Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137131 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Nothing out there but darkness and the LED wall light in the hall.
Okay. This is fine.
If it’s a dumb racoon, I have my weapon of choice—well, not choice, but I’ve got a weapon. If it’s an intruder—
I guess I’ve still got a weapon.
“Hello?” I call loudly, stepping into the hall.
It’s past sunset now with the moonlight dappling in through the windows, bathing the living room in this ghostly light.
There’s no movement. Nothing to suggest there’s anything nefarious waiting for me out there.
Heart in my throat, I take a few more steps, waiting for the inevitable axe murderer to leap out of nowhere and finish me off in one brutal swing.
But when Mr. Murdery doesn’t materialize, I hurry to the kitchen counter and snatch my phone. It’s still alive, thank God.
Barely. Looks like one of those annoying updates just ran, leaving it to boot up extra slow.
The screen lights up my face.
Sweet Jesus.
Come on, come on.
Why today?
Another noise makes me jump, something rattling.
“Hello?” I yell again, brandishing my towel club. “Who’s there? Anyone? If you’re a racoon, I’m all out of snacks!”
Silence.
Could it be some appliance thunking as it kicks on? The air-conditioning or plumbing?
Maybe I imagined the noise and I’m just letting paranoia cross my wires. Maybe—
No, I hear it now.
Laughter.
Blaring like a loud movie, followed by an explosion that bursts color over my eyelids.
Screaming, I leap back until my hip bangs the island, stuffing the towel in my mouth to stay quiet.
Yep.
Someone’s here to blow me up.
I thought axes and knives were bad enough, but no, it’s some intruder freak armed with explosives.
Did Holden send them? Some kinda weird assassins hellbent on wiping me out because I had the audacity to flee from his clutches right before his coronation?
No, that can’t be right.
He doesn’t even know I’m here.
Despite myself, I see faces splattered with blood and creepy crooked smiles painted on oversized masks. Like every good horror movie, maybe they’re brandishing a gun or two.
I’m so ready for a total nightmare.
What I’m not expecting is two young boys to push the sliding back door open and come running inside, their hair mussed and eyes bewildered.
I finally remember to stop screaming.
A teenage girl follows them, stopping with her hands on her hips when she sees me.
Unlike the boys, who freeze up and trade worried glances, she seems irritated and rolls her heavily outlined eyes.
“Shit, Colt,” she says. “I thought you said this place was free for the weekend?”
I blink, sizing them up slowly.
The boys are lanky like they’ve just hit their early teenage growth spurt, all thin arms they haven’t grown into yet. The girl, she’s aiming for a more mature look with the heavy makeup, but she can’t quite pull it off.
If I had to guess, they might be thirteen or fourteen.
“That just fucking figures,” one of the boys says. Colt, I presume. He looks like a sweet kid, and despite the language, his eyes are round and worried behind his black framed glasses as he looks at me. “Um… I’m really sorry, ma’am. We must—this is the wrong place. Obviously. There’s another cabin down the road, and I guess we just got confused? Right, Bree?”
He shoots the girl a desperate look.
“Yeah, confused. Whatever.” The girl shrugs.
I’m calling crap.
This road looks like the end of nowhere. We’re practically sitting in the woods. And they’re so young—high schoolers, maybe not even that.
Summoning my courage, I march over to the sliding door they came through and slam it hard enough to make the glass quiver.
Outside, the solar lights illuminate a grocery bag on the deck with what looks like a fireworks stash.
Normally, I’d say live and let live, kids do dumb stuff all the time, but this is so not the night.
The kid looks at me again, swallowing thickly before he says, “Lady, are we cool? Can you just—”
“Sit down,” I snap, wheeling back around to face them.
The two boys shuffle their feet, but the girl just stares at me, putting on her best grown-up bitch face.
Tough luck, missy.
I’m not fazed by any attitude tonight.
“We’re sorry we disturbed you. Like seriously,” the boy tries again.
I glower until he stops talking.
“I don’t care about you disturbing me. I care about the fireworks out back. That’s what the noise was, right?” I shake my head, barely able to believe their stupidity. “Have you guys not noticed it’s summer? It hasn’t rained for a few weeks and we’re at the edge of a forest?”
“Have you noticed it’s like, none of your biz?” The girl folds her arms, sulking.
“Princess, why aren’t you sitting?” I wait for her to stop rolling her eyes. “Unlike you kids, I rented this place out for the night, so I know I had to give my details online. I had to prove I’m over eighteen.”
Colt swallows as he sits, almost like his legs give out from under him. Good. “I—”