Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61868 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
He never owned up, and I wasn’t going to beat him, so we left it buried where I’m sure he hoped, and maybe prayed, it would stay.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall when he hits playback on my message.
I used to want to exact some kind of revenge, but that feeling left me when I used the payout I received to move into this beautiful forest. I found my place in the world because of Bill's betrayal.
Every experience puts us on a path; even the ones we prefer never happened.
Now, I don't wish the man any harm, but I'm prepared to come out of the shadows so he can pay his debt and help Skye. At the very least, he can dig around to see what Carter Reynolds has been up to behind the scenes and what kind of a threat he is to Skye now.
But I really want protection from any repercussions in our dealings with Carter. And perhaps what he ultimately owes me, a total cover-up. They say it's who you know, not what you know. I reckon it's both of those things.
Now all I can do is wait. Wait and see if he will do what he should. The very act of reaching out to him after all this time will be enough for him to know that I’m not playing games. I may have kept his secrets in the past, but they can be resurrected if he doesn't play ball.
I push the phone back into my pocket and dress before I head back. As I round the corner, I notice that Finn and West are back. The truck is parked at a funny angle tonight.
I shouldn’t have left Skye in the barn for so long while my mind was distracted.
Quickening my pace, my pulse intensifies, and I stride towards the porch, almost tearing the door from its hinges in my hurry to be updated.
West, Finn, and Skye all look up at the sudden disturbance, their mouths agape.
"Everything okay?" West asks.
I give him a determined nod, and he immediately carries on showing Skye something on his phone. Skye is slumped forward, flicking through the screen. She gasps, taking her hands to her face, and stifled sobs escape in response to whatever she's seeing.
Finn is pouring shots of JD but gives up halfway to comfort Skye. She seems oblivious to his presence and alone in her agony. He returns to the shots and passes Skye one, urging her to drink for medicinal purposes.
She downs the shot, gasping at the bitter heat.
"You really saw her?"
West nods. "Finn took the photos. We couldn't get any closer without arousing suspicion. I'm sorry, Skye."
She shakes her head. "This is more than I could have hoped for. I know she's alive. That's more than I've known for weeks."
"Is your friend the woman behind the bar with the black hair and those things in her ears?"
"No. Shona doesn't look like that."
Skye slumps against the back of her chair, breathing hard. Her hand clasps at her throat and she makes a strangled sound as her breaths get shorter and shallower.
"Skye?" Finn steps forward, but I'm quicker to respond. I scoop her into my arms, pulling her against my chest. "It's okay, Skye. You're okay. Hallie's going to be okay. Just breathe." I inhale a long and loud breath, hold it for a second, then exhale it equally slowly. "Copy my breathing, yeah?"
Her eyes focus on mine, and she tries to mimic my pace, failing at first but then gradually matching the slow pull and push of my diaphragm.
Finn and West watch and exchange glances that I don't try to analyze. Skye opens her eyes, looking up at me. I pull her in for a tight embrace, and she tries to wriggle free feebly but then accepts defeat. Her eyes are wet with tears, which soak through my shirt as she eventually rests herself against me, trying to sink into me as much as she can.
She may not find comfort in my dark heart, but she will find protection.
"Can one of you get her some water?" I growl.
I want to know what happened tonight, but I need Skye ready and able to tell us what and who features in these photos that Finn and West have plenty of.
I carry her back to the kitchen table and place her in a chair. Finn rests the water in front of her, but she doesn't notice. I push it closer to her hand. "Drink, Skye."
On autopilot, she grasps the glass and downs the cool liquid all in one go. Her body shivers as it passes through her, but it seems to revive her a little.
West pulls out the phone again, and she continues to look.
We all watch Skye inhaling every detail of her daughter through the photos. There is one picture in particular that she keeps going back to.