Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Get in the truck,” he ordered me.
I let out a laugh. “You have got to be joking,” I replied, not moving.
“I don’t have time for this shit. Get in the goddamn truck.” He raised his voice this time.
“Fuck you,” I shouted back at him, then spun around and continued walking toward Moses Mile.
Perhaps I could take off the sandals and run. My feet were tough. I’d gone without shoes an entire summer once. What was a few miles on a country road?
“You can’t walk that far in the dark! You were supposed to go back to the motherfucking party.” His deep voice almost sounded like a growl.
I kept walking but looked back at him over my shoulder. “I have walked in worse places for farther distances. Trust me, I can hold my own. Now, go away.”
Blaise let out a string of curses, and that made me smile.
“Stop being a child and get in the damn truck, Madeline,” he roared. “I don’t have time for this shit.”
I stopped and turned around, placing my hands on my hips. “Then, leave! Let me walk. Why do you care?”
He began stalking toward me then, and I had a moment where I considered running. I could run fast, but these sandals had a heel on them, and I wasn’t sure I could outrun him in heels. I should have taken them off. Instead, I held my head up high and waited on him to reach me. If he wanted to yell in my face, I could take it. I’d yell right back at him.
None of that happened when he got to me. He was there one minute, and the next thing I knew, I was being tossed over his shoulder, as if I weighed nothing. For a second, I was speechless as I stared down at the ground and his boots, which were making the gravel crunch as they walked back toward his truck.
My voice finally returned, and I used my fists to punch his back. “Let me down!” I screamed, now completely furious.
He ignored me and continued walking.
“I don’t want a ride in your truck! I would rather be eaten alive by wolves!” I informed him with another whack to his spine.
“Don’t fucking care,” he replied as I heard his truck door open.
I was then tossed haphazardly into the backseat before the door slammed in my face. I opened my mouth to scream when my eyes met the same big, terrified ones from the kitchen in the rearview mirror. She sat quietly in the passenger seat, watching me.
The driver’s door jerked open, and Blaise climbed inside. He didn’t look at me as he shifted gears and began driving. My screaming at him and calling him all the names I could think of weren’t going to happen now. Something was wrong with the girl beside him, and I didn’t want to cause her any more trauma. It was clear she was suffering.
Instead, I crossed my arms over my chest and sat quietly. If these two weren’t going to talk, then neither was I. Although I had several things I wanted to say. I bit my bottom lip to keep from sharing them and watched the road, thankful for every second we got closer to Moses Mile.
I lifted my gaze to see the girl in the front seat. Her eyes were locked on Blaise now. She seemed calm and relaxed.
“Why did you come looking for me?” I asked, unable to stay quiet.
“I didn’t,” was his only response.
“Then, what were you doing?”
“Going home,” he replied.
Going home? Did the girl live with him? Where was his home? I wanted to ask all of this, but I bit down on my bottom lip harder to keep from doing it. None of this was my business.
The truck turned into the entrance of Moses Mile, and I sighed in relief. This was almost over. The silence continued until the truck came to a stop in front of the main house. I reached for the door handle. I wasn’t going to thank him for this ride. I hadn’t wanted it. I’d much rather still be walking than have to sit this close to him.
“Why didn’t you go back to the party?” he asked me.
I shrugged. “Not my scene.” Then, I jumped down from the truck.
I didn’t know if he was going to say more, and I didn’t care. I closed the door with more force than necessary, then headed for the front steps. The headlights didn’t move until I opened the front door and stepped inside. When I closed the door, I walked over to the window and watched as he backed the truck up, turned around, and drove away.
I wanted to hate Blaise Hughes. I wanted to believe he was the complete asshole he had portrayed to me over and over. However, I now had some conflicting facts to deal with. One was the way he had been so gentle with the girl he called Angel. I wasn’t sure if that was her name or just an endearment. Regardless, she trusted him completely. Then, there was the fact that he’d been concerned for my safety. He refused to let me walk alone in the dark. Although he’d used his brute strength and force to make me accept his offer. Lastly, he’d waited until I was safely inside before leaving.