Page 1 of Rattlin' Bones

Chapter 1 Lacey

Three years earlier—

Cool wind brushed across my bare shoulders as I stared up at the orange, heavily rounded sphere of a harvest moon. I couldn’t remember the last time I paused to notice how the craters and shadows played hide and seek over the surface or how the clouds rolled by like endless waves of smoky gray in a turbulent sea. Behind the moon, a reddish hue served as a bold outline that faded into the darkness and spread beyond its bubble shape in an eerily prophetic declaration of impending death. The warmth of the color didn’t extend below the horizon or offer any heat despite its encroaching position on the rows of graves spreading across the cemetery.

A chill slowly climbed over my chest and settled, squatting on my lungs and squeezing until I began to panic, sucking in air, violently gasping as it felt like I tried to pull oxygen through a dozen tiny straws. The ache burned through my sternum.

Shit. My asthma. What a rotten time to flare up.

My body sent urgent, desperate messages to my brain, but it didn’t matter. I still couldn’t breathe. My mouth opened and closed, the attempt feeble. Clawing my right hand to the side, I dug through the dry, scratchy blades of grass beneath my fingertips, slowly managing to angle my body as I reached toward the pocket of my hoodie. My only salvation rested in a plastic holder that held my inhaler.

This whole process would be a hell of a lot simpler if I weren’t tied up. With my wrists and ankles bound, I would remain by these headstones until someone stumbled upon me or the ghosts that lingered in this old cemetery decided to kick me out. The position was awkward enough, but the extra piece of ropeconnecting my wrists to my ankles didn’t have enough slack to allow for much movement.

Fumbling with the inhaler case, I felt it slip through my hand and drop to the ground. As I reached for it, I bumped the edge with my knuckle and knocked it out of reach.Well, fuck.

Ever have one of those days? The kind of day that was a cluster of errors, mistakes, and rotten luck. Where nothing went right, and you just wanted to climb back into bed and forget every minute. I had that day today. All because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I tried to cough and wheezed, lowering my head to the rough surface of the nearest headstone. My mouth gaped like a fish out of water, and I thought I heard something rumbling on the ground. Multiple Vehicles? Or was it just my imagination and thunder? I didn’t know.

Bright light flashed in my eyes as I groaned. I turned my head away from the steady glare of white and scooted my bottom, hoping to hide from whoever headed in my direction. My chest felt so tight I thought it would cave in, desperate enough for air to crack wide open in hopes of being able to function again. My vision tunneled as spots flickered in my peripheral.

In just a few more seconds, I would probably pass out.

“Shit. You okay?”

I attempted to answer but couldn’t.

“Who the fuck tied you up and left you out here?”

The deep voice sounded pissed.

“Inhaler,” I managed to croak.

“I got it,” the stranger answered, rushing to grab the medicine, shaking it a couple of times before he placed the plastic end against my lips.

He knew what to do. I inhaled two puffs and immediately felt my lungs begin to cooperate, opening up to allow me to breathe easier.

“This is fucked,” I heard the guy mutter.

I still couldn’t see him well. The blinding light kept him hidden in shadow. Blinking, I stared at his face, barely making out a strong jawline and rugged features, lifting my hands. Something seemed odd, but I dismissed it. “Could you help take these off?”

“Goddamn zip ties? Who the hell did you piss off?”

I didn’t do a damn thing. The problem was my bloodline.

“Not me. My dad,” I clarified as I groaned, and the restraints dropped from my wrists. “I’m nothing but a casualty of war.”

“What war?”

“The law and criminals.”

He snorted. “Not sure what that means, Darlin’.”

“My dad is a judge.”

“What’s his name?”

I probably shouldn’t have been so trusting. I had already landed in a cemetery close to midnight, and who knew what else Luis Diego had planned. What if he came back?

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