Page 26 of Redd

Opening the door, I looked around. We were surrounded by trees, a thick spread that captured the darkness and hid the moon. Spotting a small trailer behind him, the soft bulb over the door was flickering, emitting barely enough light to cover the front steps.

My bare feet sunk into the cold sand, goosebumps jetting up over my skin as the night air slipped around my body like a blanket made of ice.

“Where are we?” I asked, wrapping my arms around my ribs, and hugging myself for warmth.

The man turned away from me, starting for the door. “Home,” he said, his voice husky and thick.

“You live here?” Standing outside the car, I rubbed my arms, looking at his house.

There was a protectiveness in my stance, eyes warily searching my surroundings for any other signs of life. But it was too dark, I couldn't see anything except the small home.

It didn't look like anyone actually inhabited the place, and I couldn't help the anxiety that took me hostage as I stood in the cold.

The grass hadn't been mowed in ages, standing calf-high against my legs and tickling my skin like the tiny feet of marching ants. Thick green mold spotted the lower half of the tan siding, growing up towards the windows. The screen in the door was torn in one corner, falling open into the outside world.

“For now.” His long legs brought him up the steps as he fiddled with the keys. “You coming or do you want to stay out here?”

I was hesitant, unsure of what would happen if I went inside and he closed the door behind us. Taking a small step closer, I hugged myself tighter and darted my eyes around in the darkness.

There's nowhere to go.

Metal jingled in his hands as he flipped through his keys. I couldn't see his eyes from where I was standing, but I knew he was looking at me. I could feel it. It was a chill, it was a shiver and a double beat in my heart.

His hands stilled and the quiet of night filled the air between us. “No one will find you here, those men don't know where you are.”

“You don't know that.”

The man chuckled, his voice low and amused as he spoke. “Trust me, I know.”

In the faint light above the door, I watched him brush his hair away from his face and stick the key in the doorknob.

Taking a few steps closer, I kept watching him. I took note of his body language and how relaxed he looked after everything that happened, despite what he had done. It made me question myself more about how good of a person he was.

He's done things. . . Bad things.

No one could act that casual if they had just killed someone for the first time. I wasn't stupid. There was no panic on his face, no shaking in his fingers.

What am I walking into?

Glancing over his shoulder, his eyes steadied on mine. A flash of sympathy sparked in his stare as soft lines drew up across his forehead. My chest constricted as a thin rope strung between us, linking us together. We had gone through something together, good or bad, that didn't matter. We were connected, we were bonded by our actions. He killed and I watched him, I shot someone and he stood by my side while I did it.

As quickly as that sympathy appeared, it was gone. The look he gave me faded away, disappearing behind stone-cold eyes as his jaw angled hard and his shoulders squared.

“I'm not going to stay out here and hold your hand, you can come or you can stay, it's your choice.”

I couldn't help but feel hurt and rejected, like he had just severed that tie, leaving me to carry the burden alone. Hugging myself, I darted my eyes away, unsure of what to say.

“Well? You coming or staying?”

Choice. . . He's actually making it my choice?

My brain rumbled and turned, trying to remember what it meant to decide for myself. It felt foreign, like I was being toyed with.Why would he ask me that? What kind of game is this?

“What if I say no?” Fiddling with the thin cloth around my waist, I twisted my toe into the ground. “Are you going to hurt me?”

Arching a brow, his lip twitched at the corner. He stood quiet, mouth contorting with voiceless letters, contemplating the right words to use. “I'm not going to do anything to you. But I wouldn't suggest you stay out here, not if you want to see tomorrow.”

What the hell does that mean?

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