Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 323(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
The fact that she doesn’t even look around or try to hide her drug use is what concerns me. It’s as if she feels invisible, almost like she’s gone unnoticed for so long she knows no one will see her or worse yet, wouldn’t care even if they did.
“Who is she?” I ask out loud more to myself than Shadow.
“Emmalyn told me earlier she’s the fiancée of the soldier.”
Fuck. That’s rough.
“Why isn’t she near his family?” I look over at the large group of people I know to be his blood relatives.
“Couldn’t tell you that, brother. You’d think they’d include her.” I barely register his hand slapping me on my back and his departing words. “See ya later, Kid. Gonna grab me a plate.”
I stand and watch her, only losing my line of sight for a few brief seconds when people cross in front of me.
How could she ever go unnoticed? She’s gorgeous. Even in jeans, a plain t-shirt, and her auburn hair thrown haphazardly on the top of her head, she’s breathtaking. And young. Probably too young.
I shake my head and pull my focus from her, feeling a little dirty gawking at a girl and thinking carnal thoughts, when there’s a good chance she’s a high school student and under age. Top it off with the fact that she’s grieving the loss of her fiancé, makes me feel like a complete asshole.
I force myself to look at anyone but her. The tingle I felt earlier hits me again, and I look over to see her looking at me. I immediately realize her eyes were on me earlier, even though I didn’t see her watching me. It was the cause of the feeling the first time around.
She meets my eyes for the briefest of seconds, and then looks down at her hands, giving her head a tiny shake. She stands from her position on the ground and walks away without a backward glance. She stumbles and staggers slightly, and I know it’s because of whatever pills she’s just popped. Concerned that she’s affected so quickly, I decide to follow her. Completely creepy, and possibly illegal, I know, but for some unknown reason I just can’t let her walk away.
I’m worried about her safety. I tell myself this over and over as she leaves the park and walks toward the long bridge on the far side of the park.
I plan to keep my distance from her. The last thing she needs is some stranger confronting her about drug use on such an emotionally exhausting day. Plus, by the way she’s tripping over her own feet, she wouldn’t retain a word I say.
I see her reach into her pocket again, pull something out, and stare down at it. I watch her shoulders slump, clearly frustrated with whatever it is she’s looking at. With her back to me, I don’t fully understand until she lowers her hand and a flash of orange falls from her grasp.
The lidless pill bottle falls to the ground; the low thud more like a shotgun being discharged.
My mind races as I quicken my step to grab the bottle from the ground. My normally steady hands shake slightly when I turn it over to read the label. Zolpidem? Sleeping pills? People don’t take sleeping pills to get high. Oxy. Hydro. Now that I would understand.
Realization slams in my chest just as I look up to see her grasping the railing on the bridge. Her foot slides off the edge as if she doesn’t have the strength to lift it up high enough to get over the top, which is clearly her goal.
“Hey,” I shout, hoping to get to her in time.
I watch in horror as she somehow manages the strength she wasn’t showing a few seconds ago and begins to throw her leg over the railing. Jesus, right here in broad daylight, less than a quarter of a mile away from a benefit being held for her deceased fiancé this chick is going to kill herself.
I wish I could say this is the first time I’ve been forced to intervene in a situation like this, but it’s not. War fucks people up pretty bad. I force the thought out of my head and focus all of my attention on getting to her before she can make the plunge.
The height of the bridge isn’t enough to kill her, but the rushing water under the bridge from storms from the last couple of days combined with God knows how many pills she has in her system, won’t make for a successful outcome. Well, maybe successful in her eyes, but I’m not letting that shit happen today.
I close the distance between us rather quickly and grab her around her waist. The action causes me to stumble back even though she feels as if she weighs next to nothing. We crash to the ground with me holding her close to my chest, cushioning her from the fall as best as I can.