Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 137326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137326 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 687(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 458(@300wpm)
“No weapon?” Preston asks me.
I slip my phone into my pocket and push my jacket aside to reveal the gun.
“Man, you’re so boring.” Jude shakes his head. “I bet it comes with a silencer, too.”
“Naturally. Can’t leave evidence behind.”
“This is literally my family’s forest and we have the cleanup team on standby.” Preston walks up to Jude and wraps an arm around his shoulders. “Just say you hate life, unlike me and the big man.”
Jude slams his stick against Preston’s shoulder. “Don’t kill him. He’s all mine.”
“Finders keepers,” Preston sings in a manic tone, then jumps off the porch.
“Motherfucker.” Jude rushes behind him, and soon, they both disappear between the tall trees in a blur of movements.
I remain still for a few seconds, then take the stairs one at a time.
Jude released his target for the night about fifteen minutes ago, and we all watched the sleazy middle-aged man go north.
There’s no need to rush.
Tall trees loom above me, their branches reaching out like skeletal hands against the dark sky. The moon slips in and out of view, its pale light flickering through the thick clouds, casting silver slashes across the forest floor.
As I walk, the dirt beneath my shoes crunches, the sound swallowed immediately by the weight of the night.
I stop, my breath steady as I study the ground and turn on my flashlight.
There they are.
Hectic, heavy nonconformist footsteps in the mud.
I ignore the other footsteps that barely leave any trace. They’re Preston’s. Jude’s are heavier, but not as irregular and they certainly don’t stink of terror.
The air smells of damp earth and pine, sharp and fresh, but it also reeks of decay. Old leaves rot in the underbrush, the scent mingling with the cold bite of the wind as it snakes through the trees. Although amidst it, there’s the tangible smell of sweat, fear, and a hopeless ending.
But it barely touches me or breaches the surface.
Ah.
I’m bored.
I find no pleasure whatsoever in this sort of chase.
No excitement.
No fucking emotions.
I’d rather be chasing my wildflower as she comes up with all her clever ways to hide. Just the thought of being hot on her trail makes me hard.
Hell, my cock twitches at the memory of the last time I hunted her down at my place and fucked her on the stairs like a caveman.
Stop thinking about her.
This whole thing is meant to help me disassociate from her.
Somewhere in the distance, an owl hoots, its sound echoing through the trees. Small creatures rustle in the shadows before they vanish into the undergrowth.
A larger shadow breezes past me. Jude.
He’s a blur, running at full speed between the tall, leaning trees.
I realize why.
On my other side, Preston is running, too, his lighter weight giving him leverage as he cuts the distance.
The prey skitters, its movements frantic.
I forge ahead without picking up my pace, observing the branches weaving together above like a cage. In a sense, this world has been our cage since birth. I used to wonder where the three of us would’ve ended up if we were born into normal families.
Jude wouldn’t need to be so violent.
Preston wouldn’t have lost his mind.
I wouldn’t have to be this. Whatever this is.
But I learned to just accept it. Make the most of it, I suppose.
My steps are steady on the uneven ground that’s slick with moss and damp leaves, making each move a potential hazard, but I know this forest like the back of my hand. The man we’re hunting doesn’t.
The moon flickers again, slipping behind a thick wall of clouds, plunging the forest into near-total darkness. A thud sounds in the distance and a muffled noise follows.
I stop.
The air shifts, colder now, brushing against my face as I advance deeper into the woods. My pulse is steady and calm, every muscle in my body coiled.
An outsider is here.
Aside from the target of the day, there are now four of us on the property.
Who the fuck dares to trespass on our private property? The Armstrongs own this forest, and we’re the only ones allowed in it. We had our first tests of courage here. We were abandoned in that ‘haunted’ cottage for two days when we were kids and were forced to separate, every man for himself.
Not even regular Vencor members have access to this forest.
I reach into my waistband and retrieve my gun.
The trees close in tighter, the branches scraping against each other, and the owl calls again, but this time it’s closer.
The wind picks up, carrying a faint familiar scent.
A scream echoes in the silence, followed by a thud, thud, thud.
The scream slowly fades until there’s only the loud sound of the thuds.
Jude’s stick.
He and Preston must’ve gotten the man and killed him.
But that doesn’t matter now. There’s an intruder who needs to be dealt with.
I push the low branches out of my way with the gun, my other hand holding the flashlight on top of my weapon.