Page 14 of Hothead

“I don’t get it. Why write me a letter with this shit instead of picking up the fucking phone? What’s the point of waiting until he’s dead to do this ... when I can’t do a goddamn thing about it?”

She understood his frustration. She really did. And while she’d not read the letter in question, she had a good idea about some of the contents. “I can’t answer that, Luke. I don’t know.” She sighed. “Maybe he thought he had time. Who knows?”

Taking a turn down an old dirt road, she waited until they were close to the treeline before parking up. On her first day in Woodvalley, she’d stumbled upon this very spot. And it was perfect for what she had in mind.

Stepping out of the car, she felt Luke’s eyes burn into her, but he didn’t say anything. So she waited. Staring back until he reluctantly rounded the vehicle. Once he was within touching distance, she took hold of his hand again, ignoring the warm tug in her belly as she did so. Pulling, or more like dragging him along, she walked them into the midst of the forest until they were surrounded by nothing but tall oaks.

“Is this where you chop me up and I end up on one of those true crime shows?” Luke cast an eye over the area before pinning her with a suspicious stare.

“Not yet. But another few days of you and your charming personality and all bets are off.” She smirked, feeling a tiny bit satisfied as his glare cracked into a wonky smile.

“You gonna tell me why you brought me here, angel?”

God. He really needed to stop calling her that.

“I brought you here so you could let it all out. Everything you’ve been holding onto. Scream. Shout. Curse the universe. Just get that shit out of your system. There’s no judgment here. It’s just me, you, and the trees.”

“Are you being serious?”

“Yep. Trust me, it’ll make you feel better.” She could tell he wasn’t convinced.

“And you do this? You come here and scream?”

“Well, not here,technically. But I have done it, if that’s what you’re asking. Not every day, I’m not a total psycho ... but I’m not ashamed to admit that I occasionally enjoy cursing the universe pretty damn loudly.”

“You’re fucking insane.”

She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. You’re curious though, right?”

Luke was quiet for a while, his eyes no longer scanning their surroundings but firmly on her. A lesser woman might crumble under his scrutiny, but not her. She’d been steel-enforced for a long time; it would take a lot more than Luke Cappelli to break her.

“Okay, fine. You first, though. Show me how it’s done.”

“Okay.” She didn’t even hesitate to agree. He wrongly thought this would be a way to get out of doing it. “And you promise you’ll give it a go?”

“I promise.”

Turning away from him, she took a few steps forward and tipped back her head. In an instant, a resounding scream was ripping through her and bouncing off the trees.

God, that felt good.

It had been a while since she screamed into the abyss. She needed it a lot more than she realized. Especially now that she’d lost Marco. The universe had a lot to answer for. And she had yet another thing to scream about.

By the time she turned to walk back to Luke, her muscles felt looser and her mind calmer. He didn’t look any less tense though, but some fire had returned to his eyes. His crooked smile still tipped his lips.

“Your turn.”

He didn’t reply, just strode toward her. His gaze was glued to her. She only lost his stare when he passed her, taking her screaming spot. Deciding to give him some space, she stepped back a bit further.

It must have been a whole minute before he made good on his promise. Roaring into the undergrowth. But she could tell he was holding back. A short, sharp shriek wasn’t going to cut it. Not when he was carrying around a lifetime of rage.

“Again,” she yelled.

Another howl erupted. This one louder. Enough to shake the trees. He was getting closer.

“Again.”

The next one sounded like it had been torn straight from his soul. A hoarse cry, which was still ringing in her ears as he dropped to his knees, his head next to follow as he cradled it in his hands.

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