Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 114820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Jace jerked up his chin.
“One of our ancestors buried it somewhere close to here. Jesse says we should take a break, go hunting for it. I’m not in the mood, but it’d be good if we found it. Honest to God, people these days are so fucked up, it’s a wonder we’re not always chasing assholes off our land who are obsessed with finding it.”
Treasure hunting was a big deal, so that was a wonder.
Though the gate and fence, and the three very serious-looking men who lived on the property—because he learned that night Jace and Jess had homes on it, in other words, the Bohannan compound was a true compound—might have something to do with keeping people away.
“DB Cooper is a big thing up here,” Jace declared, seemingly out of the blue. “They have festivals and conventions. This guy was carrying a bomb, he hijacked a plane, probably scared the shit out of the flight staff, demanded money, then disappeared into the night. After that, they made him a folk hero. Said he stuck it to the man. Like that money he demanded, and got, wasn’t taxpayer money. I mean, the people were the ones this dick stole from, and somehow, he’s twisted into a hero so big, decades have passed, and people are still obsessed with him. They admire him, wear T-shirts with the artist’s rendering and have podcasts talking about him. When, bottom line, he’s an asshole and a criminal who put people in danger solely for his own ends.”
Rus couldn’t argue that.
He didn’t know why Jace was talking about it, but he couldn’t argue it.
“I hope, when he jumped, he slammed right into a mountain,” Jace said. “Died right there. Not only because that’d serve him right, but because it’d serve all those morons right to be obsessed with a dead man who didn’t get away with shit.”
And Rus couldn’t argue that either.
He was worried Jace had brought up Cooper because many also twisted killers into heroes, Ray Andrews being one. Not a hero, as such, but the guy looked like a male model, so he had a cult following.
Jace had been close to that case too.
And maybe Jace was upset that would be what would happen with who killed Brittanie.
Jace pointed the bottom of his beer bottle into the mist.
“We found Malorie out there, tied to our dock.”
Yeah.
Ray Andrews was on his mind.
Since Jace felt like talking, Rus settled in, crossing his arms on his chest, his beer on the outside.
And he said nothing.
But he knew what Jace was talking about now.
Ray Andrews had come to Misted Pines to play with Cade Bohannan and Malorie was a pawn in that game.
So Rus knew where they found her.
“She wanted to move in together,” Jace said.
All right then.
That wasn’t Malorie.
That was Brittanie.
And here we go, Rus thought.
“We’d only been seeing each other a few months. It was too soon. She was talking that and hinting marriage. I liked her. But we were nowhere near something like that.”
“Okay,” he said low to encourage Jace to keep talking.
“We got in a big fight when I put her off. I don’t mind fighting, but she was quick to get pissed, so it happened too much. And you can’t force a man into making a move like that.”
“No, you can’t,” Rus agreed.
Jace slugged back more beer.
Then he said, “Honestly, I didn’t wanna break up with her. She was funny and sweet. I liked her a lot. But I wasn’t ready for that, and she wouldn’t let it go.” Long pause, then, “It got too much. So it was me letting her go.”
Just like most men would do.
Rus got to the meat of it.
“I can say it a thousand times, and you won’t get it until you get it, still, I’m going to say it. You couldn’t have stopped what happened from happening.”
“I know,” he whispered.
He did, and he didn’t.
But Rus felt one day he would.
“I don’t get why she went to that motel,” Jace muttered. “It’s not her. Like, her biggest dream was to take a vacation in LA and stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She was all about spas and room service. She said she wanted to have a vacation where, for a while, she got to live like Marilyn Monroe. Just stay in bed for days and days and read and watch TV.”
“Sounds like a good vacation.”
“Yeah,” he grunted, and took another drag from his beer.
“I gotta warn you, we might never know why she went to that motel.”
“Yeah,” Jace repeated, and finally, he looked to Rus. “It’s killing me, man, not being out there, finding this guy.”
“I know.”
“I know how she died.”
Shit.
But of course he did.
Rus uncrossed his arms so he could clamp Jace’s neck where it met his shoulder and squeeze, but he said nothing.
“You don’t have to worry about me,” Jason assured. “I have my shit tight now. I know, if I find him, I’ll fuck this.”