Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37111 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37111 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 148(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
* * *
Chloe
The wind was blowing through colder than I’d expected. I’d snagged a coat from Deadeye’s closet figuring he’d get over it, but I didn’t have gloves or any kind of garment to shed water. It had started to rain in great, freezing sheets. The temperature had dropped, and ice was starting to form on the trees and grass. Finding adequate shelter was even harder than it had been when I was staking out the Bones compound.
I’d run as far as I could before the storm hit, moving for an hour and a half before the wind and rain forced me to stop. I’d managed to find a grouping of low-hanging trees where I huddled in a small depression. It did nothing to stop the freezing rain, and soon I realized I was in big trouble. Not only was the rain picking up and the icy wind chilling me to the bone, but lightning streaked the sky followed by booming thunder. There was no way I could stay under the trees. I needed real cover. Since I was deep in the woods, there was none.
I’d seriously fucked up. I was convinced I needed to leave the club because of the reception I’d received from Sword, but honestly, why did I expect anything different? He’d had no idea I existed. Obviously, my mom had done a number on him in some way. Her talent was to manipulate people.
No. That wasn’t my fault. I might look like my mother when she was younger, but Sword had to know I wasn’t her. I hadn’t done anything to him to deserve the wrath he’d given me. And yeah. I was terrified of the man.
Knowing I needed to get moving, I pulled Deadeye’s big coat around me as much as I could and moved from the trees just as another booming round of thunder sounded in the distance. I was soaked to the skin and freezing cold. Lightning flashed followed by a closer thunderclap. I didn’t have any kind of GPS or even a fucking map, but I had the lay of the land firmly in my mind from my trek here. I knew I was headed toward a road leading out of the woods and into a more populated area. I just wasn’t sure exactly how far it was.
Stumbling around in the dimming light, I fell more than once. The cold was growing unbearable now, my muscles stiffening, making it hard to keep my balance. The ice and cold -- and my tears -- stung my eyes.
I sobbed out a miserable, terrified cry, the sound torn from me as I looked around trying to get my bearings. Which was when I realized I was completely and utterly lost.
A bright flash of lightning blinded me, followed by a sharp crack and a deafening boom of thunder. My insides vibrated with the noise as I covered my ears with a scream. Then something hit my shoulder and I spun around, looking around for whatever had hit me. I spied a small limb from one of the trees and looked up…
Just in time to see another huge limb crashing down on me. I tried to dive out of the way, but there was no way to move that fast, especially not in my present condition. All I managed to do was fall and turn to my back as the limb landed with a thud and a rustle of leaves. My legs were pinned beneath the heavy wood. Surprisingly, the pain wasn’t as bad as it should have been. Looking around, I saw the branch had fallen at an angle so the full weight hadn’t hit me, but it was heavy enough I couldn’t pull myself free, and I thought my ankle was stuck between two rocks or something. There was no way I could push the heavy thing off me either. I was trapped. And fucking terrified!
“Help!” I have no idea why I was screaming for someone. It wasn’t like anyone knew where I was. Even if they did, there was no way they could hear me over the roaring wind, thunder, and pounding rain. I tried with all my might to move, to free myself. I was so cold my muscles didn’t want to work, and the wind was making it so much worse.
I sobbed openly now. This was how I died. My own stupidity was going to kill me.
All I could do was wrap Deadeye’s coat around me as tight as I could. It was soaked, but there was still a hint of his masculine scent. I clung to that when I had no reason to. He’d never come after me. Even if he did, he’d have no hope of finding me. I had no idea even how far away I was from the compound. The one thing I absolutely did not want to acknowledge was that he might not give a damn. Why would he? I was a complication his club didn’t need. I also wasn’t accepted by Sword, the only tie I had to the club. So, why would they even consider letting me stay, let alone coming after me when I ran? Especially in this weather.