Page 125 of Axe Backwards
Her face.
The memory of her expression crushed me.
The way Vic went from triumph to utter shame in an instant. How her loud, buoyant personality was turned off in the blink of an eye.
I lay on the couch and attempted to close my eyes. I didn’t have the mental energy to walk the ten steps to my bed. The bed we’d squeezed into together so many summer nights. A bed that had started as penance and had become a haven.
Sleep.Just fucking sleep.
I focused on my breathing, working to shut out my racing thoughts. But as they quieted, a strange sensation crept over me.
It was… eerie.
Pulling a pillow over my face, I resisted the compulsion to run downstairs and pull her into my arms.
Where the fuck did Denis get that recording?
My brothers had held me back from crushing his skull, and then my concern for Vic had taken over.
She powered down.
The light behind her eyes went out. In the truck on the way home, she was nothing but a shell of herself.
She stared out the window silently. Once we’d made it into the building, she’d gone into her apartment and locked the door.
Leaving me alone in the dreary hallway, desperate to help her, but utterly helpless.
The looks, the whispers. All of it.
And her sister’s face.
God, those terrible people thought they’d won.
I feared they were right.
Vic had been blossoming for months, and this weekend, she’d triumphed. The town stuck up for her. She’d become such a vital part of this place, and she’d accomplished so much for our community.
Fuck.
It was too muggy to sleep.
I stood with a grunt. I’d get a glass of water, then I’d pace and finish this podcast. Toddler brain development was fascinating. I may as well get ahead on things. I was too keyed up to even think about sleeping.
I was bringing my glass to my lips when I felt it again.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
Fuck. Something was wrong.
I went into Tess’s room to turn on the AC unit, desperate to cut the oppressive heat.
As I stepped over the threshold, I smelled smoke.
Between one heartbeat and the next, my brain had cleared.
In the next instant, the smoke detector began to screech.
I ran into the main area of the apartment, searching for telltale signs of fire.
