Murphy's Law (Roads Less Traveled Book 2) by C. Dulaney Read Free Book Online

Jake’s face, tilting her head away from the bed, motioning for him to follow her. He did so, hesitantly, and she snuck back the way she came. Instead of walking back into the bedroom, she turned right and stepped into the darkened bathroom. Once Jake was inside, she eased the door shut and flipped on the battery-powered Coleman lantern.
    “Okay, so what’s up?” she asked again, her voice still low and her arms folded around her. The night was chilly and there wasn’t any heat in the building.
    Jake ran a hand through his hair. He looked over his shoulder at the door, stepped closer to Mia, and crossed his arms.
    “Fuckin’ nightmares, can’t shake ‘em.”
    “What kind of nightmares?”
    Jake sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Same old shit, Mia. Mostly Ben though.”
    Mia knew they had been best friends, and it was understandable that Jake would still be grieving. Hell, Kasey was, and Kase hadn’t been as close to the man as Jake had been.
    “That’s normal, hun. I’d feel the same way if it’d been Kasey. Nothing wrong with that. And it doesn’t make you weak either. But you gotta find a way to deal with it, Jake. We can all see what it’s doing to you. Well, I don’t think anyone knows what’s really bothering you, but they can all tell there’s something. Are you sure that’s it?”
    Jake clenched his jaw, his eyes glazing a bit.
    Should I tell her? he thought. Fuck it.
    “Yeah there’s somethin’ else…” Then he told Mia what he’d found that last day in Matias.
    “Oh…that bitch! ” Mia yelled. His hands flew up and covered her mouth.
    “Shh! Shh, sshhh! You’ll wake up the whole goddamn house!” His face was so close to hers that her heavy and stifled breathing was making his hair flutter.
    “You gonna be quiet?”
    He waited until she calmed down before letting his hands drop from her face. He could clearly see she was pissed beyond belief, but at the same time, it made him feel better. Maybe it was finally getting this huge secret off his chest, sharing it with someone else who could understand its meaning. It’s full meaning. Either way, he felt much better, and for the first time in months, he thought he’d be able to get a good night’s sleep.
    “I can’t believe that bitch. Jesus Christ, Jake, I mean, do you know what that—”
    Mia was beside herself, struggling to come to terms with the same realization Jake had been dealing with alone this whole time. She stopped talking when she noticed he was slowly nodding with a smile.
    “Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know.”
    “So that’s what’s been eating you. She’s the reason Ben is dead, whether directly or indirectly, as you see it,” she clarified. He nodded. Mia put her hands on her hips, bit her lower lip, and stared at him from under dropped eyebrows. “And now you want to put that bitch in the ground.”
    “Smart and pretty. Lethal combination. Let’s get some sleep.” Jake opened the bathroom door and flipped the lantern out.
    She mimed pulling her hair and screaming, instead settling for letting the subject drop for the time being. She crept out of the bathroom, looked over at the sofa-bed (neither Zack nor Kasey had moved), and tiptoed back into the bedroom. Jake was already snoring on the floor next to the bed, and she had a strong and sudden urge to kick him in the guts on her way around him. She didn’t. Instead she crawled under the blankets as gently as she could so as not to wake Nancy, and tried to force herself to sleep.

Chapter Three
     
    March 21 st : IGA Parking Lot
     
    “Let’s hurry up and get this over with. This place is freakin’ me out,” Jake said as we rode into the grocery store parking lot.
    We’d spent the night at the apartment above Hartley’s instead of loading and leaving after dark. I’d even allowed us to sleep in, and for one night, canceled the night watch. Apparently it was just what Jake needed. Sure, we all felt better that morning than we had the whole trip, but it