Wilder Boys: Chapters 1–4

The officer had asked the question casually, but Jake picked up an undercurrent beneath his words.

Jake felt dread in the pit of his stomach.

Mrs. Sanchez flashed a wry smile at Jake, who was starting to look a lot older than his thirteen years.

Jake knew that wasn’t exactly the truth, but he didn’t see any point in contradicting his younger brother.

At the end of the block, the boys approached their own place—a small house about twice as big as Mrs. Sanchez’s. Unfortunately, it was twice as shabby, too—at least since their mom had gotten sick.

Bull’s face contorted with rage. “What do ya think you’re doin’? Those franks aren't for you punks. And they’re especially not for your mangy mutt!”

Bull kicked at Cody, but the dog deftly leaped to the side, cowering from the stocky, barrel-chested brute standing over him.

Bull kicked at Cody, but the dog deftly leaped to the side, cowering from the stocky, barrel-chested brute standing over him.

Bull kicked at Cody, but the dog deftly leaped to the side, cowering from the stocky, barrel-chested brute standing over him.

"Why, you lyin’ little—”
Bull raised his hand to strike Taylor, his sinewy forearm slick with sweat.

The journal contained a strange hodgepodge of entries: notes from his father’s travels through Wyoming as a young man; sketches of birds, reptiles, and mammals from right here in Pennsylvania; hunting and fishing tips; a section on medicinal and useful plants in the West.

More than anything, the journal contained their father’s dreams of finding his own kind of utopia, a place where he and his family could live off the land.

Taylor sulked while Jake set the gun aside, and he peered down into the hole.

“What’s it say?” asked Taylor.
At first Jake was too engrossed in the letter to respond.

Then Jake spotted one more letter in the bottom of the box. He picked it up and saw that it was addressed to their mom, but this one wasn’t tattered or faded—this one was clean and recent.

Across the bottom were the words Teton NP, along with some notes about leaving inspiration behind them and seeing the aurora borealis.

Across the bottom were the words Teton NP, along with some notes about leaving inspiration behind them and seeing the aurora borealis.

By the light of a waning moon, the two cut to the alley behind their house and followed it to the next cross street.

“Bottom line, Bull, you messed up,” said the stranger.

Something in the stranger’s tone made Bull’s voice switch again, back to the menacing sneer that Jake knew—any trace of worry was gone.

"Is that a threat?” he snarled.
The assailant stuttered, suddenly on the back foot.

But before Bull could pull the trigger, a brown-and-white flash darted from the undergrowth, and Cody leaped out between the two men, barking furiously.

An eerie stillness descended upon the area, and all the boys could hear was the sound of each other’s stifled breathing.

"Because we don’t have proof of anything. Even if we told them what we saw tonight, they might not even believe us. And if they did, we might have to testify—then those people would definitely be after us. They could put us in foster care or something and split us up. We just have to keep our heads down and try to protect Mom as best we can.”

“Right. And Cody.” Jake smiled, but inside, his mind was in turmoil. He knew that protecting them all would be much easier said than done.