Page 30 of Cuts Like An Angel: Part 3

Chapter Fourteen

Rosie

William made the call to Carly from the porch. He was moving his meeting and setting up one with both of them. Rosie stayed in the kitchen gripping the edge of the counter, because for the briefest of moments, she thought William had told Carly it was Josh calling. But he hadn’t …

She replayed his greeting over and over in her head in the space of a minute, like a box filled with pigeons trying to bash their way out and none of them coming out right. He had said, Josh … or maybe. She ground her jaw. This was fear and anxiety coming up. That was all. Hallucinations brought on by acute stress caused by the monster in the other room. She’d have to google later if there were such things as auditory hallucinations that didn’t involve hearing voices that weren’t there, but instead meant hearing something someone else did say.

There had to be a condition for it.

When she finally heard William say his thanks and goodbye to Carly, she busied herself in the cupboard under the sink, getting out one of his biking packs he kept in there. “I was thinking it might be better if I wore this, otherwise you’re going to be smacking me in the face with it.” She tried to hide her blush. Her cheeks felt red with it.

But William didn’t seem to notice, pocketing his phone as he came in. “I was going to throw everything in one of the side bags, but yeah, we could take a pack with us. Hike a little. I know we don’t have long, but …”

“It would be nice.”

The racket coming from the other room had died a little, but then the volume of the television increased to levels so that no one could understand what was being said.

“She can’t be listening to that?” Rosie said. “I can’t even tell what they’re saying.”

“She’s doing it to piss us off,” William said, sounding disinterested. “So, Miss Rosie, you ready for some real power between your legs?” He slid his hand around her back, winked at her and grabbed her backside.

“William?” she screeched at him, in a voice that came out louder than she wanted it too.

And hell, he gave her that laugh like he always did, the one that made his blue eyes shine a little brighter, the one that made his mouth curl in the right place and create a dimple in his cheek. If the wicked witch of the house wasn’t in the next room, she wasn’t so sure they’d make it out of the house for any kind of picnic. Not when he looked at her like that.

Biting her lip, “You’re full of it today,” she said.

“You’d not want it any other way.” He kissed the curve of her neck, hard, fierce. She went to grab for him, but he pulled away, leaving her bereft as he took the bag from her, and stuffed it with the salad and the flask of soup. “There’s more where that came from.”

Halfway out the door and to the bike, Rosie jumped a little at the shrill cry behind her.

William shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Leave her.”

“What if she’s in trouble?” She hated the woman, but God, if something happened …

Several seconds passed and another shriek lit the air, sending William back into the house, huffing.

She followed, more curious than worried, sadly.

“What’s wrong?” William called from outside the door.

“There’s a rat. A huge rat.”

Rosie met William’s eyes just as they rolled up again. “There are no rats, here.”

She let out another shriek.

“There might be,” Rosie whispered, hating the idea that there could be one in the house, and fighting off the urge to shudder with it.

“There are no rats,” William hissed.

“There it is. There … Get it,” Maria cried. “Don’t leave me.”

William opened the door finally and walked in a few feet, looking around. “Where?”

Seeing Maria huddled on her knees in the bed, sent panic rising through Rosie. She stepped back and scanned the floor, ready to run. It was after all an old house in the country.

“I don’t see a damn thing, Mother,” William muttered as he went about the room, ducking, searching under things.

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