Page 236 of Shhh…It’s A Killer Story

Certainly not me.

Probably not you either.

Max lifted his enormous head from the rug beside the bed, blinking one sleepy brown eye open as if judging every life decision I'd ever made.

"You heard that, didn't you?" I whispered.

His tail gave one lazy thump against the floor.

"Oh, don't look at me like that."

Another thump.

"Traitor."

He huffed, completely unbothered. I laughed again. Life was strange. A day ago, I was tied to a chair, wondering whether I'd die before sunrise. Now… Now I was lying in a bed that still smelled like Elias, smiling because he'd kissed my forehead before leaving for work. Life was terrifying. Beautiful. Completely unhinged and somehow...

Perfect.

By the time I'd showered carefully avoiding the worst of the bruises and changed every bandage Elias had fussed over yesterday, I was exhausted all over again. Pulling on skinny jeans should've qualified as an Olympic event. By the time I finally wrestled them into place, I was breathing harder than I had during physical therapy.

"I won," I announced to absolutely nobody.

Max was already sitting beside the front door. Waiting. Patient. Far too intelligent for his own good.

"You knew we were leaving, didn't you?"

His ears perked instantly.

"I swear you're half detective."

One sharp bark.

"I'll take that as a yes."

The truck rumbled quietly beneath me as we left the little cottage tucked between the pines. Max claimed the passenger seat as if he'd paid for it himself, his head hanging proudly out the window while the wind flattened his ears against his skull. Show-off.

My phone buzzed inside the cup holder. I smiled before I even picked it up.

Elias ❤️

Baby, come home to me.

Just seeing his name made my chest do that annoyingly fluttery thing. He'd already read my message. Good. Which meant he was probably worrying. Not enough to chase after me… Just enough to miss me. Exactly the amount I wanted. I rested my thumb against the screen for another second before locking it again.

"I'll be back," I murmured to the empty cab.

"You always say that," Frank muttered from somewhere deep inside my head.

Gerald sighed dramatically.

"She always comes back. It's practically her trademark."

"Unlike you," Frank muttered.

"Your trademark is annoying me."

"Your trademark is existing," Gerald shot back.