Page 56 of Double Obsession

What were his exact words? Oh, yes: “I posted an uncovered cock photo, and you’re the one who took it.”

She plopped onto her back and clutched the phone to her heart. The dinner in her stomach soured. It couldn’t be? She was overreacting again.

Still, she logged into her Instafriend. It took her forever to findBlocked Accounts.Only one name sat in jail. Her finger hovered over the cat icon. She took a deep breath and unblocked her virtual stalker.

One by one, messages flooded in.

First, Jenna held a hand to her mouth to stifle her cries.

Then, tears flowed down her cheeks.

Finally, she dialed the bravest person she knew. “Dad, please help me,” she croaked into the receiver for the second time in the past forty-eight hours.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Arkansas lifted her arms to the ceiling to stretch out her aching back. It was a shame she’d slept on the couch the night before when she had such a cozy bed. Something had to be done about the racket in her bedroom because her body couldn’t take another night of discomfort.

And why was her fiance´ always hurting himself? It wasn’t fair; he should be playing Killer Combat Zone with her instead of behaving like an invalid.

She switched off the video game, put down the controller, and picked up Hunter’s cell phone. The stinking thing wouldn’t power on. After tossing it onto the floor, she lit a cigarette and blew a ring of smoke into the air, and flicked ashes into a fancy wooden ashtray. Unfortunately, Grandmommy wouldn’t have approved of Hunter’s sinful habits.

Arkansas had stumbled across the bong in his bedroom and deposited his beer cans into the recycling bin—don’t even get her started on the absurdity of recycling; but her unwanted new roomie, who blew in and out like the wind, nagged and nagged until she had tossed the cans in the green bin.

And then there was the matter of Hunter’s ungrateful dogs, who refused to come near her. She stubbed out her cigarette as she growled at the shivering brats. At least she had a kitchen full of food. She ignored the mumbling coming from her bedroom to prepare a snack.

Five minutes later, she sat at the computer with a plate of sandwich cookies and a glass of soda. She opened her journal and wrote the date, checked on Hunter’s social media feed, andharrumphed.He hadn’t posted anything new in almost two days.

She recorded the day’s news in her lovely script.He hasn’t responded to any of my messages.

She scrolled to the cowboy photo, ran a finger over his crescent-shaped scar, and then fingered hers.

“I love you, Hunter,” she told his photo. ThenShe typed:I thought you were going to do more cowboy photos. When are they coming?

She slammed her fist on the table when her message appeared as though Hunter had written it.

“It is because you are typing on his-s computer?”said the annoying shadow peeking over her shoulder.

She swatted, and it dispersed like smoke.

It was easy to forgive Hunter for the computer glitch since he was so incredibly handsome that her heart ached and her body tingled.

She checked on Jenna Gibson, who hadn’t posted anything in weeks. How utterly boring and pathetic.

She stopped by Hunter’s ex’s feed. She may have been dressed like a whore, with her flat chest and trashy sequin dress, but at least she had posted something.

Tramp!Arkansas typed. “Tee, hee, hee,” she giggled when Hunter’s name appeared in front of her message.

A second later, she missed Hunter so much that a bottomless longing formed in her belly.

“You know he’s-s in the basement,”whispered the amorphous shadow, which now had two eyes and a moving mouth.

Horrible demonic mumbles traveled down the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen. The eye on a chocolate cookie winked at her.

Of course, she knew he was in the basement. She wasn’t insane. She swatted at the shadow and plugged her ears.

By the time the incessant ramblings from above stopped, it was well after the dinner hour.

She finished her notes and fixed Hunter a plate of cookies, a glass of soda, and two slices of cheese. She carried the offerings down the stairs to his room.