Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84635 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 423(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 282(@300wpm)
My heart raced and my gaze shifted from his eyes to his hands, ready for the slightest movement.
Only my harsh breathing broke the heavy silence.
Then his bark of laughter shattered the stillness.
Turning his back on me, he opened a nearby cabinet and pulled out a glass and a crystal decanter. “There would first have to be bullets in the gun, my dear.”
Twisting the firearm in my hand, I saw the empty holes in the cylinder. I threw the useless gun aside and snatched up another.
Without looking over his shoulder, he poured himself a drink and jeered, “That’s not loaded either. Really, Madison. I’d like to say your stupidity surprises me, but we both know I’d be lying.”
He turned. Staring at me over the rim of his glass, he took a long, slow sip, exuding the relaxed attitude of a man who had all the time in the world. His controlled calm in the face of such violent brutality lacked all humanity.
The gun slipped from my fingers. My vision blurred with hot, unshed tears as the thin thread of hope slipped from my grasp. “Why are you doing this?”
“He took what was supposed to be mine.”
“But he’s your—”
The facade of his icy control cracked. He raised his arm and threw the glass. It struck one of the display cases, sending a cascade of shattered glass onto the floor and the sharp, smoky scent of brandy into the air. “He’s nothing to me!”
Curling his fingers into a fist, he stalked forward.
My eyes flew to the desk.
This time ignoring the useless handgun, my gaze fell on the shotgun with its barrel hinged open. There were two brass circles from the shell casings glinting in the moonlight.
It was loaded.
Snatching the weapon by its barrel and handle, I snapped it closed and reeled backward, struggling to hold the awkward weight steady.
He bared his blood-coated teeth in a macabre smile. “I’m going to enjoy hearing you beg for your life before I throw you over the cliff’s edge.”
Everything all happened at once.
He lunged.
And I pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER 2
MADISON
Six weeks earlier
Noxious gasoline fumes filled my lungs, strangling the air from my body.
Twisted metal pinned my right arm to my side.
Panicked, I tried to move, but my legs were trapped beneath the dashboard.
Water dripped into my eyes, blurring my vision.
I lifted my left arm and swiped the back of my hand across my face. It came away slick with blood.
This was bad. Really bad.
A groan drew my attention to the driver’s side.
My boyfriend, Jameson, was slumped over to the side, covered in broken glass from the driver’s side window. The bent steering wheel wedged into his ribcage.
It all came back to me.
The fight.
Him swerving as the car picked up speed.
Me trying to grab the wheel, pleading with him to stop.
Then the tree.
Screams ricocheted around me, pounding into my brain.
The screams got louder and louder along with the shrill cadence of a police siren joining the wailing song.
Then there was nothing but a piercing bright white light.
Followed by a pair of silver-gray eyes staring straight through me.
* * *
“Madison! Madison, wake up!”
My body rocked violently forward and back. I stared without seeing and covered my ears to block out the roar of the Jaws of Life.
“Madison, stop!”
A sharp flash of pain stung my cheek and my head jerked to the side.
My pale blue bedspread with its embroidered daisies came into focus. Then the familiar mismatched bedroom furniture found over countless weekends searching garage sales and thrift stores, and the framed prints of my watercolor flowers. Gone were the horrific images of that late-night crash, replaced by the shabby but cozy atmosphere of my small bedroom.
Hailey’s hands clutched my upper arms. Her usually styled hair was a mass of unruly spiral curls which bounced with her continued shaking of my body.
Throwing my forearms up, I dislodged her grasp. “I’m awake! I’m awake!”
I caressed my cheek, which still stung. The skin was warm against my palm. “Did you slap me?”
Her voice was unrepentant as she pushed her hair away from her face and secured it in a messy bun on top of her head with a hair tie. “I was worried the neighbors were going to call the cops.” She shrugged. “And that’s what they do in the movies.”
My brow furrowed. “Do me a favor, maybe try cold water or hit me with a pillow next time.”
“If you’re going to make this a regular thing, we should keep a spray bottle on the nightstand. I’ll squirt you like a misbehaving cat.”
It had to still be the middle of the night, though I didn’t know the time. My phone was in the living room. I’d banished it there days ago to escape the endless calls from reporters.
Hailey leaned back against my bedpost. “Still having nightmares about the accident?”
Sitting up, I snatched a pillow from the empty side of the bed and hugged it to my chest. “I feel so stupid and childish. I can’t make them stop.”