Page 66 of Death Rydes Shotgun

I lift the body by the waist and toss him over the edge like he’s absolutely nothing.

He disappears into the black void, swallowed by the rushing waters below without a sound.

Satisfied, I turn back and trudge through the storm, heading straight for the cabin.

When I step back onto the porch, Harmony is pacing near the open door, practically pulling her own hair out.

“What did you do with him?” she demands the second I cross the threshold.

“He’s taking a swim.” I walk past her into the main room, dropping to one knee beside the stone fireplace.

I grab a few dry logs from the wood pile in the corner and start a fire.

The wood crackles, bright orange sparks cascading upward as a fresh flame licks the cedar, casting long, dancing shadows across the cabin walls.

Harmony follows me, her shadow trembling against the floorboards.

“What were you two talking about before I came out?” Her question comes with a demanding tone, and laced with dread.

I blow on the embers, watching the flames take hold before I stand to my full height.

“He wanted to know who I was and what the hell I was doing out here,” I reply calmly. “He told me there was a sign marked No Trespassing down by the road, and that I was on private land.”

I pause, casting a dark glance back at her.

“I told him I didn’t give a damn about a sign. To which, he said that he was going to call the cops on us.” I shrug.

Harmony’s face pales further. “There is no us! The cops aren’t looking for me, Ryder! They’re looking for you!”

I turn around slowly, glaring at her through the firelight, letting a dangerous, mocking smile cut across my face.

I take a step toward her. “Are you really that naive, Harmony? You and I have been seen together multiple times tonight by different people. You picked me up on the side of the road. You were with me at the carnival. Good luck explaining to the sheriff how you’re just an innocent bystander while standing next to a wanted man with blood literally splattered across your face.”

She freezes, looking down at her hands, at the dark red streaks staining her sweater and skin.

A fresh wave of absolute terror washes over her features as the reality sets in: if the police show up right now, she won’t be saved. She’ll be arrested as an accomplice to murder.

“You…” Her gaze burns with sudden, furious accusation. “This was your plan all along, wasn’t it? You set this up. You dragged me into this so I couldn’t leave you!”

“I didn’t invite a masked lunatic with a gun to the porch, pretty girl⁠—”

Bang! Bang!

A heavy, explosive fist hammers against the front door of the cabin, shaking the thick wood on its hinges.

“Sheriff’s Department!” a loud, booming voice roars from the porch over the thunder. “Open the door now!”

Fuck.

Harmony gasps, clutching her mouth as her eyes frantically scan the small, confining room in utter panic.

I act instantly, grabbing her by the arm, my grip firm and uncompromising, and shove her toward the narrow, pitch-black crawlspace behind the stone chimney.

“Hide. Don’t make a fucking sound,” I order in a sharp, lethal whisper.

She doesn’t argue. She scrambles into the dark recess behind the hearth, pulling her knees to her chest and vanishing into the shadows.

“Sheriff’s Department! Open up, or I’m kicking this frame down!” the cop shouts again, the iron handle rattling violently.