Page 3 of Rugger: The Huntress

I didn’t join him. I didn’t find humor in his question.

“Your life.”

Fow!

Brain matter splattered my face. Frustrated with the proximity, I rounded my shoulders and wiped what was possible with the back of my hand.

“Ugh.”

Carefully, I lifted my left leg over his body and climbed down from his bed. I slid back into my heels, hating I’d ever taken them off to begin with.

“A fucking waste of my—fucking time,” I sneered as the Saint Laurent mules slid onto my feet with ease.

One after the other, they tapped against the wooden floor beneath me as I walked through Lionel’s bedroom to gather my belongings.

Skirt.

Top.

Trench.

And–

I dug a hand into the pocket of my black trenchcoat and retrieved the travel-sized bottle of delight. It was possibly theclosest to heaven I’d ever come, and I was satisfied with that revelation. It had come to me the very first time I got a whiff of the fragrance. Since, I’d fallen victim to its mysterious, bold nature.

Lionel’s body was void of life. The smell of death had already begun to circulate. While it might have been too soon for the average person to recognize the stench, I could long before it officially announced itself. To conceal the aroma, I uncapped the glass tube and extracted my signature.

Once.

Twice.

The charmed one.

I placed the cap back onto the thin bottle with Huffington lining the side and shoved it into my pocket.

“There, there now.”

I was prepared to depart. My assignment had been completed. There was no need to linger. Though the night was fairly young, I had no interest in continuing mine.

I rounded the corner as a strikingly familiar face halted all movements. In a 10x14 frame was a glowing Egypt, nestled between three of her co-workers. The unresolved anger stemming from the uncovering of her true identity and occupation sped my heartbeat. My palms grew sweaty. My lungs drew in deeply, loaded breaths coming one after the other.

Snap.

Snap.

I twisted my neck and tilted my head as Chemistry’s voice lured me from the deep, dark pit I was headed for.

She means him well.

She meant him well.

All is well, Rugger.

A sigh pushed through my lips. Finally, the hooded darkness was lifted and I could see clearly again. A smile stretched my lips upward on my face. My cheeks swelled and so did my heart.

I’d accepted Egypt into my most precious folds where she belonged and where she’d remain. Though I hadn’t forgotten, I’d forgiven and I hardly forgave. That was God’s job, not mine.

I touched the cold glass and swiped my finger down the face of the tallest, thinnest person in the image. An invisible, adjacent swipe followed. A few inches down, I tapped my nail against the older gentleman with wild hair and horrible dental hygiene.

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