Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 75450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75450 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
The popping sounds downstairs had suddenly stopped, and all I heard was the squeal of tires as someone pulled off.
“Listen to me,” Rune said, his voice suddenly serious as I moved over to my sister who was crying quietly, her face pressed against our dog’s giant head. “Stay in here and stay down. Lock the door. And don’t open it for anyone but me. Here.”
He reached under his pant leg, producing a gun.
Not just any gun.
My gun.
“Just in case. If anyone who isn’t me tries to get through that door, empty the fucking magazine.”
Sofia whimpered harder, curling into Hamster.
“But you…”
He pulled up his other pant leg, producing a smaller gun, giving me a nod, then walking to the door. “Lock it,” he reminded me.
Then he was gone.
A strange sound escaped me as I crawled over to the door, locking it, then scooting backward to sit between the door and my sister. I slid my hand around the gun’s handle and pressed my finger to the outside of the trigger, not wanting to squeeze it by accident.
“What’s going on?” Sofia cried.
“I have no idea.”
I mean, we didn’t live in the best of areas. We did occasionally hear gunshots at night. And I vaguely remembered a story about a drive-by shooting a year ago. But that was gang-related stuff. As far as I knew, there was no gang activity on our street. But, I guess, you never really knew.
“Why does Rune have two guns?”
“This one is mine,” I told her. “He was… holding it for me.”
She hadn’t been a fan of the idea of my going through the process of getting a gun permit. But when a woman just two streets away had her place broken into and was assaulted, she’d relented that it might be a good idea for us.
Obviously, I didn’t tell her the real reason I got the thing, or why Rune was holding it for me.
“They were shooting up our house,” Sof said, voice hollow. Maybe she was in shock.
“How’d the audition go?” I asked, trying to distract her.
“The audition,” I reminded her. “How did that go?”
“I… I got it.” She still sounded shocked about that fact herself.
This was a hell of a way to celebrate.
“That’s so amazing. I’m so happy for you.”
“I was going to invite you out to dinner,” she admitted, and her voice was sounding less shaky. “Then, well..”
“We’re going to celebrate. Maybe not right this second, but soon. This is the best news.”
“Is it, though?”
“Of course it is. Why would you question it?”
“I’d have to move.”
“So? You’ve always wanted to go to California. That was always your dream.”
“But—”
“Don’t you dare say you feel bad leaving me. We both know I want this for you more than you want this for yourself.”
“We’ve never lived apart.”
“No. But maybe this is a sign from the universe that this is the time.”
There were footsteps on the stairs, making both of us jump. The gun slipped out of my sweaty hands and dropped to the ground by my legs.
I frantically wiped my palms on my clothes before reaching for it again.
“It’s me,” Rune called through the door. “They’re gone. You can open up.”
I scrambled to the door, unlocking it, then sliding backward.
“Oh, God,” Sofia gasped. “Chip!”
“Chip’s fine,” Rune said, holding up a hand at Sofia. “Saw him on the porch.”
“I should go check on him,” Sofia said, rising on shaky legs toward the door.
“Wait, sweetie,” Rune said, grabbing her shoulder. “Get shoes first. And leave the dog up here. There’s glass everywhere.”
“Okay,” Sofia agreed, giving Rune a shaky smile, then moving across the hall to grab her shoes.
It wasn’t until we heard her careful footsteps heading downstairs that Rune turned and made a beeline for my closet.
“What are you doing?”
“Hiding my gun,” he admitted as he shoved my sweaters around on the shelf. He reached down, removing each of the holsters and setting them inside as well.
“Why?”
“If Chip didn’t do it himself, I’m sure one of the neighbors already called the cops. They’re gonna be here any minute.”
“What… what am I supposed to tell them?”
“Exactly what happened. You were upstairs when the shots rang out. You saw nothing.”
“Are you leaving?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because your neighbor saw me. It’d be suspicious if I left. And you and me, we have some unfinished business.”
“No, we—”
“I didn’t shoot your best friend, Carmen,” he cut me off. I was looking closely, but I didn’t see a hint of a lie. “But I was there. I saw it happen. I saw who did it.”
CHAPTER TEN
Rune
The second I saw the face in the picture, I knew it was her.
Sure, the picture was probably taken ten years before, both Carmen and her friend looking more chubby-cheeked, like girls tended to be while still in their teens.
But it was the same face.
Same birthmark high on her cheek.
The same eyes.
The last time I’d seen those eyes, they’d been pouring tears as I’d been punched in the gut, then knocked on my ass.