Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 613(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 409(@300wpm)
Archer turned off the lights and headed across the room, just as he said. He could hear the man trying to scoot away, to no avail. The bleeding was just too much. He heard the tears. The sniveling. But his opponent couldn’t speak. His crying was music to his ears. No lyrics were required.
“I’m closing my eyes now. I’m pulling the arrow back… It’s just darkness. Just quiet. Just me and you. Just two demons playing a game. In this Hell on Earth. You’re on the floor and this is an awkward angle, but it’s worth a try. What a change of events, huh? The hunter being stalked by another hunter? Evens the playing field, wouldn’t you say? Please don’t let the fact that I haven’t missed a target in over five years or that I was voted the best bowman in Denver, Colorado five times in a row, in my twenties, scare you. In between prison stints, of course.” He laughed when he heard more crying. “Here is a prayer suggestion. If God wants you to live, go ahead and pray that your God saves you from me, okay? Pray that karma skips a visit. I bet your biggest prayer today will be that I miss this shot in the dark…”
He pulled far back, and the arrow flew. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. A half a second later, he heard the guttural moan of a man pierced. The tape wrapped around the bastard’s mouth could not stop that all too familiar sound…
Archer slowly opened his eyes, turned on the light, and looked down. There lay Nasser Al Shamrani, his eyes wide open. An arrow in his heart. Dead.
Archer removed the blue arrow and wiped it down with a cloth. He took his time cleaning up, getting things just so, then left a pre-typed note that read, ‘Here lies a man who is a human sex trafficker. His friend is guilty by association.’
Leaving the apartment, he went down the back steps sporting a fake mustache and baseball cap, then walked away. Once he was several blocks away, he called an Uber on a burner phone. He went to a hotel in the financial district, discarded all of the weapons, took a long hot shower, then caught a red eye flight back to Denver. On the plane, he slept like a baby.
This is my wedding gift to you, Honey. What I did doesn’t make your memories go away, nor the trauma you experienced and the nightmares you refuse to admit to me are caused by that man, but it damn sure certifies he’ll never have a chance to do this same shit to another woman again. I love you, Honey.
You deserve to feel safe, so I killed the Boogeyman that lurks in the dark, and made his shame come to the light…
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The view of the Red Rocks at the Arrowhead Gold Club was unrivaled. What a perfect day for a wedding. Honey tiptoed in her heels and rested her arms on the windowsill to take in the view from the Roxborough Room inside the property—her dressing room. Nothing but blue skies and large red boulders that demanded respect and awe—a living postcard indeed. The chirping of the birds filled her heart with even more joy.
She felt a tug on her wrist and like a needle skipping across a record, she was torn from her daydreaming. Turning around to see who it was, she wrapped her arms around Chasity, hugging her tight. For several moments, neither said a word. The embrace did all the talking. Some 1990s music played at low volume on a radio while women chatted and put on their earrings, dabbed perfume behind their ears, laughed at silly jokes, and caught up on their lives. She was surrounded by many family members and friends … and love. Her sister had even made it.
Chasity took Honey’s hands in hers and stepped back, sizing her up. Her glance of approval, eyes moist with emotion and her cheeks pink and plump, sent Honey’s heart racing. She looked the picture of health.
“I about lost it when I thought you couldn’t be here!” Honey blurted, her eyes stinging from the burgeoning tears mixing with eyeliner and mascara.
Chasity had had to return to the hospital several days prior to the wedding, but was released and given permission to travel.
“I wouldn’t have missed this day, my best friend’s wedding, for the entire world.” Chasity pressed her hand against Honey’s back and turned her around to face a floor length mirror. “I want you to look at yourself.”
Honey took a deep, slow breath, resting her arms at her sides.
The dress was striking. Much to her mortification, the vintage gown she’d been checking out didn’t look good on her at all, no matter how many pounds she’d planned to lose, but then, at the last minute, she’d come across a navy and white color block mermaid trumpet off the shoulder gown with a brush train. The upper portion, from the V-shaped waist up, consisted of dark navy lace with sheer material beneath it, yet it was classy and discreet. The gown was magnificent, hugging her in all the right places, and she felt like an absolute queen in it—no crash dieting required. It had cost a pretty penny, but worth every cent.