Page 23 of Force of Nature

“Are you sure?” I asked through a yawn.

He nodded. “We’ll go get help in the morning.”

“Okay.” My eyes were already closing. Despite everything, I felt safe enough to fall asleep because I knew my dad would never allow anything to hurt me again.

Chapter8

Erik

I slappedthe metal dowel against my palm a few times as I gazed out at the moonlit landscape. I was bone tired, but there was no way I could fall asleep tonight. Hours had passed since I put Willow to bed, and I’d run through the day’s events a dozen times, trying to decide if I was the worst father in the world, or a victim of circumstance.

Had I taken advantage of my daughter’s compromised mental state, or were we both so broken and desperate for consolation that we had no choice but to seek it from the nearest source?

I convinced myself to stop dwelling on the rights and wrongs after a while. It was something I could try to work through later, when we got back to our normal lives. Until then, there was no point in letting doubts distract me from what was important.

Duke and the other two were still out there, which meant that Willow wasn’t safe yet.

The eastern horizon was just barely beginning to lighten. I must have been keeping watch for at least four hours without any sign of the men. It seemed naïve to hope that they’d given up on us. I glanced at the cot where Willow was still asleep, my heart swelling with love for her. She was somehow both outstandingly brave and the most precious thing in my life. I’d never forgive myself for letting Duke’s crew touch my daughter, but I was determined to make sure it didn’t happen again.

Before last night, I always considered myself to be a reasonable guy. I didn’t shit talk or stomp around looking for a fight, and I preferred to avoid unnecessary conflict. But my experience last night awakened something dark and dangerous inside me. I was ready to do whatever it took to protect the person I loved most, and as far as I was concerned, Willow would never be safe as long as Duke and his cronies were still breathing.

Which is why part of me was glad to hear voices drifting up from the clearing below.

“I’m tired, guys. Maybe we should just go.”

I didn’t need to strain to identify Martin’s whiny voice. Slowly, I crept closer to the open window to hear them better. It sounded like they were standing at the base of the tower.

“Fuck that,” Duke snarled. “I’m not leaving until we find them and finish this.”

“We’ve been searching for hours.”

“That piece of shit killed Ox,” Zeb pointed out. “We can’t let him get away with that. Besides, what the hell are we going to tell the cops? We drove here in Ox’s truck.”

“We’ll have to stage it the right way,” Duke said. “Wipe off the prints and put the gun in Erik’s hand or something.”

“Isn’t it registered to you?” Martin asked.

“Don’t be an idiot. I bought that gun years ago, after we offed those MILFs in Death Valley. Those sluts were almost as big of a pain in the ass as these two are turning out to be.”

My hand cramped as I squeezed the metal dowel rod. I had suspected that this wasn’t their first rodeo, but to have my suspicions confirmed by the devil himself was chilling. One wrong move and that could have been our fate tonight.

“I can’t believe that asshole got the drop on you,” Zeb said, snickering. “You look like barbecued shit.”

“Fuck you,” Duke snapped.

“Are we checking the tower or what?” Martin whined.

“Is this you volunteering?”

“Fuck no. The damn thing looks like it’s about to fall apart.”

“Quit being a bitch,” said Zeb.

Clearly, they weren’t going to give up and leave. They’d either search the tower together or send one or two guys up to check the place. Whichever option they chose, I was going to make sure it was the last thing they ever did.

I’m coming for you sick fucks…

I treaded softly to the cot and placed my hand over Willow’s mouth. She awoke with a start. The fear in her eyes faded as she recognized who was touching her. I held a finger to my lips to indicate that she had to be quiet. She nodded. I removed my hand from her lips and pointed downward. Her eyes widened. After a few seconds, she heard the voices, too.

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