Chapter 16
NOAH
Who the hell is this guy?
I watch the tank of a man move carefully through the trees, a rifle hanging loosely on his shoulders.
He stood over Rue like she was some toy to play with, and I don’t like that.
Maybe I tortured her with the rabbit foot.
Maybe I’ve been creeping a little too close for comfort for her. But I have reasons.
This fucker? He doesn’t have the right to do that.
My lips twitch as I scrutinize him. I don’t have a weapon. Well, unless my dull pocket knife counts—and that’s nothing on a rifle.
Except he’d have to have enough space and time to use it.
He could have a pistol on him, too.
I mull over the possibilities. Anger churns in my gut, but I’m not sure if it’s the way he grabbed Rue, or if the fact that Rue had the fucking audacity to tell me I wasn’t real.
I can show her how real I am.
And I will. After I take care of this dickwad. I can’t have some stupid illegal hunter risking anyone’s safety or my cover. The man heads deeper into the woods, away from the Iverson’s house and right for me. I linger, recounting every fight I’ve ever been in.
Especially the ones behind bars.
Winners are usually the ones with the highest drive to survive, and I’ll be damned if I die before I get to say my piece to Rue.
Back against the tree, I wait for the hunter to come closer. I steady my breaths as my heart jumps at the adrenaline surge, the footsteps growing closer with every step he takes.
And right as he reaches me, I move.
We’re pound for pound, but my hands are stronger and faster, wrapping around his neck and choking off his air supply before he even knows what’s happening. We crash to the ground, me on top.
His noises come out as grunts, and he struggles, trying to swing his rifle in my direction. But he’s out before the strap can even hang on his shoulder.
I check for a pulse, which is faintly there.
Okay, let’s take care of this.
I reach down, rid him of his backpack, lift the dead weight of the hunter, and drag him further into the woods. Sweat beads up across my forehead as my breaths pick up, and the scent of fake cedar makes my stomach nauseous.
But I keep dragging.
His head collides with rocks and bounces along the terrain as I get closer to the bluff, furthering the bodily damage. I have no idea how close he is to death, but it’ll be there before I’m finished. Thankfully, no blood is spilled between the attack and the edge of the rocky bluff.
I peer over the side, noting the steep fifty-foot drop, which ends in more trees and thick undergrowth, the ground disappearing into the black waters. If he survives the fall, he’s sure to drown in the water.
Especially if he’s cold…
“But that won’t look accidental,” I reason with myself, running a hand over my face. Fuck. He’s gotta go with that nice, warm coat.
Fine. It’ll be fine.
I take the rifle and punch the butt into his temple for good measure. A skull splitting crack follows, and crimson leaks from the man’s nose.
That’ll suffice.
I position his body along the edge of the bluff, and then use the pad of my boot to shove him forward. The sickening thuds along the way down are eerie, almost as if he falls in slow motion.
But the splash at the bottom? That’s satisfying as fuck.
I lean over the edge, and nod at the work done. The man is face down in the water, wedged perfectly between two strong trunks. He barely moves, as the water laps around him.
That problem is solved.
I sling the rifle over my shoulder, and then trudge back through the trees, a little more getup in my step now. Maybe Rue will be happy to know the threat has been eliminated from the woods. Well, the other threat.
I’m still a threat to her. But not in the way that will end with her dead in the lake.
I’d never kill her. I’m not like her. I won’t kill someone I love.
My steps quiet as I make it back to the Iverson’s house. The fog is still affecting visibility, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was this morning. I crack my neck and roll my shoulders, trying to conjure up some way to lure Rue back out.
Except she probably won’t come back out. Not after all that happened this morning.
I carefully walk the edge of the woods, making my way around to the front of the house. Maybe I could stake out, and then tap on that bedroom window of hers, once she falls asleep.
Or I could just break in.
That would be guaranteed to potentially get a scream out of her though, and then her mom could alert the cops. It’s game over then.
My thoughts swirl, mixing the past Rue with the present version of her. It’s the kind of dreamy shit I could get lost in, thinking about those pretty eyes, her soft expressions, and the way she always looked at me like I hung the goddamn moon.
And I saw a glimpse of that when she peered down at me from the edge of the ravine.
That’s dangerous to assume, my mind warns me. She did this to you.
I chew the inside of my bottom lip, and finally peer out into the front yard of the Iverson’ place.
And I stop. Full fucking stop.
My mind stops. My body stops. And I have a moment where I can’t fucking do anything but stare at the unmarked black SUV parked in the Iverson’s driveway. I know that damn thing doesn’t belong to any law enforcement in this town.
My eyes jump from the car to the house, and then back to the car.
It could be about something else, I tell myself. But the thought doesn’t sink very deeply as the front door swings open. Dread weighs down my chest as I read the back of the two men’s shirts.
U.S. Marshals.
“Shit,” I whisper under my breath, my heart beating unevenly.
Did she call them on me? Would she really go that far to avoid fucking accountability for what she did? Maybe there isn’t any ounce of the old Rue left in her.
I stay hidden in the woods, as the men make their way down the front steps. I expect them to lift their radios or open up the back and let the dog loose, or… something.
I hold my breath, preparing to run, but they just climb into the front seat.
The engine comes to life, the car backs up, and then it’s as if they were never there at all, tail lights disappearing in the thick fog.
I let out a breath, and then shift my gaze to the front porch, where Rue still stands, her hand over her heart. She squeezes her eyes shut for a moment, and I wonder what she’s thinking…
And just how I want our worlds to finally, fully collide.