Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
"Can you tell us who else is in the pictures?"
She ignores my questions and continues flicking through just the baby pictures. I understand her fixation, but we can't let her dwell. She's in danger of losing a grip on the reason behind West and Finn's visit to Carter's bar.
The fire roars in the background as if it is in tune with the panic and stress that are clearly taking hold of Skye. Suddenly she drops the phone and shoves the chair back, standing only to brace her hands on her knees and gasp for breath all over again.
"Sit down, for Christ's sake, Skye!" I can't help myself. We don't have time to keep reviving her, and all this desperate energy is raising my blood pressure all over again. I'm going to need to chop more wood.
"It's Shona!"
"Shona?"
"The woman I was telling you about, Jack. The one who I reached out to and messaged the other night! It's her in this photo, holding Hallie. And looking too damn cozy with Carter. I don't understand."
Silence follows as we all consider the implications of this new information.
The message Skye sent to Shona could give Carter enough information for him to find her here.
Maybe she didn't tell him. We can't know for sure.
But either way, we need to be prepared for the worst.
I want to avoid discussing this part in front of Skye. She's dealing with enough as it is. What she needs is a warm embrace in bed so she can fall asleep feeling secure. I'm about to encourage Finn to take her so I can talk things over with West when the sound of shattered glass ricochets all around us, and a sudden gust of cutting night air bursts into the room like an unexpected explosion.
Something smashes into the TV behind us all, and we react, crouching to protect ourselves initially, but instinct drives us all to shelter Skye, and she's pushed behind the wall that we all make with our bodies as we try to work out what the hell has happened.
"What the fuck?" West sprints to the front door, yanking it open. I'm two seconds behind. We eye the shattered window before craning our necks to stare into the darkness. The trees rustle, and a bird calls in the distance, but there is no one visible and no footsteps to reveal the attacker.
Finn emerges, holding a large rock that could have killed one of us if we were unlucky enough to be standing in the firing line. This doesn't have the hallmark of a gangster, no matter how small-time Carter is. This has the cowardice of Ethan written all over it.
"Carter?" Finn asks.
I shake my head. "Trust me. Men like him don't throw stones.”
"Damn. Ethan?" West is on the same page as me. He would know. A man this desperate needs to be careful. He’s unwittingly getting himself tangled up in some very messy business. West storms into the darkness, uncaring that he’s not wearing shoes or a coat to protect him from the elements. I don’t follow him because I know Ethan’s running away faster than we can follow.
"I'm going to get some boards to hammer over this damned window. Let's get something happening here. And for God's sake, we need to get Skye to bed. This day needs to be over."
Finn follows me out to get tools and board and walk the perimeter. Ethan might be a coward, but I want to ensure he's not persistent.
When West returns, confirming what I already suspected, he disappears inside to make sure Skye gets the rest she needs.
We make quick work of fixing up the window, and there isn't any trace of an intruder around the lodge. Finn and I stare into the forest on every side, finding nothing but gently swaying trees.
"Ethan's becoming a problem," Finn says.
"Ethan's always been a problem, but it's one we can fix."
He nods, understanding what I mean. We've let this go for too long, feeling sorry for him rather than putting him in his place. It's left West looking guilty for something he's innocent of and Ethan thinking he's a bigger man than he is. It's time for all of that to change.
Back inside where it's still stiflingly warm, I keep my boots on in case Ethan comes back for a second shot. I take off my shirt and sit in just my worn jeans. The mood is somber as we all take a seat around the table.
"What happened at the bar?"
West speaks first.
"Carter's bar is a fucking dive, full of the lowest elements. We couldn't wait to get the hell out."
"Definitely no place for an innocent child like Hallie." Finn shakes his head and folds his lips.
"What the hell was Skye doing getting mixed up in a world like that?"
I shut West down. We haven't got time for analyzing anyone's past mistakes. All we can work with is what we have now. "We don't know if Carter knows Skye's whereabouts. And now you two have walked among his fucking community, we are committed to dealing with this. It isn't just about Skye and Hallie anymore. Our whole damn livelihood is at stake here."