Page 27 of Deeper You Dig
Thank God I haven’t eaten yet, or I’d shit my pants.
“Nothing.” I open my eyes and distance myself from the door.
Rock frowns as his piercing gaze settles over me. “You okay?”
“Yup,” I answer, a few octaves higher than normal. “Peachy. Groovy. All good in the hood.”
Rock’s frown deepens. He adjusts the backpack slung over his shoulder. Christ, what are the chances he’s got a weapon in there? Will he beat me to death or just shoot me and be done with it? We’ve buried more than a few bodies together. Rock’s capable of digging a deep grave without breaking a sweat.
“Things look good outside and downstairs,” he says.
“Thanks.”
I gotta get out of here.No, if I run, it’ll look too obvious. Guilty or something.
Maybe change the subject? Or should I just confess and get it over with? If I tell him before Hope does, maybe he won’t kill me.
What do I say? “Your wife is smoking hot?” Nope, that’ll definitely get me killed.
Is there any chance Hope won’t tell him that I walked in on her? Nah, I did more than walk in on her. I stood there and stared like a fucking creep. Took in every inch my stupid, greedy eyes dared. I’m so dead.
“Where’s the baby?” I curl my arms together and swing them from side to side in front of me in case Rock has no idea what I mean bybaby.Jesus, this just keeps getting worse.
He jerks his thumb over his shoulder. “Downstairs with Heidi and Murphy. Hope came up here to change into her other costume.”
“Oh,” I squeak like a preteen whose balls haven’t dropped yet. “Cool. Cool.”
Keeping my back to the wall, I slide a few feet away from Rock. “I, uh, gotta get downstairs now.” Maybe flee the country.
Rock’s piercing gray eyes stab me all the way to the staircase.
I grip the banister. Safety’s a few skips away.
The scrape of a key in the lock reaches me. I hesitate and turn my head. Rock has his hand curled around the knob.
“Hey, Prez?” I call out.
He turns and our eyes meet.
“I’m really glad you guys came to the party.” I flash him a thumbs-up. “and you’re a very lucky man.”
His eyes widen. He pauses, then takes a step toward me.
I run down the stairs like death’s hot on my ass.
CHAPTERTEN
Rock
The urge tochase Ravage down and choke some answers out of him takes a back seat to my concern for Hope.
I turn the knob and step into “our room” at the new clubhouse. Sparsely furnished—I’d told Rav I really didn’t give a fuck what was in here—but clean, it vaguely smells like pine air freshener.
Light spills under the bathroom door to my right. I tap my knuckles against the hollow wood.
“Rock?” Hope’s timid question sparks my anger. I’m going to kill Rav. I don’t know why yet, but he’s definitely dead.
“It’s me.”
