Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
A wave of heat rushed over me.
His gaze never once strayed from me. “Will that be a problem?”
“No.”
“In the library. . .” He licked his lips. “My heart. . .it felt things it has never. . .”
I parted my lips.
He cleared his throat. “I felt a warmth inside your body, a safe place where the world could not intrude. That moment was pure bliss, and that is all before I came.”
“Damn.” I swallowed. “That's a perfect breakdown of how I felt too.”
“Stuck in a time loop or not, I want to spend all my moments with you.”
My heart swooned. “I've. . .never had time for love, but now. . .I only want to spend every second, minute, hour, and day with you.”
He curved those sexy lips into a smile. “Then, let’s get out of this time loop, so that we can begin our future.”
“I would like that very much.”
“Time for a quick lesson on weapons.” He tried to hand me the gun.
I tensed. “Is it. . .loaded?”
“The gun is, but it is also on safety.”
I let out a long breath and then took it from him. Surprisingly, the gun weighed heavy in my hand. “Alright. Let's go, teacher.”
He grinned. “I would say I am more of a professor.”
“Oh wow. Then, let's begin, professor.”
“Slowly, point at the clock.”
Nervous, I slowly raised the gun in the air and aimed.
“The safety switch is located near the trigger.” He came closer to me. “Carefully, put your finger on the trigger.”
I gritted my teeth and moved my finger there.
He gently placed my finger next to the switch. “Do you feel that?”
“Yes.”
“Flip it up.”
“Should I?”
“You're not going to accidentally kill me or yourself, and honestly if you did—”
“We'll most likely repeat.”
“Correct.” He moved his hand. “Flip it.”
I did as he said.
“Now you are in firing position, so do not pull the trigger.”
I kept the gun steady. “Okay.”
“Did you see the waiters on your way here?”
“I did. No masks.”
He nodded. “So, if you see one with a mask, we won't pause or ask questions, grab your gun, flip the switch, and shoot.”
“Fuck. . .O-kay.”
“We will not let you get killed again. Even though you return each time. I’m still worried about it.” He sighed. “A person should only die once. Surely, there could be some trauma or PTSD happening.”
I looked at him and smiled. “You don't want me to go crazy.”
“I don't.” He gestured back to the gun. “Now, we need to make sure you adopt the proper shooting stance.”
“Alright.”
“Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and have your body facing the target.”
“And the target is the grandfather clock?”
“It is for now, but picture the killer waiter in the clock's place.”
“Okay.”
“Hold the gun with both hands, keeping your arms extended but not locked.”
I did my best to follow his instructions. “Got it.”
“You do.” He grinned. “Now place your dominant hand high on the grip, and your non-dominant hand underneath the grip.”
“The grip?”
He moved my hand to the rear of the gun, just below the trigger. “There.”
“You know a lot.”
“My father used to take me hunting all the time. When I became an adult, we continued it.”
“So you hunt with your father every year?”
“Not this year.” He stirred. “The next thing you should remember is that you must keep both of your eyes open and focused on the target. Which is who?”
“The killer waiter.”
“Exactly. Don't look at the gun or close your eyes.” Ethan pointed at the clock. “Aim for the chest and pull the trigger.”
“Got it.”
“Flip the safety switch back on.”
My nerves flared, but next to him I was able to calm them. I put the gun on safety and lowered it.
“I would love to take you out for some shooting practice.” Ethan checked his watch. “But we now must take note of the time.”
“Correct. Apparently midnight—”
“The loop starts over.”
“So now we know all of the rules hopefully. I can't leave the property because if I do, I will repeat everything again. Then, if I die, I return. And also at midnight, I will return.”
He leaned his head to the side. “Why do you think that occurs?”
“I would say if we go back to the witch. . .maybe. . .she wanted to have a set amount of time to discover her killer.”
“We're still thinking that she put this spell in place to deal with being assassinated?”
“That's the only thing I can come up with.” I shrugged. “I believe if we find the person who is killing me, then the time loop ends.”
“Because when they killed you, the loop began.”
“That's the only theory I can come up with.”
He checked his watch again. “We have twenty minutes before the cameras shut off.”
“Oh.” I gently placed the gun on his desk. “I discovered what Horace was hiding.”
Ethan frowned. “What?”
“He's stealing money from me, and even my manuscripts. He has some fake penname where another writer is refurbishing my words and publishing them.”