Kara nods, and we make our way down from the tree. There are no signs of life anywhere, which makes me feel a little better because I was starting to get worried about the noises I was hearing out there in the wilderness last night. There were howls, hissing sounds, fighting sounds and don’t even get me started on the things I slapped off my legs. Things that I’m certain I never want to know the name of.
When my feet hit the ground, my legs wobble and I reach out, hanging onto the tree. Kara jumps down after me and hands me the bottle of water. I take it, drinking the cool liquid and then I pause and try to figure out which direction we should take. I have no idea how Emily would even begin to find her way out of these woods, unless she already had it mapped out.
“Any idea on which direction we should go?” Kara asks.
“I’m thinking we go back to where Emily led us and see if we can maybe find some tracks to follow, at least we might be going in the right direction then.”
“You’re smart,” Kara gives me a weak smile. “If I had to pick anyone to get stranded in the wilderness with, I’m glad it was you.”
I laugh.
We find the tree again, and I manage to pick up a few more things Emily dropped. A pen, a notebook and another snack bar. I give the bar to Kara, who takes it willingly, but breaks it in half to share with me. I peer around on the ground as I eat it and notice a couple of shoe prints going in one direction. “I think these are ours, we seemed to walk in a straight line so I think we should go back this way.”
Kara looks down, and then nods.
We begin our walk and pray we’re going the right way.
We walk for about an hour when we hear voices yelling our names. They’re distant, but they’re clear. My heart skips a beat, and I could cry with relief as I bring my hands up either side of my mouth and call out loudly. Kara does, too. With all our might, we yell, until we get closer and closer to the men calling our names.
When I see Rhett through the trees, being followed by Enzo, Elias and Madden, I could scream with relief. I call out to him, and he turns, his eyes settling on me. I rush towards him, heart racing, legs wobbling, feeling so many things I can’t keep them under control. I throw myself into his arms and he catches me, his grip strong, his hug intense.
“What the fuck happened? Fuck. I thought you were dead.”
I bury my face into his chest, breathing him in. I just need to feel him hanging onto me for a second longer.
“Emily,” Kara says, her voice croaky. “We figured out it was her that killed Taj. She caught onto it and came at us when we were sitting by the river. She had a gun. She made us walk into the woods, hoping we’d get lost so she could run. Lei fought her, and she did a runner into the night. We had no choice but to climb a tree and stay there until morning.”
Rhett pulls me back, looking down at me. “You hurt?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“Fuck, anything could have happened to you out there. Where is Emily? How do you know she killed Taj?”
“We figured it out,” I tell him. “It was an accident, but she didn’t want to go to prison. She is planning to make a run for it. I don’t know where she went.”
“She won’t get far, don’t you worry about that,” Rhett mutters, turning towards Madden. “Load the horses up, find her.”
Madden nods, and the guys all turn and disappear out of sight.
“You hurt?” Rhett asks Kara.
She shakes her head. “No thanks to brave little Lei here. There were wolves out there, so we climbed a tree. Then she sat there all night so I could sleep. She’s a god damned warrior.”
I smile at my best friend.
Rhett pulls me in close. “Thank fuck that didn’t end how I thought it did.”
“I’m not that easy to get rid of,” I say, smiling up at him.
Kara laughs, shaking her head.
“Hey,” I say to her, and her eyes move to mine. “We solved a murder.”
She grins, big. “Hell yes we did.”
Rhett chuckles. “Don’t give up your day jobs, ladies.”
I thump him.
Detective Lei.
Yeah, I go alright.
Alright, indeed.
FOUR WEEKS LATER
“Fuck,” I moan, arching my back as Rhett devours my pussy.
His tongue does wicked things, his fingers even more so. He’s between my legs, I’m on the kitchen bench, and anyone would think he hasn’t had a taste of a woman for years the way he’s murdering me with his mouth.