doesn’t just apply to her.”  Cade folded his arms across his chest.  A small part, very small , may have admired the show of muscle but then his words caught up to my brain.  His folded arms were probably an act of intimidation but I was beyond being intimidated by him now.  He was just annoying. 
    “Your rules don’t apply to me.”  I narrowed my eyes at him. 
    “You’re an honorary member of our…group.”
    “What?”  I asked, shocked and confused.  How did I go from having no friends, to having five?
    “Cassie befriended you.  She’s not letting you go, so that makes you a part of our group.  Rules apply to you now.”
    “How is that even logical?”  I questioned, looking around the group.  I noticed that none of them were laughing now and everyone had a serious look on their face, like something significant just happened.  I didn’t have a clue what was going on.  Cassie broke up the somber mood. 
    “Regardless,” Cassie interjected, “it’s smart to hike in groups.  You’re my friend, and now one of us.”  She shrugged like it was a given fact.  Weirdest day of my life.  
    “Ok, well, I’m going now.”  I turned and started down the sidewalk again.  Cassie caught up and I noticed that she was alone.  At least something is going the way it is supposed to.  We made small talk about school and the town as we looked over the last of the stores.  I called Steve and found that they were already in town and soon Cassie and I slid into Nicole’s truck. 
    “I see you’ve been making friends already, Kendra.”  Nicole smiled at Cassie.  “I’m Nicole.”
    “Cassie.  Thanks for the ride.  My brother is going to pick me up from your house.  It’s on the way to ours.”
    “Sounds good.  Did you girls have fun today?”
    “Yeah.  Checked out all the shops.”  I replied.  Nicole drove the few miles back to our house and I saw that Steve was waiting in the driveway.  We jumped out of the truck as Nicole parked and my attention was pulled to the sound of a large engine approaching from down the street.  We all turned and my jaw dropped at the monstrosity of a truck that parked by our driveway in the street.  It was a Toyota Tundra, black, sleek, but way over the top.  I liked nice cars and trucks, but why make them flashy?  Seemed like you were just begging for attention.  I went for the more classy approach.  Power and speed, but subtle.  Who would drive something like that?  I scoffed as soon as Cade came around the corner of the tailgate.  Of course.