AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I watch them as the fire begins to crackle along the kindling resin, the scent of pine smoke telling me it’s going. I close the front door but leave the grate open so the flue can send out the smoke.
The lights flicker as I stand.
She stops petting Bernie and looks at me with a hint of alarm.
“Normal,” I say. “The power comes from the highway pretty far out, and the line is old and buried, so it’ll get water in it or a varmint chewing on it from time to time, but it’s fine. Just enough juice for some lights and a fridge.”
“Okay.” She folds her arm beneath her head and resumes petting Bernie. He flops beside her on the mattress and offers his tummy. The little slut. Something in my face twitches around my mouth. An odd sensation. Unfamiliar.
I turn away before it happens again. Not to mention the sight of her on that bed, the way my coat drapes over her curves, the way her fingers are stroking Bernie. Am I jealous of a cat? Yeah. I am. I want those fingers onme, touchingme--okay, maybe not on my belly, but nearby.
I scrub a hand down my face. “Bathroom is there. It’s small but it’s got all we need. Kitchen here.” I point.
She yawns, her eyes closing. “I have questions.”
“Ask.” I sit in one of the chairs around the dining table, finally giving myself a moment to relax. I’ll set up traps in the morning, catch wind of anyone coming on the property and take them out before they get to the cabin. I also need to set up some weirs in the creek that runs a few hundred yards away, its waters feeding the lake. I can also do some rabbit traps. I’ve got equipment for all of that. Margaret won’t go hungry. I’ll feed her the choicest bits of whatever I catch. No matter how long we stay here, I can keep her healthy and warm, fed and safe.
What else? I scratch my chin. I’ve got hunting rifles for deer, and I can forage plenty from the woods and the little food plots I’ve planted here and there with fresh vegetables. It’s coming on winter but not quite frigid, so there should be plenty available.
I realize that Margaret never asked her questions, so I turn to her. What I find is an angel, her lashes like dark lace on her cheeks and her breathing soft and low. Bernie is cuddled in her arms, his arms splayed as he slumbers peacefully.
That strange sensation snakes through my chest again. I rub at the skin over my heart. Maybe I’d wanted Margaret before, fantasized about her, stroked off to her more times than I could count. But looking at her now, I realize those feelings have intensified, strengthened from the moment I decided to save her instead of taking her life.
I made the right choice. I have no doubt about that. But the repercussions from the deal I broke with Baines may make my life a living hell when this is over. It’s a risk I have to take.
Pulling a quilt from the small chest at the foot of the bed, I unroll it on the threadbare rug and settle down. One eye on Margaret and another on the door, my gun right beside me just in case.
Now that I have her, no one will hurt her. Even if I have to die to make that happen. I rub my chest again as I look at her, follow the curves of her lips, the shape of her body under my coat. I already know, no matter what, the sacrifice is worth it.
6
MARGARET
Isnuggle down deeper into my blanket, trying to get comfortable. I don’t remember my bed being this hard. It only takes me a few minutes before everything comes rushing back.
I’m not home.
I murdered people with a pandacorn.
There’s a hit out on my life.
That about sums up the events from earlier. Oh, there is one last thing: I’m currently at Mr. Black’s place. And I don’t know if I’ll ever get to go home again. I’m not sure anyone will miss me, either.
If it’s my boss who’s after me, he’ll tell everyone I quit or was fired. It’ll take my parents forever to realize something is wrong. We haven't talked in ages. They’re currently on another one of their cruises around the world. I never hear from them.
Nope. No one will know I’m missing. Except Barney when he comes to collect rent. It’s really sad when I think about how few people I have in my life. It’s way too easy to erase my existence without anyone knowing any better. I swallow the lump that starts to form in my throat. Something brushes across my face. What the heck is that? Another fluttery feeling happens a second later.
“Spider!” I scream and jump out of the bed. The lights flick on. Mr. Black is on his feet. His gun pointed at the door. “There’s a spider!” I run over to him. It could be on the ground now. I jump, and Mr. Black catches me. “I don’t think you can kill a spider with a gun,” I inform him as I turn my head to look back at the bed.
The cat sits in the middle of the mattress, his tail flicking back and forth. He really is so stinkin’ cute.
“Are you okay?” Mr. Black’s voice comes out rougher than normal as he lowers his gun.
“I think it might have been Bernie’s tail and not a spider.” I cringe at my overreaction. “You should double check to be sure.”
He doesn't. Instead, he drops into the chair behind him with me still clinging to him. My knees spread around his hard thighs, and I straddle him as he settles. Even though I know the immediate danger is over, I don’t even try to loosen my hold on him. Being in his arms gives me a certain comfort that I wasn’t aware I needed.
“You scared the shit out of me.” He places the gun on the rough-hewn table beside him and cups my face with his big hands as he inspects me. I can’t place the look that’s in his eyes, but it’s gone before I can delve any deeper into it.
