Hunt and Pray by Cindy Sutherland Read Free Book Online Page A

probably deserved it more than once.
    He sighed and did what he had to—use the bathroom, wash his hands, and brush his teeth automatically before going to the door to wait to see what came next.
    He was surprised when he was motioned back to the bedroom. The door closed as soon as he was through it, so he wandered over to stare out the window.
    The door opened again a few minutes later, and Chance quickly set down a tray with coffee and toast on it before backing out of the room.
    Drew looked up just before he closed the door, and their gazes caught, locking them together for what seemed to be an eternal moment. It was a look filled with pain and regret before Chance looked away and closed the door.
    Drew sighed and sat down on the bed. He drank the coffee, grateful for the caffeine, and nibbled on the toast.
    He hated waiting. He wasn’t sure why he felt he should be hurrying because the only place to go was to the end of his life, but it all felt so urgent somehow.
    He closed his eyes and let his mind drift, prayed a little more, and tried to be as rested as possible.
    He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there. Looking down at his watch, he was surprised to find it was almost noon. He would have thought they would send him out in the morning so they could have some daylight to come after him, but he was sure the colonel had his reasons for waiting.
    When the door opened, Ezra was standing there, smirking at him and holding a gun, with the colonel lurking behind him. Drew stood without being asked and walked to the door. If this was going to happen, he was going to keep his dignity as long as possible.
    Ezra grabbed Drew and shoved him out into the hall toward a screen door. Drew pushed it open when he reached it and found himself standing on a big porch. The day was bright and sunny, and it struck him as wrong somehow. Shouldn’t the day he was supposed to die be rainy and dark?
    Prodded from behind, Drew went down the steps and waited. There was nothing else he could do.
    The colonel emerged from behind Ezra and dropped a backpack and a large knife in a sheath at his feet.
    “You have six hours before Chance starts after you. If you’re smart, you’ll get as far from here as you can. Once he gets started, it won’t be long before he catches you. He’s an expert tracker and an excellent marksman. You won’t be much of a challenge for him, but it’ll be a start.”
    The man’s eyes almost twinkled, but Drew ignored him in favor of looking around.
    The colonel noticed and grinned. “Chance is… resting right now.” The evil grin on Ezra’s face would have made Drew wonder exactly where Chance was resting, but it was something he didn’t have the time for right now.
    “Aww. What’s the matter, fag boy? Hoping to say good-bye?” Ezra sneered at him, but gave a squeak when the colonel elbowed him in the ribs.
    “The next time you see my son… well, let’s just say his will be the last face you’ll ever see.” Something flashed in his eyes, something that looked a lot like doubt, but it disappeared so fast Drew was left wondering if he imagined it.
    “Now get going.” The two men stood there looking at him as Drew reached down and picked up the knife and the pack. He stood up and slung the bag over his shoulder and stuck the knife in the waistband of his jeans.
    When he was ready, he looked the colonel in the eye. “You know, Colonel, you’re absolutely right. I’m going to die today, and I’m not happy about it, but you know what? I believe in Karma, I really do… and someday when you least expect it, your world is going to fall apart around you.”
    Drew stopped and took a breath like he had all the time in the world. “And when it does, you can bet that my smiling face will be looking down from heaven, and I’ll be laughing my gay fucking ass off.”
    Drew grinned at the shocked look on the colonel’s face before he turned and strode across the yard and into the woods. He kept