Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Sophia is in the back seat, her hands bound together. Rich had duct tape over her mouth¸ but I removed it. Not that it seems to make any difference. She doesn't talk anyway. Normally that would bother me, and I would be trying to console her about her current situation, but I can't. The only thing I can think about is Jude.
"He should be here by now," I mumble.
Marney turns to look at me. "You just calm yourself there, sweetheart, Jude'll get here when he gets here."
I huff an exasperated breath. What if he doesn't get here though? What if something went wrong? What if Joe killed him? Oh, God, I feel sick. If my quest for revenge gets Jude killed...
Minutes tick by, and still nothing. "They should be here," I repeat, more to myself than anything.
Marney nods, blowing out a stream of smoke. "Yep." Why isn't he panicking? He pulls out his iPhone and taps the screen, narrowing his eyes at it. The bright backlight illuminates the haggard lines of his face. "Hmm," he hums.
"What?" I snap. I'm so on edge, I feel like I might explode.
He raises an eyebrow at me. "They stopped."
He turns the phone towards me, showing me a map, and in the middle is a green blinking dot, just sitting there, unmoving.
"What's that?"
"Jude's cell. He should be in that car, and it should be moving." A sense of dread creeps through me. Something is wrong. I know it is. Where Joe Campbell is involved, it's extremely likely.
"We need to go, Marney."
He glances at me.
"Now!"
He sighs. "Jude won't like it."
"Jude might be dead already!" My voice cracks as I say the words. Please don't let him die.
He nods and turns the ignition. My heart races as we drive along the interstate, back in the direction of the airport. Marney glances down at the little green dot flashing on his phone. I keep my eyes on the opposite side of the road, looking for a black limo, in case they pass us. I don't see one.
We pull off the interstate, and end up on the back roads. There's no street lighting out here, and cars are a lot less frequent. As we get closer to the dot on the screen, my eyes furiously search ahead of us. Marney slows down, and it's then I see the thick black tire marks veering across the road.
Marney pulls over, and I throw the door open. I can instantly smell burning rubber mixed with the petrol. The tire tracks lead off the road and ripped up undergrowth leaves freshly exposed earth in front of me. I run straight down the embankment. My eyes adjust to the darkness, and there, in the tree line is the limo, on its roof.
"Jude!" I scream, but Marney is there behind me, covering my mouth with his hand.
"Joe might be in there," he hisses. "Stay here and keep an eye on the girl," he says, but I ignore him and push away, pulling the gun from the waist of my jeans.
I move towards the car. The windows are all smashed out, and the only sound is the slow tick of the engine as it settles and cools. If Jude is alive, there would be some noise, right? Shit. I crouch down, pull out my phone, and turn on the torch. With shaking hands I shine it into the dark interior of the limo, my other hand firmly wrapped around my gun, my index finger pressed against the trigger. I'm scared to look, scared that I might find Jude's lifeless eyes staring back at me.
There's a body laying across the roof of the car; the limbs sprawled out. The sandy brown hair tells me it's Rich, and from the angle of his head, his neck is snapped. I don't see anyone else. I move forward and look in the open driver's side door. A man hangs from the seat belt. I go to check his pulse, but as I lean forward I see the large bullet wound that has ripped through his throat. Blood trickles down his face, dripping onto the upturned roof.
Jude is nowhere to be seen, and neither is Joe.
I stand up and glance back at Marney, who is standing at the top of the embankment, probably so he can keep an eye on Sofia. I look back at the body in the driver's seat, her father. Her life will be forever tainted because of what we did to her, and I hate that.
Marney opens his mouth to say something, but then I hear something in the woods, and he snaps his mouth shut, listening intently with me.
Before he can stop me, I take off running in the direction of the sound, it's Jude, I know it is. The farther I run, the more distinguished the noise becomes, shouting and the sound of fists hitting flesh. I shove through the thick undergrowth and stumble into the edge of a small clearing. I hang back, lingering in the dark shadows created by the moonlight. The two figures are raining blows down on each other. I can't tell who is who in the dim light, can't see who has the upper hand. I raise my gun, ready to shoot, but I can't. I can't risk hitting Jude.