Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 72616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72616 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
"He’s dead," he repeats. “Lifted a gun and tried to shoot Mayson, and the sheriff shot him."
"You were there?" My heart goes around and around at the thought that I’m finally fucking free. He’s dead, and he can’t hurt me. Nothing is holding me back. I’m free.
The tears sting my eyes, and no matter how much I fight it, a lone tear falls over my bottom eyelid. I lift my hand and wince in the action. I close my eyes, and another tear comes out. "I’m sorry for your loss,” he says, and I open my eyes to look at him.
“My loss?” I ask, not sure I heard him right. “Are you the police?” I ask him. “Is that why you are here stuck to my bed? Do you need a statement from me?" I snap at him. “Or am I under arrest?" My hands get clammy, and my heart rate goes up even more. The back of my neck gets hot, and my stomach feels a burning sensation in it.
"How much pain are you in?" I open my eyes and look at him as he stands there with his arms across his chest. His arms look bigger.
"I’m fine,” I say.
"Bullshit,” he says, his voice going just a touch louder than before.
He’s about to say something else when Doris comes back in with a bowl in her hands. “I found one." She holds up her arm.
"She’s in a lot of pain," Quinn says, and I look at Doris.
"It’s not that bad,” I say, and I look over at Quinn.
"Stop being so stubborn and tell her how you really feel." He shakes his head.
"On a scale of one to ten," Doris says, “how much pain do you feel?”
“Zero,” I lie to her. Quinn huffs, but instead of saying anything, he just walks out of the room.
“Okay, he’s gone now,” Doris says. “Tell me the truth.”
“I’m fine,” I say, and she looks at me.
“No one is going to think less of you for feeling pain.”
I turn my head and watch Quinn from the window as he stands there with the phone to his ear. No doubt calling whoever he needs to call to give them a rundown of our conversation. Just another person in my life who needs something from me.
“Are the police outside my door?” I ask her, and she looks at me confused. Her eyebrows furrow.
“The police?” she repeats the question.
I close my eyes as the pain gets to be too much, and my face grimaces. “I need to get out of here,” I say, and she looks at me.
“I’m sure eventually you will.” She smiles, and I just look at her.
Sooner than you think, I say to myself as I sit back and make my escape plan.
Chapter 7
Quinn
I walk out of the room before I snap at her. Reining it in, I watch her through the window. My whole body shakes with anger as I watch Doris with her.
She looks at Doris and then looks at me, her eyes flying away from mine when she sees me looking at her. I take the phone out of my pocket and call the only person I know who can help me right now.
"Hey," my father says after half of a ring.
"Hey," I say back. “Her name is Willow." Her name falls off my lips like I’ve been saying it my whole life.
"Is she awake?" he asks, and I hear him moving around.
"She is." I look back at her and see her close her eyes and put her head back on the pillow.
"Did she give you a last name?" he asks.
"No, and I didn’t ask her, to be honest." I look around to see if anyone else is in the hallway.
"What else did she say?" he asks.
"Not much. She asked if Chelsea was okay." I swallow. “She said she tried to warn her. But …" I swallow down the rage coming right through me. “But he caught her before she could warn us."
"Fuck," he hisses and says the same thing I was thinking when I heard it. Actually, when I heard her say that, I thought it was a good thing he was dead because I would find him and finish the job.
"She also didn’t know he was dead,” I say.
"Do you think they were working together?" he asks, and just the thought makes my skin crawl. "Step out of the bubble for a minute,” he says. “Do you think she was working with him?"
"No," I answer him honestly, and then I close my eyes and pray I’m not wrong. "Not with the way she is acting. She is too jumpy to be in on it. Besides, her injuries tell us a different story."
"But did you ask her?" he asks, and I wish I had another answer for him.
"I didn’t have a chance to." I stop talking as I look at her smile for the first time. Not a whole smile, but a small side smile. Her green eyes light up just a touch. Unlike when she gets into her head, and she’s alone with her thoughts. Then they get so clouded over.