Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 53529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 268(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
“Sonofabitch! I can’t do it.” I open my hand, and Mr. Squirrel hops down in the dirt. Just before it disappears into the thick green jungle, it turns, gives me a look, and makes a mean little squeal sound.
“Did you just tell me to fuck off?” The thanks I get. Or maybe it was calling me a pussy for not having the balls to kill it.
I walk around back and plop down in my foldout chair, resting my face in my hands. “What am I going to do?” I can’t throw in the towel so soon. This is important. I need to be able to kill Morris the next time I see him. For River.
Maybe I should start smaller. Kill a few bugs first. Work my way up to a squirrel. Then I can kill something really close to a human, like a dog. No. Never. Maybe a cat?
“Hi, Huff,” says a soft female voice.
I turn my head, and River is behind me, staring with her big brown eyes. Her long black hair is up in a ponytail, and she’s wearing a snug pink T-shirt that shows off her large breasts.
I want to marinate in this mirage. I never want it to go away. But it always does, leaving behind a gnawing hollowness I can’t shake. That’s usually when I give in and visit her in the middle of the night.
“Go away. I’m not doing this anymore.” I turn back around and stare out at the water.
A few moments pass, and I turn my head, tempted for another glimpse. When I look, she’s gone just like before.
I can’t live like this anymore. Then again, I don’t have to. I just need to take out Morris and then get rid of myself. Sad, but true.
I grab my fishing pole, which is leaning up against the house near the back door. I put on a rubber cricket and toss the line in the water. I’ve never caught anything before because I suck at fishing, but if I want to protect River, I’m going to have to get serious about all this murder stuff. Fishing feels like a safe place to start.
“Huff, did you really think you could hide from me forever?” says that familiar soft voice.
“Go away.” I start reeling in my line.
Something pokes me in the back of the head.
I freeze. My mirages haven’t done that before. I jerk to my feet and slowly turn my head to find a set of furious dark brown eyes and frosty pink lips.
“River?”
She pulls back her fist and punches me right in the stomach. “How dare you!”
I double over with a gasp. This isn’t a mirage.
CHAPTER SIX
“I’m sorry I punched you, but aren’t you supposed to be super-strong now?” River says, pacing back and forth in my measly little living room with a beige tiled floor, while I’m sitting on the beat-up brown sofa, trying to catch my breath.
The problem isn’t that she socked me, it’s that I’m going into the “red zone.” She has no clue how much I missed her, what I want to do to her. All the good and dirty things we never had a chance to do after confessing our love. The other problem is that my heart’s going into overdrive. I have to stay calm.
“I am strong, but you caught me off guard.” I sit up straight and inhale deeply. I got this. I’m calm. I’m not going to fall into a roid rage. “How the hell did you find me?”
“Kyle. I threatened him.”
“With what?” And why the hell didn’t he warn me?
“I said I’d go public with…” she starts screaming, “the fucking news you’re still alive, Huff!”
I twist my mouth to one side. I don’t actually know where to start. Mostly because she’s going to disagree with my choice to fake my death. I can’t blame her, but I can’t ignore reality either.
“If I’m alive, you’re not safe, River. There are people who’ll come after you to get to me.”
She stops pacing and walks over, shaking an angry finger in my face. “I didn’t ask you to protect me.”
“But I did it anyway, and you know why.” She was there the day Joy died. She knows the guilt I carry for not running to my sister’s rescue. “I won’t ever turn my back on the people I care about again.”
“So, basically, it’s all about you.” She folds her arms over her chest. I try not to fixate on the swells of her large breasts. She just really does it for me. Also, I missed her. Especially her smile.
Still missing it. “That’s a pretty one-sided way to see it, River.”
“What’s one-sided is you dropping dead in front of me on live TV and having to see your body in the morgue and then going to your goddamned funeral. What’s one-sided is that I had to go through all that pain and heartbreak because you made a choice for me!” Her eyes tear, and the guilt gnaws away at my gut. I know exactly what it feels like to lose someone you love. It tears your soul apart.