Page 27 of Beg Me Angel

Chapter Seven

Vera

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The pine trees waved long spiky nails in the air as the wind blew them side to side. Clunking in the over-sized shoes Pax had given me, I padded my way behind him.

He moved through the brush and thick foliage like it was nothing, like he was a part of the trees, a fallen leaf that was rooting itself back in place.

He hadn't said one word to me, only sending me a nod or a hand wave if he thought I lingered too far behind him or wasn't moving fast enough.

Annoyed was too kind of a word to describe what I felt. I didn't want to be crawling around the forest looking for small game or big game or any fucking game. I wanted to learn about what happened, I wanted to look for my friend or try and find something to tell me how this all came to be.

I couldn't figure out what the hell he expected from me. The clothes I had on weren't my own, they were big and baggy and gobbling me up. It was hard for me to move, it was hard to slink and swim through the brush and leaves without making a sound.

And I didn't know these woods the way he did. I didn't have the years behind me to map out every dip, every tree, every stick that was hiding under four inches of old, dead leaves.

A part of me was trying to stay as far behind him as I could, afraid he would curve me in at any moment and point out our breakfast with this sick look in his eyes telling me it was my job to catch it.

The dark green backpack he wore was stuffed full of all kinds of things I didn't see any use for. A roll of wire was tucked in the side pocket, a flare gun was adjacent as the butt of the gun hung out of the side netting. Pax had even added yarn, clear fishing line, a net, and fuck if I knew what else.

Right before we took off into the vast freedom of tall trees, he warned me to stay quiet and move as fluidly as possible.

“Move against the wind, Vera, not with it. Watch where you put your feet, don't say a damn word, and if you're lucky, we'll come back with something good.”

Laying one foot down as easily as possible, I tried to watch how much weight I shifted against the ground, but there was debris everywhere. Sticks, leaves, fallen logs and trees, they littered the ground like confetti in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

How in the world am I supposed to avoid making a sound?

A small twig popped beneath my heel as I stepped forward, forcing Pax to jerk his shoulders. “Shh,” he snapped, whipping his head in my direction and holding a finger to his lips.

Shrugging my shoulders, I held my out my arms and curled my mouth in frustration. “I'm trying, give me a break. I'm not you, I'm not used to crawling around like a soundless critter.”

Arching a brow, his eyes flared open wide as he tapped his lips with his finger, signaling me to shut up.

Turning my palms out, I rolled my eyes, giving him a salute off my forehead. “Holy shit, alright I'll stop talking.” Whispering under my breath, Pax tilted his head into his shoulder and scowled.

I felt like a little kid being scolded for talking in the hallway at school. We were in the middle of nowhere, who the hell was going to hear us?

Walking behind him, I watched the woods come to life, moving in a dance with the wind. The treetops swirled in long circles, dipping back and forth as branches creaked and cracked in the distance.

I could hear the whir of the breeze as it brushed over my ears and bristled my skin, forcing a chill to run down my spine. Shivering, I tucked my face deeper into the jacket, tugging my hands up into the sleeves.

“Psst.” Lifting my hand to the side of my mouth, I tried to get his attention. “PSST,” I huffed louder as my voice drifted with the wind into his ear.

Cocking his head, Pax's lip curled up angrily. “Stop fucking talking.”

He was obviously agitated that I was breaching our verbal agreement of silence. But this game of quiet had gone on long enough. “I have a question and you might be the only person in the world who can answer it.”

“What?” he growled through clamped teeth.

“If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” I tried not to laugh, but this whole military-style animal ambush was starting to get old.

We had been walking for what seemed like hours and all we'd seen so far were a few chipmunks and one angry bird that dive-bombed us as we encroached on its nest.

How much longer did he expect us to do this?

Pursing his lips, Pax squared his shoulders, resting his hands on his hips. “Do you want me to leave you where you stand?”

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