As much as I hated Ford’s incessant attempts to crack me open, what I detested above everything else was the way he’d gotten under my skin. The way he didn’t seem bothered when I turned cold. The way he got me to smile when I least expected it. The way he’d look at me like I was someone worth getting to know. Like I wasn’t made from the blood of a monster.
The man was seriously fucking with my head.
Time to get back to work, because the whole point of being out here was to forget about the man sitting in my grandparents’ home. Well, I suppose it was really my home now since I had inherited it after they both died seven years ago. It still felt like theirs, though, since I hadn’t changed much. It felt wrong to.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Ford was doing back at the house without me around. Was he snooping?
Nope, not going to think about it.
With jerky, angry movements, I snatched up the ax and raised it above my head, ready to take my aggression out on this tree again.
Something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I lowered the ax as a doe jumped and danced from behind a thick line of trees. She stopped short once she noticed me, eyes wide as she stared me down.
It seemed as if neither of us thought to move. We stood there in a stare-down for what felt like ten minutes, though it was probably more like seconds. I felt a calm wash over me as the two of us existed in this quiet woods, aware of each other, but not daring to get closer.
“Okay,” I said as I finally pulled myself back to the task at hand. “I’m gonna keep working. Feel free to hang around if you want. I won’t hurt you.”
I didn’t make eye contact again as I raised the ax and went on chopping my merry way through the tree.
I felt her there, though. Curious and cautious.
It was some cool shit.
That part of being out here never got old. The wildlife interactions. Well, the ones where it didn’t end with me dragging their corpse back to the barn.
I wasn’t a fan of hunting, but when I was here, it seemed like spitting on Grandpa’s grave not to. I always made sure to only hunt enough to get me through one visit and maybe have some for the next time I came around.
My phone rang, the shrill sound slicing through the silent world around me. The doe spooked, and I caught her disappearing into the trees as I answered the call.
“What’s up, boss?” I said with a cocky smile that I knew Reed could hear through the phone.
“How’s it going out there?” he asked.
“Fine,” I said, not elaborating. Well, there wasn’t really much to elaborate on, anyway.
“Is Ford around?”
“Nope.” I plopped my ass on a round log of the trunk that I’d chopped. “He’s back at the house. Not sure what he’s doing or when I’ll be back there to find out.”
“Are you sure everything’s okay?” he asked, the hesitation in his tone was thick.
“It’s just… a lot,” I said, but didn’t give him more.
“He’s a good man,” Reed said.
“I don’t doubt that, but you know how I get around his type. It brings up too much shit. And,” I lowered my voice as my eyes fell closed, “he knows who I am, I’m pretty sure of it. He’s not stupid or careless. He’s probably done a deep dive into each of our backgrounds. I get it, I do, it’s the same for you, but it just sets me on edge because…”
Iknowhe knows. There was no mistaking the look I saw in his eyes. It was too telling. I hated it. Hated the way that wall had been blown to bits with one fucking look. Fuck his stupid sympathetic brown eyes.
He knew the worst things about my life. The things I spent every day running from.
“If you were ever to talk to someone, Ford might be a good option,” Reed said, causing my brow to knit in confusion, and possibly anger. “I’m not saying you have to,” he rushed to say. “Or that you should. I’m just saying that you can trust him, and he sees a side that most people don’t on a near-daily basis. He understands the… situation more than most people would.”
“I’m good,” I said, forcing a light tone. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I wouldn’t. “What did you call for?”
He didn’t sigh, but I felt his need to.
“Ford’s good to reach out to Violet. Milo and Kyle didn’t find any red flags.”
