keep an eye on him.”
“I’m trying,” Wahoo said.
Somebody knocked on the door and Mickey went to open it.
“Let me talk to him again,” said Wahoo’s mother.
“He’ll call you back, Mom—when it’s daytime over there, I promise.”
Derek Badger and Raven Stark were standing in the living room. Wahoo said goodbye to his mother and set down the phone. Then he told his father to put away the fire extinguisher.
“I’m serious, Pop.”
“But they’re supposed to be gone!”
Raven said, “We need to chat, Mr. Cray. Please?”
“I don’t ‘chat.’ ” He pulled the trigger on the fire extinguisher, blasting a cloud of white vapor toward the ceiling. “Now get out!”
“Knock it off,” said Wahoo.
Derek puffed his chest. “Mate, there’s no need to be cranky. We come in peace.”
It was hard to take the man seriously because he was dressed in a purple bathrobe and matching slippers. Mickey placed the fire extinguisher on the kitchen counter. Wahoo suggested that everybody sit down, which they did.
Raven said, “Derek’s got something he wants to say.”
“Imagine that.” Mickey was rubbing his temples.
Derek leaned forward. “That wrestling scene with the alligator—”
“Alice is her name.”
“Yes, Alice. The scene turned out fabulously, Mr. Cray. Perhaps the most extraordinary thirty-three seconds of footage in the history of
Expedition Survival!
”
“But you almost got drowned.”
“Exactly! And the best part is it was
real
.”
“You’re seriously gonna use that in your show?” Mickey asked, and right away Wahoo knew what his father was thinking.
“Of course we intend to use it,” Raven said.
“It’ll be all over YouTube the same night,” Derek added. “Trust me—we’re talking worldwide viral. Millions of hits!”
Mickey’s eyes narrowed. “That means you’re gonna pay us the rest of the money, right?”
Derek chuckled. “Not only are we going to pay you all of it, we’re hiring you to lead us into the Everglades to put thefinishing touches on this masterpiece. What do you think of that?”
Wahoo felt slightly queasy.
“What do you need
me
for?” his father said to Derek. “You’re gonna fake the rest of it, same as you always do.”
Derek didn’t seem even slightly insulted. He twirled the sash on his robe and said, “You’re the most fearless man I’ve ever met, Mr. Cray. With you guiding us on location, we won’t need to ‘fake’ anything.”
“In our line of work,” Raven cut in, “it’s known as ‘re-creating’ events for the camera.”
Wahoo spoke up. “He can’t go. He’s got another job lined up that starts tomorrow.”
Mickey threw him a puzzled look. “What job?”
“You know, Pop. That scorpion scene for the Rain Forest Channel.” Wahoo was hoping his dad would get the hint and play along. A swamp trip with Derek Badger promised nothing but trouble.
Mickey scratched his head. “I don’t remember booking a scorpion gig.”
“And even if you did,” Derek said with a wink, “will it pay you two thousand dollars a day for
four
days?”
Wahoo was stunned. With that kind of money, they could cover what they owed on the house
and
the truck. His mother wouldn’t have to give a nickel of her China paycheck to the bank.
“Hold on—what about the boy?” Wahoo’s father said to Derek. “He’s my right hand.”
“Then make it twenty-five hundred—plus we’ll give him screen credit as ‘First Assistant Wrangler.’ ”
Mickey stroked his chin. “Let me think on this.”
Derek looked aggravated. “Are you serious? This is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Wahoo didn’t know whether he should be flattered or suspicious that Derek had agreed to put him on the payroll. Five hundred dollars a day was more money than he’d ever made on any job. He was also secretly excited at the idea of seeing his own name among the crew credits that would roll on the screen at the end of the broadcast.
Yet while
“I’m trying,” Wahoo said.
Somebody knocked on the door and Mickey went to open it.
“Let me talk to him again,” said Wahoo’s mother.
“He’ll call you back, Mom—when it’s daytime over there, I promise.”
Derek Badger and Raven Stark were standing in the living room. Wahoo said goodbye to his mother and set down the phone. Then he told his father to put away the fire extinguisher.
“I’m serious, Pop.”
“But they’re supposed to be gone!”
Raven said, “We need to chat, Mr. Cray. Please?”
“I don’t ‘chat.’ ” He pulled the trigger on the fire extinguisher, blasting a cloud of white vapor toward the ceiling. “Now get out!”
“Knock it off,” said Wahoo.
Derek puffed his chest. “Mate, there’s no need to be cranky. We come in peace.”
It was hard to take the man seriously because he was dressed in a purple bathrobe and matching slippers. Mickey placed the fire extinguisher on the kitchen counter. Wahoo suggested that everybody sit down, which they did.
Raven said, “Derek’s got something he wants to say.”
“Imagine that.” Mickey was rubbing his temples.
Derek leaned forward. “That wrestling scene with the alligator—”
“Alice is her name.”
“Yes, Alice. The scene turned out fabulously, Mr. Cray. Perhaps the most extraordinary thirty-three seconds of footage in the history of
Expedition Survival!
”
“But you almost got drowned.”
“Exactly! And the best part is it was
real
.”
“You’re seriously gonna use that in your show?” Mickey asked, and right away Wahoo knew what his father was thinking.
“Of course we intend to use it,” Raven said.
“It’ll be all over YouTube the same night,” Derek added. “Trust me—we’re talking worldwide viral. Millions of hits!”
Mickey’s eyes narrowed. “That means you’re gonna pay us the rest of the money, right?”
Derek chuckled. “Not only are we going to pay you all of it, we’re hiring you to lead us into the Everglades to put thefinishing touches on this masterpiece. What do you think of that?”
Wahoo felt slightly queasy.
“What do you need
me
for?” his father said to Derek. “You’re gonna fake the rest of it, same as you always do.”
Derek didn’t seem even slightly insulted. He twirled the sash on his robe and said, “You’re the most fearless man I’ve ever met, Mr. Cray. With you guiding us on location, we won’t need to ‘fake’ anything.”
“In our line of work,” Raven cut in, “it’s known as ‘re-creating’ events for the camera.”
Wahoo spoke up. “He can’t go. He’s got another job lined up that starts tomorrow.”
Mickey threw him a puzzled look. “What job?”
“You know, Pop. That scorpion scene for the Rain Forest Channel.” Wahoo was hoping his dad would get the hint and play along. A swamp trip with Derek Badger promised nothing but trouble.
Mickey scratched his head. “I don’t remember booking a scorpion gig.”
“And even if you did,” Derek said with a wink, “will it pay you two thousand dollars a day for
four
days?”
Wahoo was stunned. With that kind of money, they could cover what they owed on the house
and
the truck. His mother wouldn’t have to give a nickel of her China paycheck to the bank.
“Hold on—what about the boy?” Wahoo’s father said to Derek. “He’s my right hand.”
“Then make it twenty-five hundred—plus we’ll give him screen credit as ‘First Assistant Wrangler.’ ”
Mickey stroked his chin. “Let me think on this.”
Derek looked aggravated. “Are you serious? This is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Wahoo didn’t know whether he should be flattered or suspicious that Derek had agreed to put him on the payroll. Five hundred dollars a day was more money than he’d ever made on any job. He was also secretly excited at the idea of seeing his own name among the crew credits that would roll on the screen at the end of the broadcast.
Yet while
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