Page 7 of Can't Stop
I firm my grip on the wheel and reel in my sanity. I’m not thinking clearly. Rayna loves me, and she won’t hop on the first dick who shares her favorite hobby. Even if he does look a lot like Liam Hemsworth. And even though he’s now telling her that he not only owns a taxidermy collection, but he has his own shop.
If we picked up a girl who had a penchant for blood like me, would Rayna feel this intense jealousy I’m feeling now? Either way, killing him will be just the thing to get my mind right.
The next few miles pass in a blur as I try to block out their conversation. Joining in isn’t an option, as they’re currently discussing the merits of building your own form versus buying a pre-made. I don’t know what any of these words mean.
Golden arches appear in the distance as we near the interstate again. McDonald’s is Rayna’s favorite, and we haven’t eaten in hours.
“How about we stop for a bite?” I say to Rayna as I point to the fast-food building coming up on our right.
Rayna shakes her head. “I’m not really hungry right now.” She turns back to the stranger. “So, like I was saying, I thought about re-stretching him over a new form, but I think he’d just tear.”
“Let me see him,” the man says as he holds his hand toward Van Gogh.
I sit a little higher in my seat, knowing she’s about to snatch that squirrel back quicker than he can blink. It took a lot of work for her to allow me to touch him, and I know she’d never?—
“Be careful with that left ear. It’s barely hanging on,” she says as she hands the squirrel to the man.
Fuck.
I snatch the wheel and pull into the McDonald’s parking lot. Van Gogh flies from Rayna’s fingers and smacks into the side of my head, then continues down to the footboard, where he gets jammed under the brake. Unfortunately, I also press my foot down at the same time, crushing the squirrel’s frail body. The resulting crunch might as well have been my own ribcage because now I can’t fucking breathe.
Rayna screams as I put the car in park and reach into the shadows to pull up the remains of her most beloved object. At first glance, I’m relieved. He’s still in one piece, despite the terrible crunching sound we heard. But then my finger finds the ragged tear running down his side.
“Bones, I’m sorry,” I say as I offer him to her.
With tears in her eyes, she pulls the furry creature to her chest and fights back the sobs. I’ve never seen her look so small and afraid.
“You killed him,” she whispers as she studies the strip of separated skin.
Now is not the moment to tell her that he died a long time ago, so I bite my tongue and try to think of something kind to say. That’s when Mister Wonderful swoops in.
“Let me see him,” he says. He reaches into the front seat once more, and I fight the urge to bite his fingers off. When Rayna places Van Gogh in his waiting palm, my heart sinks again.
I bite back the rage. For her.
After a few moments of tense silence, the man sits forward and places the squirrel in Rayna’s lap. “The tear looks worse than it is. You lost a little fur, but I can patch him up if you don’t mind making the trip to Oak Hollow.”
“Then I guess we’re taking you the entire way there,” she says.
“Rayna, can I speak to you, please?” I say.
She nods. “Sure.”
“Outside the car.” I smile sweetly at her. I know I just fucked up, but we are absolutely not taking this strange man the entirety of the journey. In fact, I’m thinking of avoiding that town altogether now.
She sets Van Gogh on the center console and joins me outside the car. Despite being fall, it’s uncomfortably warm out, and I begin to sweat almost immediately. Though part of it is probably stress.
“You can’t be serious,” I whisper when the car door closes. We take a few steps away from the vehicle.
Rayna crosses her arms over her chest and glares at me. “Oh, I’m very serious. I only want the best for Van Gogh, and judging by his racoon, Samuel is the best.”
“Samuel? You’re on a first-name basis with him now?”
“Your shitty driving is the reason my squirrel now has a gash in his side, and he is the key to fixing him. Hell, he might even be able to reattach his dangly ear. Don’t you want that for our son, Dalton?”
Her bottom lip quivers as she looks up at me. She’s serious.
I sigh and pull her against my chest. “Fine, bones. We’ll take him the full way to Oak Hollow.”
