Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40637 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 203(@200wpm)___ 163(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
My body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds as I sank onto the bed. It didn’t feel right, sitting on someone else’s bed without their express permission. Maybe he meant I should sleep on the couch? I left the small bedroom to a larger living room where an old sofa sat along one wall. There were no pillows or a blanket or anything, but I honestly didn’t care. I was too beat to care.
Since I had to get up anyway, I dug through the bag of stuff Hawk had left and found a toothbrush still in its packaging, so I took that and went to the bathroom to brush the gunk out of my mouth. The thought brought on a whole ’nother bout of anxiety.
I slumped against the vanity as I struggled to open the toothbrush and glanced at the mirror. Huge mistake. The face that stared back at me from the mirror was nearly unrecognizable. I was pale, with haunted, wild eyes. Lingering panic still had my pupils blown. My light brown hair was a tangled mess, but at least all the blood was out of it. I had avoided the mirror at all costs until now so I could only imagine what I’d looked like before.
“Oh God,” I whispered, reality crashing down on me again. “What did I do?” I glanced at the clothes in the corner where I’d tossed them. They’d been torn and bloody and I’d tried not to look at them much before, but now I couldn’t take my eyes from the pile.
I shook myself. “Get over it, Carrie. It’s all over and done with. You’ll never have to do something like that again because once you get home, you’re never leaving.” Except I didn’t have a home. I’d left. And my father told me if I left, never come back.
A quiet sob broke free before I could stifle it. Two tears slid down my cheeks and I angrily dashed them away. This would not break me. It would not!
As the adrenaline continued to fade, exhaustion hit me like a ton of bricks. My body felt like it weighed a ton. I kept seeing the bloody clothes on the floor.
I gripped the toothbrush tightly in my hand, squeezing until my knuckles turned white. A faint voice rang in my head that sounded suspiciously like my father’s whispered, “Weak,” but I pushed it away.
“Bastard.” I didn’t hate my father, but he wasn’t an easy man. And he was definitely not easy on his children. Except for me. At least, that’s what he said. It never felt like he went easy on me, but I suppose, compared to my brothers, he had.
I shook it off. Had to. Just getting through the next few hours was going to be more than I could handle without hearing my dad’s voice in my head telling me how inept and disappointing I was.
Brushing my teeth helped me feel more human again, the mint taste replacing the coppery flavor still lingering. I shuddered, trying not to think about where that taste had come from.
When I finally made it back to the couch, I curled into a ball at one end, not even bothering to look for a blanket. Sleep claimed me almost instantly.
I jolted awake to the sound of the door opening. Disoriented, I shot upright, my heart hammering in my chest.
“Easy, Killer. Just me.” Hawk’s deep voice cut through the panic. He stood in the doorway, his massive frame blocking most of the light from the hallway. “Sorry I woke you.”
I blinked, trying to get my bearings. “What time is it?”
“Just after two a.m. You’ve been out for about three hours.” He stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him. The room was dim, the only lighting coming from the kitchen area over the stove.
I swung my legs over the side of the couch to sit properly. Not sure what to say, I gestured over my shoulder to the bathroom. “I, uh, my clothes…”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of them.”
“Do I…” I cleared my throat. “I mean, should I keep them? Like for evidence or something?”
Hawk snorted. “Nah. I can disappear those if you’d like. Probably the best idea anyway.” He crossed slowly to the couch and sat on the other side from me. “You up for a little talk?”
Instantly my hackles rose. I pulled my knees to my chest and focused my complete attention on Hawk. “Am I in trouble? Did you call the cops?”
“Honey, no one here is gonna call the cops on you. We avoid them at all costs.”
“Even if someone deserves it?”
“We take care of it ourselves.” He studied me for a moment, his gaze intense but not unkind. “You hungry? I brought food.” He gestured to a bag I hadn’t noticed before.
My stomach growled loudly in response, and I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment. “I guess that’s a yes.”