Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46344 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
He stayed still, arms folded, waiting for her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “I should call security.” He saw how nervous she was even, not afraid, but clearly upset and not wanting to show him.
“Not going to happen.”
“Why not?”
“You’re pissed at me now and I get it, but deep down, you’re pleased to see me.”
“Wow, I had no idea your ego was so big.”
“You did. Don’t forget I was one of these punk asses at some point.”
“Yay for you. Can you move?”
“I got your letter.”
“Oh.” She instantly seemed to relax. “You did. I didn’t think you’d read it.”
“I did.”
****
Charity felt nervous. It had been a week without seeing him, and she’d felt gutted on Saturday not going to his warehouse to train. Sticking the letter to his door had felt right to her. Of course, he’d have read the letter.
She wasn’t the greatest writer of all time and didn’t have a clue what to actually write, so she went for the next best thing, just to apologize for her behavior.
“What are you doing here, Dwayne?”
“I didn’t want to stop your training, Charity. I was following orders. Your parents were worried, and my uncles interfered.”
“So you did as you were told?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, you’re not much of a rebel then, are you?” she asked.
Behind her, she heard the giggle of schoolgirls and with one glance at them, she saw they were in her year, the cheerleading squad that had been drooling over him the last time he was here.
“Do you want to get out of here?” she asked.
“Yeah, I really do. Follow me.”
She didn’t even question it as she climbed into her car and pulled out of the parking lot. Dwayne was waiting for her, and when she was ready, he pulled out, and she followed him. Her hands felt a little clammy, and she was nervous.
Most of her nights had been filled with thoughts of him.
When he’d saved her, she’d felt this connection with him. Like he knew a little of what she went through, only it wasn’t just that. She was attracted to him.
She knew he was a killer, that he took lives as part of his job. She accepted that, and even though it wasn’t something she could do herself, she knew that some lives had to be taken. There were monsters out there, and then there were the good bad guys. That’s how she saw Dwayne. He was a good bad guy.
He didn’t leave her to rot, nor did he take his turn.
Dwayne had been nothing but sweet to her.
Graduation was coming up. In a few short weeks she’d have to make a decision. College, or taking a gap year. With being kidnapped, she’d been reassessing her priorities, and going away to college just didn’t seem like the right thing to do.
He parked near a place that used to be a well-known tourist attraction until people were found dead after being mauled by animals. It stopped being such a well-known spot. It didn’t stop people from visiting though, clearly wanting to test themselves or something stupid like that. She pulled her car in beside his and climbed out. Dwayne took her hand, and without saying another word, headed into the woods. She didn’t fight him and ran to keep up with his long steps.
The touch of his hand around hers felt so good. He had nice hands, large hands. They were rough, and she knew they’d feel good running down her body.
Get your head out of the gutter.
He veered off the path, moving down a creek. She caught sight of the lake up ahead. There were always a lot of rumors about the woods being haunted by the ghosts of dead men and women.
She’d never believed it, but she had also never gone looking for it either. There was no way she’d be caught here after dark.
“What are we doing here?” she asked when they finally came to a stop.
Tucking some of her hair behind her ears, she watched him as he moved down the lake, and then stepped over.
“You coming?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Are you planning on burying me alive?”
“Nope. I just want to check something.”
She rolled her eyes, but her curiosity was piqued. So, she stepped across the boulders to the other side of the lake and followed him. Dwayne took her hand, and she got a little thrill, which was kind of weird, seeing as they were in a known haunted wood.
Whatever, she was never going to be normal anymore.
The world around her had been lit up, and now there was no hiding from it.
They made their way through several trees. Dwayne kicked down some thorns and other debris until he made the spot clear for her to see.
When they came to a log, he stopped and stared at the ground.
She kept her hand within his and looked around. “Are we supposed to be here?”