Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11283 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 38(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11283 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 38(@300wpm)
Has he been following me this whole time? Waiting for his chance to pounce? It’s my fault Jenny’s gotten wrapped up in this mess. Now she’s in danger, and fuck.
I should have taken care of him first. I should’ve known he would always be on to me.
Jesus. I’ve been too lax, too obsessed with Jenny to notice someone on my trail.
I crumple the note in my hand, blood roaring in my ears. I let the familiar wave of anger flow through my veins, warming me, filling me with enough strength to beat him to a pulp.
I was almost too late with Mom, but that’s not going to happen to Jenny.
The town is quiet, and I’m already considering running all the way across the square when I see a patrol car slowing to a stop in front of me, its window lowered.
“Jackson? Is that you, man?”
I blink. “Adam?”
Adam used to be one of my best buddies, and he often found reasons to hang out in my home whenever Mom baked her chocolate chip cookies. He stayed at his folks’ place until he graduated college. We lost touch when I was imprisoned, mostly because I cut everyone off.
Instead of the long-haired, mustached guy, this one is clean-shaven and looks like he has his shit together. His uniform looks crisp, the badge glinting in the sunlight.
He rests an arm on the door. “You okay?”
If I want to get there in time, this is the only way, so I jog to the passenger side and slide in, handing the crumpled piece of paper to Adam.
A patrol car isn’t my favorite mode of transportation, but I can’t be choosy right now.
Adam doesn’t say anything as he revs the engine. “Where do you think he is?”
“Home.”
He nods once and takes out the emergency lighting to set on the car’s roof. He doesn’t turn on the siren, which is good because the last thing I want is for the fucker to know I’m coming with company.
I’m running high on adrenaline and anger, and I know I have to tamp it down. I can’t risk Jenny, so I need to calm the fuck down.
With my fists clenching and unclenching on my lap, I break the silence first. “A police officer, huh?”
“Who would have thought, right? Even my mom wasn’t sure until I got the badge.”
“Damn.”
Adam clears his throat. “I heard you got out. I thought for sure you were gonna drop by to see me.”
“I didn’t want to stay. I only came to visit Mom.”
“I understand.”
“So, he’s been here the whole time?”
“Your stepdad? Nah. Saw him a couple of times, but I heard he’s living in the next county, stirring trouble as always.”
We’re quiet once again, and when the car stops in front of my childhood home, I begin to stew. That bastard has no right to sully my memories of this place. He’s done it once already. I won’t let him do it a second time.
I spent the first two decades of my life living in a farmhouse, sitting on a massive plot of land. It’s a few miles to the next neighbor, and I’ve always liked the privacy. It was just Mom and me and a few of our farm animals. We were happy here … until my stepdad arrived and threw our lives into chaos.
I don’t know what I expected to find, but seeing the house stand almost like a skeleton of its former self unsettles me.
We repainted it every few years, but now the peeling paint clings to the warped wood, the porch sagging. The old barn’s roof has caved in, and everything looks decrepit.
I stand outside the car, listening to sounds, especially Jenny’s voice. I don’t have a plan of attack because I don’t know what I’ll find. He was never the most mentally stable person, and he often did things impulsively without regard to the consequences. Maybe I can work that to my advantage.
Adam gets out and looks at me. “Is he there?”
“Yes, with my girl.”
Apparently, this small town still works like every other typical small town. News travels fast.
Adam nods. “Jenny.” I can’t stop myself from glaring, and he smirks and shakes his head. “You forget that everyone knows everyone here.”
“I need a weapon, Adam.”
“I can’t give you my gun, man.”
“Anything else, then.”
“I have a bat in the trunk, confiscated from one of the high school kids. Let me get it for you.” My eyes don’t leave the house even as Adam hands me the bat, big and heavy enough to do damage if I swing it correctly. He takes out his gun. “Whatever happens in there, you won’t be locked up again. I’ll make sure of that.”
I nod, and we stalk toward the door. There won’t be any element of surprise because I’m sure he heard us arrive. Here’s hoping he doesn’t know I’m with a cop.