Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103665 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
What had he been thinking?
Alaska wasn’t supposed to be like this. He came up here for a guy’s weekend. Some kind of fun. He’d gotten cheap plane tickets and told his boss back in Phoenix he’d be off-grid for a while. His wife had begged him not to go, but he’d needed time to himself. Marriage wasn’t like he thought it’d be, and his wife wasn’t the sweetheart everyone thought. He missed being the fun guy.
No one expected him back soon.
Which meant no one would come looking.
He slipped again, his boots sliding sideways in the muck. Trees loomed on either side of him, dark and wet and whispering. The forest pressed in like it wanted to bury him. Hide the mess. No one would ever find the body.
Another crack of a branch behind him shot his adrenaline even higher.
Closer this time.
He nearly pissed himself.
Grunting, he picked up speed, arms pumping, lungs on fire. A flash of silver caught his attention from up ahead, some sort of a wet glint through the trees. The river. He’d heard the rush of water earlier. He could smell it now. Wet rock and glacial runoff.
If he could make it, maybe the current would carry him far enough away. Maybe the bastard behind him wouldn’t follow him into the water.
Another branch snapped. This time the sound was just behind him.
He veered right, punching through the undergrowth. A root caught his ankle and he slammed forward into the mud. The impact knocked the air from his lungs. He bit his tongue trying not to scream.
He rolled to his side, coughing up dirt and blood. Pain spiked in his wrist. Had he broken it?
Get. Up.
He clawed at the ground, his fingers slipping in wet pine needles. Finally, he pushed himself to his knees. Behind him, the wind whistled.
He couldn’t stop shaking. Whether it was the cold, the adrenaline, or both, he didn’t know.
Voices in his head started up. His dad telling him to get a real job. His boss laughing at the idea of him surviving in the woods. His new wife crying that he had to leave her to find himself. He told her he’d go up north, find some clarity and make a decision.
Well, he found something.
The sound of rushing water grew louder. He was close. Ten yards, maybe less. He forced his legs to move, staggering forward.
Then came the crash.
A wall of force slammed into his back. He flew through the air like a ragdoll, hit hard and slid. His mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood. Something cracked. His shoulder maybe.
He couldn’t move his arm. His whole left side screamed.
Mud soaked into every inch of him. His ribs ached. His breath came in short, ragged gasps.
Behind him, somebody moved. Slowly. Deliberately.
He pressed his palms to the earth, trying to get up. His right hand found a rock slick with blood. He couldn’t tell if it was his. He lifted his head. The river was right there. Ten feet. Five. He could hear the burble over stone, steady and cold. If he could just get in and let the water take him—
Too late.
A weight dropped on his back, crushing him into the mud. All the air fled his lungs. His ribs popped. Not broken yet. But close.
He screamed into the ground. Muffled, pointless.
His legs kicked once. Twice. Then stopped.
The cold didn’t hurt anymore. That scared him most. Because the cold was the only thing that kept him feeling alive. The storm above howled louder. Trees thrashed. Rain started to beat down.
No one heard.
He twisted his head just enough to see the river.
So close. A few more steps.
Please, he thought. But he didn’t know who he was pleading to. God. The river. Himself.
His mouth worked but no words came. His body refused to move. There came a sudden flash of sharp pain, and finally, the darkness took him.
Chapter 16
Amka handed a full tray of coffees to Nixi, who balanced it easily and swung it up onto her shoulder. Daisy had been smart to hire the woman. “You’re a great help. Would you like a job while you’re in town?” She could use the extra hands. More tourists kept showing up every day, and she was running behind by the time she opened the doors.
“Yes,” Nixi said, bouncing a little. Her purple hair stuck up on one side, like she’d rolled out of bed and just gone with it. “I’d love that, if you don’t mind. I could use the extra cash while I do this influencer gig. I’m not slated to leave for another week.”
Relief burst through Amka’s still aching body. “Yeah, it’d be great. I can pay you in cash.”
“Perfect,” Nixi said, her grin wide, both blue eyes lit. She turned and headed toward the back like she already belonged there, her slim hips swaying without trying.