AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I sat and stared out at the water. It was only seven forty-five in the morning, and I didn’t have any plans, so I decided to sit until I felt I was really content or close to it. I wanted to unpack everything that was going on in my head, and with how calm I felt because of the water, I figured now couldn’t hurt.
I could get over Devin. Yes, it was two years down the drain, but I was thinking about it from a place of hurt. Yes, he screwed me over, but he also made me happy. It wasn’t real for him, but it was for me. I learned how to love in the two years we’d been together, how to give myself wholly to a person, to place my heart in their hands, and be vulnerable. He didn’t cherish any of those things, but I cherished the experience. And I wouldn’t be bitter. I knew that part was going to be tough, but I wouldn’t. I would work through it and empty that baggage before I subjected someone else to it because they wouldn’t deserve it.
I was a good editor. And an even better writer when I got my thoughts in order. I would survive for a while without a job so I could make my own dreams come true. It wouldn’t be a walk in the park, and I would have a lot of late nights and deleted pages, but I was up for the challenge. I was ready to prove to myself that I could get out of my own way and do something with my work. If all else failed, I could find a job as an instructor for creative writing until I could go back for my master’s degree and maybe become a permanent teacher. There were options for me. Working at Brickmans wouldn’t be my last stop if writing didn’t work out.
I had money. I was smart and saved thirty percent from every paycheck for the past eight years, and the amount I had was nothing to sneeze at. The city was expensive, but I could find a place in the suburbs with a smaller population and lower rental prices. I could make a home for myself. I had lived on my own before. Longer than the six months I was with Devin, and I could do it again.
Getting these thoughts together helped unfurl more of the tension that was riding me, and by the time I was ready to run back, I felt lighter. There were wet streaks across my cheeks, but that was okay. I wasn’t throwing myself a pity party this time. I was beginning my healing process. The time that passed since everything happened wasn’t enough to say I was one hundred percent and capable of getting back out there, but it was a start, a start I was proud of. I looked down at my watch and saw it was eight forty-five in the morning. I had been sitting for an hour and didn’t notice. Maybe I would come here in the mornings and think. I could run other routes and end my mornings here, staring out to the other side of the lake and enjoy being in my skin.
When I got back to the cabin, I was hot and sticky. The morning started off cool but quickly morphed into almost unbearable heat in the hour I was at the lake. And I wore long sleeves, so the run back was scorching. I usually cooked myself some breakfast before my shower so I could get started on writing right away but not today. The sweat had started to dry on my back, and I felt gross. Taking the stairs two at a time, I trotted to the bathroom to start the shower. Instead of grabbing my clothes, I decided to strip down now and leave the bathroom in my towel to get dressed in my room. It was only me here, and I really needed to shower.
Stepping in, I immediately put my head under the spray, hoping to catch some of the icy water before it got too hot. Since I had been here, I didn’t need to start my mornings with a blast of cold water, but old habits and all that. I reached for my body wash but then froze. I didn’t know if I was losing my mind or not, but it sounded like the front door had opened. I shook myself, figuring that couldn’t be true. Cass was working, and her parents were out of the country. I had the only key, and I locked the door behind me. Reaching for my body wash a second time, I frozeagain. It really sounded like someone was moving around downstairs.
Heart racing, I kicked myself for not bringing my clothes in with me. I snatched a towel from the rack and wrapped it around my waist, not bothering to dry myself or turn off the water. I figured I would check the house, see that it was empty, and return to finish my shower.
I crept closer to the door and was about to open it when my towel dropped. I was reaching down to grab it when the bathroom door burst open, and I was face to face with the barrel of a gun.
Chapter5
Lucas
Despite what Agent Mills said, I had to come in for a few more days before I could start my vacation. The files on the Darkstream Killer were more extensive than we thought, and I had to write my sworn statement on the events during the interrogation. Even though I wasn’t getting into any trouble, this would be placed in my administrative records, and if I moved offices, other supervising agents would see it. I wasn’t thrilled with that, but I also knew it was better than having disciplinary action against me. Thirty days of leave to not worry about anything that had to do with death and violence was much needed.
I thought about calling my parents and telling them I was going to use the cabin, but I still had my key. I didn’t want to tell them or Cassie I was going there because they would want to visit. And honestly, I wanted to unwind by myself for at least a week. I wanted to get my thoughts together, start taking the sleep medication, and do what the doctor told me to do about finding myself. I tried a little over the previous few days. And even though he warned me not to, I shied away from the uncomfortable truths about myself. I figured it was because I wasn’t on vacation and was still in work mode. I promised myself I would do better when I got to the cabin.
That morning, before the sun had time to crest the horizon, I had my car packed and was driving to the cabin. It felt good to be getting away. I knew I was a workaholic, but that couldn’t be helped. I didn’t want to live off my parents’ money, so I had to work extra hard to live how I wanted. I wasn’t materialistic, but I wanted the comfort of knowing I didn’t have to live paycheck to paycheck.
When I was in the Army and my friends were spending their money recklessly on cars with high APRs and interest rates, wasting money on bottles in the club, strippers, or both, or just fucking off their money on clothes, I saved. I drove the same car my parents had gotten me when I was sixteen the whole time I was active duty. I didn’t worry about buying brand-named clothes or living beyond my means.
Even with my parents’ wealth, I didn’t spend recklessly. I could have. My parents enjoyed giving Cassie and me whatever we wanted, but they also raised us to work hard for what we wanted—a valuable lesson from people who didn’t come from money to their privileged children. It seemed to have worked out great for us because my baby sister was independent as well. An editor. I was so proud when she told me she wanted to be like me, branch out, and make it on her own. She was treated like a princess by our parents but didn’t act pretentious. She knew she had a good life but didn’t flaunt it, just like me. My baby sister was the best.
I reached the cabin at around nine thirty that morning. It was as grand as I remembered it being. I hadn’t been here in years, and I missed the place. The seclusion, the smell of the trees, hearing the birds chirp and squirrels run around. It was relaxing. I parked in the driveway directly in front of the door and stepped out. I took a deep breath, held it in my lungs for a few seconds, then slowly released it. Thirty days of this type of silence was exactly what I needed.
Grabbing my bags, I headed inside, looking around at everything. It took me a minute to recognize a noise coming from upstairs. I paused to listen, then heard it more clearly. I didn’t pause to think. I reached into my suitcase and grabbed my service weapon. On quick but silent feet, I climbed the stairs. The sound was coming from the bathroom. What the hell? Was it a squatter living in the cabin rent-free because my family rarely came up here? Irritated, I opened the door quickly to see a man trying to gather his towel. When he saw my gun, he dropped the towel and threw his hands up. I scanned his body, andfuck, that was a bad idea. I didn’t take too much time to dwell on how I felt about it before I snapped my eyes back up to his face.
“Who are you?” I shouted.
“What the fuck, dude?” he shouted back. “Who are you?” He had the nerve to ask me that when I was the one with the gun. If I wasn’t so concerned about who was on my family’s property, I might have laughed.
“Answer my question!”
He stared at me for a second, then squinted his eyes. “Lucas?”
That threw me for a loop. “How do you know my name?”
“I know your family. I’m Tristan, Cass’s best friend. Can you put the gun away and let me grab my towel?” He was as cool as a cucumber. I almost admired it. Not many people could stare down the barrel of a gun and not piss themselves. I dropped my arm and put the safety on.
“Jesus Christ, you were really going to shoot me?” he screamed at me.
“Look, I didn’t know who you were. You could have been anybody. I didn’t know anyone was going to be up here.”
“Yeah,” he said, reaching down to grab his towel. “Because a fucking burglar would take the time out of his robbing to take a fucking shower. Cass said you were smart, but I’m sure she’s biased.”
He had balls. I didn’t like that. I didn’t likehim. I didn’t like how he talked to me or questioned my intelligence, even though what he said was right. But a squatter could have been here. I mean, I’m not sure how they would get all the way up here and have transportation to get food and everything. Fuck, he was probably right.
“I’m sorry I pointed a gun at you,” I said through clenched teeth. “But I—”
“I don’t really give a fuck what you want to say right now. Fuck your apology. Get out of the bathroom so I can finish my shower.”
