Page 116 of Never Die for a Sinner
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I growl.
The universe answers me, just in the biggestfuck you, Avaway possible.
Thunder rumbles, and it’s then that the sky opens up, instantly drenching everything within this forest, me included.
“Oh, fuck you,” I growl. Stupidly, I try to cover my head as if that will save me from the torrential downpour soaking me to the bone, and hunt for somewhere to hide.
I’msoblaming Levi for this.
With the clouds overhead blocking out a lot of the sunlight in the trees, and the rain making it even harder to see, I stumble through the thick underbrush in the way I think I came from, unsure if I’m going the right way or if I’m heading deeper into the Washington wilderness.
There has to be something nearby. Nowhere in this country is this unpopulated.
Then I remember. The Cross’s own at least three hundred acres. The lodge is on the first five of that.
I keep walking, struggling more and more, and getting colder as I go. My teeth chatter, and I tug my jacket tighter around myself, even if it is soaked. I’m coated in mud. Soaking wet to the bone and unable to see anything at all, as the sky only grows darker.
Of course, this storm is one of those storms that wipe out power lines. You know the kind that cause floods and otherwise destroy everything?
I find a large tree, backing up against the trunk, and hold on, like at any moment, the storm will pass, and it’ll be back to clear, sunny skies in no time.
It’s nearly impossible to keep moving, and my shoes are getting caught in the mud with every step. My choices are to keep struggling in the dark or wait here for the weather to subside, and I think I know which one I’m going to be forced into.
I’m such an idiot. I didn’t check the weather before I came out here. I was just desperate to get away from Cross Estate, even if that meant trudging through the forest.
Now, I’d give anything to be warm and dry in my bedroom, even if I did have to listen to Levi and his brooding.
I close my eyes, silently willing myself away from here and suck in a deep breath.
I have to keep going.
I stumble forward, holding onto trees as I go, and just when I’m about to give up, I spot it. A cabin out in the brush. It’s dark, and it looks like no one’s there, but it’s dry. I rush forward, making my way toward the little slice of civilization stuck out in the middle of the forest.
And then my foot catches something hard.
All the air is pushed out of me when I slip down a steep cliff, the mud dragging me down. I attempt to catch myself, fall on my back, and crack my head.
Then everything goes black.
LEVI
Levi: My room. Now.
I sent that text over half an hour ago, and it’s been nothing but radio silence on her end since. I can’t lie and say I didn’t expect it, but she can’t ignore me. Regardless of whether she’s pissed at me, she can’t hide from me forever. I may be patient, but only for so long.
“Open the damned door, Ava.”
Which is why I’m at her door the moment the thirty-minute mark hits.
There’s no response from the other side. I know for a fact today is her day off, and I’m getting really fucking agitated waiting on her to show up. We have somewhere to be, and we’re already late.
After I told her she couldn’t go out last night, I haven’t heard from her, and I can’t escape the nagging voice in the back of my head telling me I need to put a leash on her. My girl likes to be defiant, and I also know she will do anything she can to piss me off. It’s part of what’s so fucking addicting about her.
“Are you done throwing a temper tantrum over your little party this weekend?”
Still no answer.
There’s a part of me that wants to apologize. To tell her the truth about why I’m keeping her at arm’s length.
