Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77551 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Jake no longer exists for me then. He can’t. I need to be focused and without emotion. This will happen without fail. I’ll make sure of it. Time for the next step.
I signal back to Riv in the house that we received his signal and we’re ready to go. “All right,” I say to Alex, Seb, and Jake, “it’s now or never. You all know your jobs.”
Jake cocks his head at me. “Brett, I...”
“What?” Seb demands. “What the fuck is it, Jake?”
“Nothing.” Jake nods. “I’m good. Let’s go.”
He’s having second thoughts. Part of me wants to hug him to me and tell him it’s going to be okay, but now is not the time to coddle him. I was surprised as hell when he agreed so quickly to this plan in the first place. Jake is usually our moral compass, the one who lectures us on right and wrong. But this time? He was all in before River was.
Which means he needs this, maybe more than the rest of us.
Old Man Larson’s stash of cash and other valuables is buried exactly forty yards away. Good for us that he doesn’t trust banks. And good for us that I just happened to be passing by with Alex and we saw Larson moving the stash. A couple hundred-dollar bills flew out of a paper bag. One of the bills landed right at our feet. With wide eyes, Alex grabbed it, and we stayed put until we could get away without being seen.
That was the beginning of my plan. We took the hundred bucks, went to get Seb, Riv, and Jake, and the five of us had as much pizza and ice cream as we could eat. Jake especially enjoyed it, which made me happy.
It was pure kismet that Alex and I were out this way that day.
Or was it fate?
The one problem with our plan is that Riv has the most muscle. He should be out here digging, but since he was the only one who could get the drugs for Larson, he insisted he be the one to administer the dose and keep watch.
I gave in on that one. I gave in because Riv was the last to agree to this, and I didn’t want to argue. Didn’t want to give him any chance to back out.
“Brett,” Seb whispers harshly, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Let’s go.”
Seb is hot on my heels with Alex following him closely and Jake bringing up the rear. We reach the spot where I saw Larson bury his stash. It’s not marked in any particular way, but it’s rooted deeply in my memory.
The night air pricks at our skin as we move into action. Seb and Jake are on first watch. Alex and I take up position by the tree line, shovels in hand. We dig as if our lives depend on it. In a way, they do.
The sound of the shovels slicing into the dirt echoes through the stark, empty night. The scent of freshly turned earth is somehow invigorating.
Our hands gloved, we continue digging. Damn, how far underground did he bury—
I look up when Alex drops his shovel. He wipes his brow with the back of his gloved hand, leaving a streak of mud across his forehead.
“Did you hear that?” he asks, his voice barely audible in the still night.
I strain my ears to listen, but all I can hear are unintelligible whispers between Seb and Jake.
“Nope.” I shake my head and return to my shovel.
But Alex isn’t satisfied. He walks toward the tree line.
I drop my shovel and follow him, handing my shovel to Seb.
“What gives?” Seb whispers.
“Not sure. Keep digging. I’ll figure it out.” My heart is drumming as I go after Alex.
I find him crouched low and gripping a hefty rock. He glances back at me, his eyes wide and alert. He puts a finger to his lips and points toward something beyond my field of vision. I squint in the direction he’s indicating, but all I see is darkness.
And then I hear it.
A rustling noise that’s too heavy to be the wind. It’s rhythmic and calculated. Alex motions for me to stay put and slowly inches forward, his fingers white-knuckled around the rock.
“Who’s there?” he calls out into the darkness. His voice sounds surprisingly steady despite the tension etched into his face.
The rustling grows louder but then stops. I hold my breath, my heart pounding in my ears.
A moment later, a figure breaks through the trees. But it’s not a man.
EPISODE 134
PARADISE LOST
River
“Tell me, Misty,” Brett says. “How were you able to stay underwater for so long?”
She shrugs. “I’ve had a lot of practice.”
Brett looks at her with unmistakable longing in his eyes “Damn, Misty. What the fuck did your father do to you?”
She doesn’t answer, not that I’m surprised. I tug on Emily’s hand. “I’ve had enough of this BS. Let’s go.” Another night in the sack with Emily will ease the tension that’s threatening to explode in my chest.