Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 112736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
The sharp lines of his cheeks… the scruff he’ll let grow on his jaw…
Eyes so dark and intense they cut as much as they burn.
Blinking away the image, I nod my head and bend over to pick up another broken toy.
Working as quickly as I can, I get everything picked up off the floor then start sweeping up all the dust and dirt.
A vacuum would be awesome right now, but I’m grateful the floors are hardwood and not carpet. I don’t even want to imagine what carpet would look like given what’s been done to the place.
Outside, the mid-afternoon sun burns bright, so bright it shines right through the thin floral sheet still covering the window. But by the time I pull out my mop, I’m ready to fall over from exhaustion.
I’ve never been so tired in my life. So tired that if I close my eyes for a second too long I start to drift off.
I push myself to finish half of the room though before I stop to rest, squeezing the handle of the mop in my hands.
I only need a few seconds… Just a few seconds and I can keep going…
Thunder rolls in the distance and I jerk awake, my heart leaping in my chest.
That impending sense of doom I felt earlier returns.
Great, a storm is coming. Just what we need when we have to use the bathroom outside.
Levi twitches the curtain to the side and peeks out the window. A bright shaft of sunlight hits me directly in the face. Blinking away the sting, I turn my face away from the light and hear the thunder in the distance still rolling, growing louder.
Once my eyes have readjusted, I walk up to the window to investigate. Leaning my mop against the wall, I peek out the window over Levi’s head.
Looking right then left, I expect to see storm clouds rolling in on the horizon.
What I don’t expect to see is three motorcycles coming down the road.
One of the reasons I decided to come to this house to hide is because of the isolation it offers. Our closest neighbors are more than a mile away. There’s literally nothing around us but grass, bushes, and trees.
But mostly trees.
Maybe they’re just passing by, I hope as I watch them grow from small figures in the distance to big, life-sized threats.
The bikes begin to slow as they near the house and then they turn up the driveway.
Shit.
“Get away from the window,” I hiss at Levi and grab him by the arm, pulling him back.
“Mommy?” he squeaks and looks up at me with fear in his eyes.
“Ssshhh, be quiet, honey,” I whisper and press my finger against my lips.
Levi nods his head, his lips trembling as I lead him to the middle of the room. Squatting down, I wrap my arms around him as he throws his little body at me and hold him tight.
The motorcycles are so close now the house practically rattles with the sounds of their rumbling engines.
Then the engines shut off and everything is quiet.
Heart racing, my ears strain for any little sound that would give me a clue of what’s going on outside.
Maybe they’re here to visit the people who used to live here, I try to reassure myself, fighting off the urge to give into panic.
Panic will get us killed. My nerves are frayed, my entire body aches, and I went beyond exhausted hours ago, but I still have to be smart and level-headed.
I don’t think Mikhail ever worked with bikers. The people he surrounds himself with, his circle, are more… upper crust. The type of people that look down their nose at anyone with a net worth under a million.
And it’s highly unlikely he has any connections out here in Kentucky, of all places. Even if he did, the odds that he could find us so quickly, especially out here in boonies, has to be astronomical.
Heavy footsteps thud against the porch.
The people outside… it’s most likely simply a coincidence. Bad timing. If we’re quiet, they’ll probably go away.
Unless they’re the very people that used to live here.
My stomach churns at that thought and my arms tighten around Levi.
The locks were changed, but if they used to live here and want to get in, there’s no bars on the doors or windows to stop them.
I hear deep, male voices but can’t quite make out what they’re saying.
Then there’s a loud, booming knock on the front door.
Levi jumps in my arms and I keep holding him tight.
“It’s okay,” I whisper, pressing my mouth close to his ear, “if we’re quiet and pretend we’re not here, they’ll go away.”
Levi nods his head but now his whole body is trembling.
I pray that I’m right, because if I’m not…
We’re well and truly fucked.
If the men outside try to force their way in, I’ll have no choice but to call the police. And if I have to call the police, Mikhail will be able to find us.