Page 9 of Devil Inside: Green

“Cheerleaders,” she bites back. Damn, she’s got a smart mouth. I’d like to fuck that smirk—dammit. No, I don’t.

I’d say I just need to get laid, but I had that earlier tonight. For some reason, this chick gets to me, and point blank—shecan’t. I’m done with any pussy other than the empty kind with no feelings attached. Not even desire. At least desire for a particular woman. The women I bed need to be faceless. A body getting me off.

Eyes pop from the trees, glowing that eerie greenish-white in the headlights. The eyes are why she’s not driving faster. They’re attached to deer that will fuck you and your car up if they decide to play Red Rover with the deer on the other side of the road.

Danni reaches her hand up to turn on the radio, tuning me out for the rest of the ride to Middlesboro and then to the hotel she’s staying at. She doesn’t wait for me, taking off for the door. I have a longer stride—a good thing, considering she has the keycard to let us into the lobby this time of night.

We walk to the elevator. It opens and we step inside, still silent, and I’m beginning to regret my stupid comment. Being ignored sucks. When the doors slide open on the third floor, she turns left, walking down four doors. Her room is on the right.

She slides her keycard into the lock to open the room door and I follow her, shutting and latching the door behind me.

Danni still says nothing to me. I can’t take it. “Listen,” I say, “I’m sorry for being a jackass back in the car.”

She shrugs, still not looking at me. I’d say at least she speaks to me, but not with what she says. “That seems to be a theme with you around me. You open your mouth and asshole spills out. At least I know what I’m dealing with and can prepare accordingly.”

Stopping at the built-in, wall-mounted desk, she opens a small book. An atlas. She opens it to the Kentucky page. There are four cities circled on the map.

“We’ve had kills in Northern Kentucky—Florence area. Louisville, Lexington, and Bowling Green.” Then she points to Paducah. “This is too close to Missouri. I think our best bet is either Franklin or Oak Grove.”

“How do we narrow it down?”

“Of the cities with casinos he hasn’t hit, Franklin is a little too close to Bowling Green. I might be talking out of my butt here, but I think we scope out Oak Grove.”

“Damn, woman—you should work for the FBI.”

“Maybe I will someday,” she says. “Ready?”

“Ready?”

“Uh—yeah. For the drive to Oak Grove.”

I scoff. “You want to gotonight?”

“I’m sorry, is it past your bedtime? Are you afraid of the scary man? I can go alone.”

“Shut it. You’re not going alone.”

She points to the door. “Then let’s go.”

When she sayslet’s go, she means it, pulling the long handle to her suitcase that she hasn’t unpacked, and tucking the atlas under her arm, she leaves the room. I guess we’re not coming back here.

She stops at the desk to check out. I didn’t know we were heading out tonight. I have to check in with my parole officer tomorrow here in Middlesboro. I have to take the piss test.

“I can’t go tonight, Danni.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have to check in with my parole officer tomorrow. I don’t, they’re locking me up again.”

“Are you checking out?” the night auditor asks.

“Are you serious?” she barks at me. “We’ve got a location and you’re springing this on me now?”

“I didn’t know we were heading out tonight. You know my situation.”

She sighs the beleaguered sigh of the aggrieved. Whatever. I don’t have time for her shit. “Fine,” she says. “No. Apparently, we’re not checking out tonight.”

Just that fast, she turns to head back for the elevator. It’s a standard double-bed room. She takes the one she’s apparently been sleeping in and I drop onto the other, pulling off my boots, then shrugging off my cut, laying it on the pillow next to me.

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